Dermoscopy of Hair and Scalp Disorders (Trichoscopy) in Skin of Color—A Systematic Review by the International Dermoscopy Society “Imaging in Skin of Color” Task Force

Dermoscopy of Hair and Scalp Disorders (Trichoscopy) in Skin of Color—A Systematic Review by the International Dermoscopy Society “Imaging in Skin of Color” Task Force

Authors

  • Soumil Khare Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy, AIIMS, Raipur, India
  • Biswanath Behera Department of Dermatology and Venereology, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, India
  • Delaney D Ding University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
  • Aimilios Lallas First Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Payal Chauhan Department of Dermatology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, India
  • Nkechi Anne Enechukwu Nnamdi Azikiwe University/Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria
  • Martyna Sławińska Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
  • Bengu Nisa Akay Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
  • Balachandra S Ankad Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy, SN Medical College, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India
  • Yasmeen J Bhat Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Government Medical College, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
  • Abhijeet Kumar Jha Department of Dermatology & STD, Patna Medical College & Hospital, Patna, India
  • Feroze Kaliyadan Department of Dermatology, Sree Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Ernakulum, India
  • Awatef Kelati Dermatology Department, Cheikh Khalifa International University Hospital, Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences (UM6SS), Casablanca, Morocco
  • Shekhar Neema Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Armed Force Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  • Nisha V Parmar Department of Dermatology, Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • Jennifer Stein The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
  • Richard P Usatine Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
  • Keshavamurthy Vinay Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
  • Enzo Errichetti University of Udine, Italy

Keywords:

dermoscopy, dermatoscopy, epiluminescence, hair diseases, scalp diseases, skin of color, dark skin, black skin, ethnic skin, dark phototype, african skin, systematic review

Abstract

Hair and scalp disorders are of significant interest for physicians dealing with dark phototypes due to their prevalence and potential aesthetic impact resulting from a higher tendency for scarring. In order to facilitate their non-invasive diagnosis, several dermoscopic studies have been published, yet data are sparse and no systematic analysis of the literature has been performed so far. This systematic literature review summarizes published data on trichoscopy of hair and scalp diseases (trichoscopic findings, used setting, pathological correlation, and level of evidence of studies). A total of 60 papers addressing 19 different disorders (eight non-cicatricial alopecias, nine cicatricial alopecias, and two hair shaft disorders) were assessed, for a total of 2636 instances. They included one cross-sectional analysis, 20 case-control studies, 25 case-series, and 14 single case-reports, so the level of evidence was V and IV in 65% and 33% of cases, respectively, with only one study showing a level of evidence of III. Notably, although there is a considerable body of literature on trichoscopy of hair/scalp diseases, our review underlined that potentially significant variables (e.g., disease stage or hair texture) are often not taken into account in published analyses, with possible biases on trichoscopic patterns, especially when it comes to hair shaft changes. Further analyses considering all such issues are therefore needed.

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Published

2023-10-04

How to Cite

1.
Dermoscopy of Hair and Scalp Disorders (Trichoscopy) in Skin of Color—A Systematic Review by the International Dermoscopy Society “Imaging in Skin of Color” Task Force. Dermatol Pract Concept [Internet]. 2023 Oct. 4 [cited 2024 Dec. 4];13(S1):e2023210S. Available from: https://dpcj.org/index.php/dpc/article/view/3539

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