364 Improving hairdressers’ knowledge and identification of hair loss disorders with use of an educational video

Abstract

Hair loss, regardless of cause, can have a significant impact on self-esteem, mental health, and quality of life. Early detection and treatment help to improve outcomes and lessen the emotional burden on patients. Lichen planopilaris (LPP), frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) are forms of scarring alopecia that primarily affect women. Haircare professionals are often the first to note signs and symptoms of hair loss in their clients. However, the signs of hair loss, especially cicatricial alopecia (CA), for which early intervention is paramount, are not well known by hair stylists. We conducted a single-group, pretest-posttest intervention study to assess the use of an educational video in training hairdressers to identify signs of CA. Subjects included 40 hairdressers with a mean age of 44.1 and a mean of 20.3 years’ experience in haircare. Subjects completed a pre- and post-video questionnaire that assessed the subjects’ ability to identify clinical signs of scarring alopecia. Subjects showed increased knowledge about signs of CA after watching the video, with significantly more hair stylists correctly identifying perifollicular scale and redness as a sign of CA after watching the educational video compared to before (90% vs 50%, p<.001). Subjects also had increased ability to correctly identify photographs of persons with CA after watching the video (82.5% vs 57.5%, p=.003). Our data demonstrate that the education of hair stylists using a video can be effective in improving hairdressers’ ability to identify signs of CA. These results echo previous studies that have shown the effectiveness of videos in training hairdressers to detect melanoma. This intervention could lead to recommendations to seek dermatologic care and earlier treatment, improving patient outcomes.