Focal Alopecia in Parietal Area in Adult Women: Assessment of Usefulness of Trichoscopy in Making a Proper Diagnosis

The study assessed the usefulness of trichoscopy in diagnosing focal hair loss in the parietal area of adult women. It included 40 women, with 30 patients divided into three groups: alopecia areata (AA), discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), and lichen planopilaris (LPP), and 10 healthy controls. Trichoscopic examination revealed distinct features for each condition: AA showed yellow dots, broken hairs, and exclamation mark hairs; DLE presented white/white-pink structureless areas and interfollicular scaling; LPP exhibited fine perifollicular scaling and linear, branched vessels around follicular openings. The study concluded that trichoscopy is a valuable non-invasive tool for differentiating between non-scarring and scarring alopecia in women.