BACKGROUND: The principal objective of this study was to investigate the clinical office-based phototrichogram (PT) findings of multiple scalp areas in South Korean women with hair loss. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-eight women with hair loss were classified into 155 female pattern hair loss (FPHL) and 103 telogen effluvium (TE) patients. Hair density and thickness were measured via computer software-assisted PT. Eleven scalp sites, including the three points of the front, top, and back of the head and the right and left sides of the head area, were targeted in this investigation. RESULTS: PT profiles of the patients with hair loss showed significantly reduced hair density and thickness relative to the controls. The TE group showed the same order distribution as the control group, but the density and thickness were significantly lower than those of the controls. The values for the FPHL patient group declined with increasing Ludwig grade. The curve patterns of mean hair density and thickness by scalp site were shown to differ from group to group and to have a peculiar distribution. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that hair density and thickness vary over the entire scalp area in patients suffering from hair loss. The measurement of multiple scalp sites and the observation of changing patterns of hair parameters are very informative in terms of differentiating less apparent hair loss disorders. Through this study, we wish to introduce a doctor- and patient-friendly hair evaluation tool for use in clinic offices.
BACKGROUND: The principal objective of this study was to investigate the clinical office-based phototrichogram (PT) findings of multiple scalp areas in South Korean women with hair loss. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-eight women with hair loss were classified into 155 female pattern hair loss (FPHL) and 103 telogen effluvium (TE) patients. Hair density and thickness were measured via computer software-assisted PT. Eleven scalp sites, including the three points of the front, top, and back of the head and the right and left sides of the head area, were targeted in this investigation. RESULTS: PT profiles of the patients with hair loss showed significantly reduced hair density and thickness relative to the controls. The TE group showed the same order distribution as the control group, but the density and thickness were significantly lower than those of the controls. The values for the FPHL patient group declined with increasing Ludwig grade. The curve patterns of mean hair density and thickness by scalp site were shown to differ from group to group and to have a peculiar distribution. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that hair density and thickness vary over the entire scalp area in patients suffering from hair loss. The measurement of multiple scalp sites and the observation of changing patterns of hair parameters are very informative in terms of differentiating less apparent hair loss disorders. Through this study, we wish to introduce a doctor- and patient-friendly hair evaluation tool for use in clinic offices.