Hair Loss

Basic Dermatology Curriculum

Last updated November 16, 2016

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 Goals and Objectives
 Goal: To help learners develop a clinical
approach to the evaluation of hair loss
 After completing this module, the learner will be
able to:
• List common causes of hair loss
• Differentiate sudden and gradual hair loss, and
common causes of focal vs diffuse hair loss
• Discuss initial recommendations for common
treatable causes of hair loss

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 Psychological impact
 Hair loss (alopecia) can be emotionally
traumatic
 Listen with empathy
 Patients complaining of hair loss may be
fearful of going bald and often don’t feel
heard by their doctors
 Many patients need reassurance and may
benefit from support groups for hair loss

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 History of hair loss
1. How long have you noticed your hair loss? Was it
sudden or gradual?
2. What areas of your scalp are affected by your hair
loss?
3. Is the hair shedding by the roots or breaking off in
the middle?
4. Have you had any medical problems, changes in
medications, hospital stays, or significant emotional
stressors?
5. Are you having scalp symptoms, such as itching,
flaking, or burning?

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 Common causes of hair loss:
Sudden (shedding) vs Gradual (thinning)
• Sudden loss • Gradual loss
– Alopecia areata – Female and male
– Telogen effluvium pattern hair loss
– Tinea capitis – Traction alopecia
– Some scarring – Trichotillosis
alopecias – Some scarring
alopecias

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 Common causes of hair loss:
Focal vs Diffuse
• Focal hair loss • Diffuse hair loss
– Alopecia areata – Alopecia totalis (type of
– Female and male alopecia areata)
pattern hair loss – Drug-induced hair loss
– Tinea capitis – Iron deficiency anemia,
– Traction alopecia hypothyroidism
– Trichotillosis – Telogen effluvium
– Scarring alopecias

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 Physical Exam
• Examine scalp for inflammation (redness and scale)
• Compare part width of top of scalp with back of scalp
• Examine the entire scalp by making small parts in the hair
• Make note of location & extent of hair thinning or loss
• Perform a hair pull test to see if hairs come out at roots
• Perform a tug test to evaluate hair strength

Scalp evaluation Hair pull test Tug test

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Case One
Leticia Rivera

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 Case One: History
 HPI: Leticia Rivera is a healthy 18-year old
latina woman who complains of a month of
sudden, complete hair loss in two patches
 PMH: none
 Allergies: none
 Medications: none
 Family History: noncontributory
 Social History: senior in high school
 ROS: negative for weight changes

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 Case One: Skin Exam

Two mostly hairless, smooth patches without scale, erythema, or

inflammation, on vertex and right parietal scalp, maximum
diameter 4cm, with positive hair pull test at periphery,
--Few wispy hairs on edge of one of the patches
--Hair pull test is positive if you grasp a lock of hair, and gentle pull
on it until the end of the hairs, and more than a few hairs come out

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Case One, Question 1

Ms. Rivera has two patches of focal hair loss

without scale or inflammation. What is the most
likely diagnosis?
a. Alopecia areata
b. Discoid lupus alopecia
c. Seborrheic dermatitis
d. Telogen effluvium
e. Tinea capitis

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Case One, Question 1
Answer: a
Ms. Rivera has two patches of focal hair loss without
scale or inflammation. What is the most likely
diagnosis?
a. Alopecia areata
b. Discoid lupus alopecia (inflammation, scarring)
c. Seborrheic dermatitis (scaling, often diffuse,
only rarely has hair loss)
d. Telogen effluvium (diffuse loss at the roots)
e. Tinea capitis (usually scaling)

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Examples of alopecia areata

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 Alopecia Areata
• Autoimmune attack on hair follicles by lymphocytes  hairs
fall out in patches
• Usually resolves without treatment in about 6 months—
regrowth can start with thin hairs, or white hairs
• Associated with other autoimmune disorders, most commonly
thyroid
– Consider TSH/T4 if positive review of systems
• Can be in beard or any hair-bearing part of body
– Can also have nail pitting

• Refer to dermatology if large area involved

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Case One, Question 2

Which is an appropriate treatment

recommendation?
a. Oral finasteride 5 mg per day
b. Topical 0.05% clobetasol solution
c. Topical dinitrochlorobenzene
d. Topical 1% hydrocortisone cream
e. Topical squaric acid

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Case One, Question 2
Answer: b
Which is an appropriate treatment recommendation?
a. Oral finasteride 5 mg per day (not
appropriate for alopecia areata)
b. Topical 0.05% clobetasol solution
c. Topical dinitrochlorobenzene (possibly
carcinogenic, not for limited involvement)
d. Topical 1% hydrocortisone cream (not strong
enough)
e. Topical squaric acid (not for limited
involvement)

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 Alopecia Areata treatment
• For limited involvement (<50%)
– Reassurance: spontaneous
resolution is common if few patches;
some trials show no treatment is as
good as topicals
– Topical steroids (start with potent
steroids)
– Topical minoxidil may be added to
steroids
– Intralesional triamcinolone 2.5-10
mg/mL every 4-6 weeks
• May cause atrophy, hypopigmentation

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 Alopecia areata treatment (cont.)

