Evaluation of Treatment Response Using a Handheld Dermoscope in Patients with Alopecia Areata

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using a handheld dermoscope in assessing treatment response in patients with alopecia areata. It included 49 patients, with 30 completing a 6-month follow-up. Results showed that 12 patients had a complete response to treatment, while 18 did not respond well or at all. Pretreatment, thinning hairs were more frequent in those who responded to treatment. Posttreatment, significant reductions in yellow dots, black dots, thinning hairs, and broken hairs were observed in responders. The study concluded that a polarized light handheld dermoscope was beneficial for evaluating treatment success in alopecia areata.