Abstract:
Dermatoscopy is a new noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of various
skin and hair disorders. Dermatoscopy of alopecia areata (AA) shows various
specific features, which may aid in confirming the diagnosis. Aims: The aim of this
study was to determine the various clinical patterns and the dermatoscopic features
of AA. Materials and Methods: A total of 75 patients of AA were evaluated with a
dermatoscope (magnification ×25 and ×60). Results: The mean age of onset of AA was
23.58 years. Males were more commonly affected. Scalp was most commonly involved.
Patchy alopecia was the most common pattern observed. 10 patients showed concomitant
nail changes. The dermatoscopic features included yellow dots (YDs) in 43 (57.33%)
patients, black dots (BDs) in 63 (84%) cases, broken hairs (BHs) in 28 (37.33%) cases,
short vellus hair (SVH) in 51 (68%) patients and tapering hair (TH) in 14 (18.67%) cases.
Conclusion: The most common dermatoscopic finding observed was BDs, followed by
SVHs, YDs, BH and TH.