• For extensive involvement (>50%)

– Refer to dermatology
– Can use topical immunotherapy
such as squaric acid dibutyl ester or
diphencyprone
– Can use topical anthralin
– Consider psychological impact and
recommend support groups like the
National Alopecia Areata Foundation

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Case Two
Travis Carey

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 Case Two: History
 HPI: Travis Carey is a 6-year-old with 3 weeks of
hair loss in a single patch with overlying scale
 PMH: none
 Allergies: none
 Medications: none
 Family History: 12-year old sister unaffected
 Social History: first-grader; lives with parents and
sister; has a cat
 ROS: negative
 Weight: 24 kilograms

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Case Two: Skin Exam

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Case Two, Question 1
• What is the most likely diagnosis of this
patch of hair loss with overlying scale?
a. Alopecia areata
b. Discoid lupus alopecia
c. Seborrheic dermatitis
d. Telogen effluvium
e. Tinea capitis

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Case Two, Question 1
• Answer: e.
• What is the most likely diagnosis of this
patch of hair loss with overlying scale?
a. Alopecia areata (doesn’t have scale)
b. Discoid lupus alopecia (scarring)
c. Seborrheic dermatitis (on the differential,
but usually doesn’t cause hair loss)
d. Telogen effluvium (not single patches)
e. Tinea capitis

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Case Two, Question 2
• What is the best test to perform to confirm
diagnosis?
a. Anti-nuclear antibodies
b. Bacterial culture
c. Ferritin
d. Fungal culture
e. Thyroid stimulating hormone

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Case Two, Question 2
• Answer: d.
• What is the best test to perform to confirm
diagnosis?
a. Anti-nuclear antibodies
b. Bacterial culture
c. Ferritin
d. Fungal culture
e. Thyroid stimulating hormone

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 Noninflammatory Tinea Capitis
Variants

Seborrheic variant “Black dot” variant

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 Inflammatory Tinea Capitis: Kerion
 A kerion is a painful inflammatory,
boggy mass with broken hair follicles
 May discharge pus, frequently
confused with bacterial infection, but
can also be superinfected
 Kerion carries a higher risk of
scarring (permanent hair loss) than
other forms of tinea capitis
 Expeditious referral to or contact
with a dermatologist recommended
 May consider oral prednisolone with
an antifungal if kerion is present

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Case Two, Question 3
Travis’s KOH exam shows spores in the hair
follicle. What is the most appropriate treatment?
a. Intralesional triamcinolone
b. Oral griseofulvin 10 mg/kg/day
c. Oral nystatin 1-2 lozenges 4 times/day
d. Oral terbinafine 125 mg /day
e. Topical ketoconazole shampoo

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 Case Two, Question 3
Answer: d
Travis’s KOH exam shows spores in the hair follicle. What is the
most appropriate treatment?
a. Intralesional triamcinolone (sometimes used for
kerions; not for noninflammatory)
b. Oral griseofulvin 10 mg/kg/day (appropriate choice
but dosing too low for tinea capitis)
c. Oral nystatin 1-2 lozenges 4 times/day (for candida
species, not dermatophytes)
d. Oral terbinafine 125 mg /day (based on 24 kg
weight)
e. Topical ketoconazole shampoo (not as effective as
oral therapies)

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 Tinea capitis treatment
 Base treatment on fungal culture results

 Trichophyton tonsurans is most common in U.S. (90%)

 Responds slightly better to terbinafine than griseofulvin
 Griseofulvin 20-25 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks
 May be less expensive than terbinafine, and is available in a
children’s formulation
 Terbinafine may not be available in children’s formulation;
you can crush adult tablets and mix the granules in pudding,
but this makes dosing for small children less accurate
 Approximate doses: 62.5 mg/d (10-20 kg), 125 mg/d (20-25
kg), 187.5 mg/d (25-40 kg), 250 mg/d (>40 kg) for 4-8 weeks
 Microsporum canis 2nd most common
 Responds better to griseofulvin
 Itraconazole is an alternative
 May take longer to treat

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 Tinea capitis treatment
 Alternative treatments:
 Fluconazole (3-6 mg/kg/d) is the only FDA-approved
antifungal for children < 2 years of age
 Itraconazole may also be used
 Lab evaluation
 Meta-analysis shows severe adverse events are rare
(less than 1%) for terbinafine and griseofulvin
 In healthy patients, probably don’t need routine liver
testing for short treatments, but parents should
contact doctor if children have nausea, abdominal
discomfort, jaundice, dark urine, or pale stools

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 Tinea capitis treatment (cont.)
 Treatment should be based on fungal culture
 Consider follow-up in 6-10 weeks
 1st visit: obtain fungal culture; empiric therapy
 2nd visit : evaluate for clinical response; consider repeat
culture if not responding to therapy
 Sometimes treatment needs to go on for longer if
not responding
 Give a treatment at least 8 weeks trial period before
switching to an alternative
 If repeat fungal cultures are negative or no
response after 3 months, consider referral to
dermatology

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 Tinea capitis treatment (cont.)

