Trichoscopy of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

Background: Androgenetic alopecia, the most common cause of non-scarring hair loss, is a consequence of the gradual miniaturization of the hair follicles. In the majority of male androgenetic alopecia cases, a patient's history and clinical evaluation may be sufficient to establish the diagnosis, while for women, they should be supplemented with trichoscopy. Methods: The PubMed and Scopus databases were used to collate published studies and to analyze the most typical trichoscopic findings in patients diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia. A total of 34 articles were retrieved after exclusion. Results: The most common features identified using trichoscopy included hair diameter variability (94.07% of patients), vellus hairs (66.45%) and the peripilar sign (43.27%). Others, such as the honeycomb pattern, yellow and white dots, were less relevant. Conclusions: We concluded that hair diameter variability, vellus hairs and the peripilar sign represented valuable indicators for the diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia.