Utility of Trichoscopy in Comparison to Standard Methods for Assessing Disease Activity, Severity, and Therapeutic Response in Alopecia Areata

This study evaluated the effectiveness of trichoscopy compared to the hair pull test (HPT) in monitoring disease activity, severity, and therapeutic response in alopecia areata (AA). Conducted with patients from March 2018 to February 2019, the study found that trichoscopic features such as black dots, yellow dots, broken hairs, and short vellus hairs significantly correlated with disease activity and severity. Notably, the reduction in trichoscopic markers of disease activity occurred before the HPT turned negative, suggesting that trichoscopy is a valuable tool for assessing therapeutic response in AA.