Analysis of the efficiency of hair removal by different optical methods: comparison of Trichoscan, reflectance confocal microscopy, and optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Noninvasive diagnostic tools, such as Trichoscan®, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), and optical coherence tomography (OCT), are efficient methods of hair shaft and growth evaluation. The aim of this study was to carry out a comparative assessment of these three medical procedures by measuring the hair shaft and hair growth after hair removal for a defined period of five days. The application of these techniques was demonstrated by measuring hair growth on the lower leg of six female volunteers. After removal of the hair shaft with a shaving system, the hair follicle infundibula and the length of the growing hairs were measured with the Trichoscan®, RCM, and OCT method. All three methods are reliable hair measuring tools after hair removal. Trichoscan® is best suited in the implementation of hair growth measurement and RCM in the analysis of hair follicles, whereas the OCT system can be consulted as an additional measurement for the evaluation of the hair follicle and length.

Deregulation of epidermal stem cell niche contributes to pathogenesis of nonhealing venous ulcers

“…24,25 However, their expression in nonhealing edges of chronic wounds has not been defined. Presence of HFs in the lower extremities is well documented in the literature; 26 however, the clinical observation that hair is absent in the skin surrounding chronic wounds 27,28 lends further support to our hypothesis that ESCs at the nonhealing wound edge are depleted via loss of quiescence. To evaluate this, we assessed the expression of several ESC markers in the nonhealing edges of VUs in a clinical study of 10 patients.…”

Analysis of quantitative changes in hair growth during treatment with chemotherapy or tamoxifen in patients with breast cancer: a cohort study

“…4,8,27 Thus, a profound understanding of the hair changes under chemotherapy is essential for the development of efficient CIA preventive methods. 23 Besides the fact that group C participants were significantly younger, statistical adjustment for age did not affect the study results. 23 Besides the fact that group C participants were significantly younger, statistical adjustment for age did not affect the study results.…”

“…3 Given this background, we quantified the chemotherapyinduced hair changes using an objective, noninvasive method to evaluate trichological parameters. 23 Besides the fact that group C participants were significantly younger, statistical adjustment for age did not affect the study results. Most importantly, no baseline differences in trichological parameters were observed between groups ( Table 3).…”

“…22,23 The TrichoScan was chosen over the conventional semi-invasive trichogram as it offers the methodological advantage of not requiring long hair for plucking, thus allowing a precise measurement even in patients undergoing chemotherapy and exhibiting severe hair loss. 22,23 The TrichoScan was chosen over the conventional semi-invasive trichogram as it offers the methodological advantage of not requiring long hair for plucking, thus allowing a precise measurement even in patients undergoing chemotherapy and exhibiting severe hair loss.…”

“…8,15 The criteria used are time until regrowth of hair, different grading systems [16][17][18][19] or the requirement of head coverage. 22,23 This noninvasive and quantitative analysis of trichological parameters and hair density can help to understand hair changes under chemotherapy or tamoxifen and provide a better basis for research into therapy and prevention of alopecia induced by antineoplastic treatments. In this study, hair changes during antineoplastic therapy were quantified using established trichological methods, producing objective, reproducible results.…”