Accuracy of clinical diagnosis and videodermoscopy in female pattern hair loss

Abstract

Female androgenic alopecia (FAGA) or female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is a non-scarring hair disease characterized by progressive hair diminishment that leads to the decrease of its density in the scalp. [1][2][3][4] It begins after puberty and its prevalence increases progressively with age, affecting 3.1% to 6% of Asian women, 5-7 19% of Caucasian women in the United States, 8 38% of British women, 6,8,9 and 32.2% of Australian women. 10 In Colombia, there are no data regarding FPHL incidence and prevalence rates, but it is a very frequent cause of dermatological consultation in the city of Medellín. 11 Compared to androgenetic alopecia in men, less is known regarding the etiology of FPHL, 12 and several uncertainties regarding the role of androgens in FPHL still remain. 13 A higher frequency of alopecia in first-degree male relatives of women with FPHL has been found, 12 and although genetic studies have suggested some association between the AR/EDA2 locus and the estrogen receptor (ESR2), available data are still inconclusive. 12,14,15 Despite the benign