Trichoscopy as an Evaluation Method for Alopecia Areata Treatment: A Comparative Study

September 2020 in “ Journal of cosmetic dermatology ”

Marwa M. Fawzy, Rania Abdel Hay, Faisal Mohammed, Khadiga S. Sayed, Mona El Desoky Ghanem, Marwa Ezzat

trichoscopy alopecia areata intralesional corticosteroids platelet-rich plasma follicular units black dots broken hairs dystrophic changes Severity of Alopecia Tool Alopecia Areata Symptom Impact Scale AA ILCs PRP SALT AASIS

TLDR Trichoscopy is useful for diagnosing and monitoring alopecia areata treatment.

This comparative study evaluated the effectiveness of trichoscopy in diagnosing and monitoring treatment responses in 31 patients with patchy alopecia areata (AA) treated with either intralesional corticosteroids (ILCs) or platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Both treatments showed significant improvements in trichoscopic findings, including the number of follicular units per opening, black dots, broken hairs, and dystrophic changes. The Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) scores significantly decreased in both groups, while the Alopecia Areata Symptom Impact Scale (AASIS) showed a significant decrease only in the PRP group. The study concluded that trichoscopy is a valuable tool for diagnosing AA and assessing the efficacy and safety of both ILCs and PRP treatments.

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