 Prevent spread
 Don’t share towels, brushes, combs, hats, or
hair accessories
 Clean hair clippers with antifungal sprays
 Screen family members for symptoms and
culture them; treat if present
 Ketoconazole or selenium sulfide shampoo
(left on 5-10 minutes before rinsing) several
times a week may help reduce spread

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 Let’s look at other common causes of
focal hair loss
• Trichitillosis (trichotillomania)
• Traction alopecia
• Localized scarring alopecia
– Includes discoid lupus, central centrifugal
scarring alopecia, lichen planopilaris, etc.

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 Trichotillosis (trichotillomania)
• Caused by pulling on the hair
• Different lengths of hair in the patch; may also
have black dots from short hairs
• Lacks scale or inflammation
• Screen for anxiety, depression

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 Traction alopecia
• Gradual loss of hair at frontal hairline and
sides due to history of pulling hairstyles
• Characterized by “fringe” along hairline
• More common in African-American women

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 Localized scarring alopecia
• Alopecia with inflammation and scarring should
be referred to a dermatologist
• Scarring: hair follicles destroyed by
inflammation; shiny and lack pore markings
(follicular ostia); scarring is permanent
• May need biopsy to differentiate causes

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Case Three
Alice Netherton

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 Case Three: History
 HPI: Alice Netherton is a 32 year-old woman
complains that her hair is falling out over the past
three months. She has noticed a lot more hair in
her brush and in the shower and is worried all her
hair is going to fall out. She is tearful during the visit
because her hair used to be so thick and was
always a source of pride for her.
 PMH: seasonal allergies
 Allergies: none
 Medications: loratadine, oral contraceptives
 Family History: noncontributory
 Social History: lives with her spouse and two
children, ages 4 months and 2 years

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 Case Three: Exam

Positive hair pull test

Almost all of pulled hairs have a white
bulb on the end

Hair part less than 1cm

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 Case Three, Question 1
Alice’s exam shows a normal scalp, normal hair
density, normal hair part width, with a positive hair pull.
All the hairs have a white bulb at the end. What is the
most likely diagnosis?
a. Alopecia areata
b. Anagen effluvium
c. Female pattern hair loss
d. Telogen effluvium
e. Traction alopecia

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Case Three, Question 1
Answer: d
Alice’s exam shows a normal scalp with a positive hair
pull. All the hairs have a white bulb at the end. What
is the most likely diagnosis?
a. Alopecia areata (focal hair loss)
b. Anagen effluvium (seen with cancer treatment)
c. Female pattern hair loss (she has normal density)
d. Telogen effluvium
e. Traction alopecia (no loss at front, sides)

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 The Hair Cycle
• The hair follicle has a normal cycle of
growth, regression, rest, and regrowth
– Anagen (growth), catagen (regression), telogen (rest)
• It is normal to lose 100-200 hairs a day,
but they will regrow
• Reassurance to patient:
– A new hair is pushing the old one out
– Even though the hair is being shed, the roots
(follicles) are healthy
– They can see more hairs in their brush or in
the shower drain because our eyes can
detect small differences. It doesn’t mean
they’re going to go completely bald.

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 Telogen effluvium
 Telogen effluvium results in faster cycling of the
hair, and loss of telogen hairs at the roots
 Often triggered by illnesses or hospitalizations,
pregnancy, medications, or significant mental stressors
 Usually resolves within 6-12 months of onset
 Lasts longer for some people, especially with subtle
changes in estrogens, thyroxine, androgens, retinoids,
cortisol, ferritin, vitamin D3, beta blockers, and general
anesthetics
 These are involved in hair cycle regulation

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Case Three, Question 2
Alice wants labs done to rule out an internal problem.
Which of the following is an appropriate lab test for
diffuse hair shedding in otherwise asymptomatic
women?
a. Anti-nuclear antibodies
b. DHEA-S and free testosterone
c. Ferritin and iron studies
d. Follicle stimulating hormone, lutienizing hormone
e. Tissue transglutaminase antibodies

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Case Three, Question 2
Answer: c
Alice wants labs done to rule out an internal problem.
Which of the following is an appropriate lab test for
diffuse hair shedding in otherwise asymptomatic
women?
a. Anti-nuclear antibodies
b. DHEA-S and free testosterone
c. Ferritin and iron studies
d. Follicle stimulating hormone, lutienizing hormone
e. Tissue transglutaminase antibodies

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 Evaluation of diffuse hair shedding
• Labs: TSH, T4, CBC, ferritin, iron studies, Vitamin
D3
– Each of these can contribute to changes in hair
cycling
– Iron deficiency is the most common treatable cause of
hair shedding in women
– Consider RPR if at risk for syphilis
• Medications may cause hair loss
– Estrogens, beta blockers, oral retinoids,
levothyroxine, tricyclic antidepressants, metformin
– Many medications are reported to cause hair loss in
clinical trials because it’s a common complaint

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Case Four
Laura Hamilton

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 Case Four: History
 HPI: Laura Hamilton is a 62 year-old woman
who is concerned because of gradual thinning
of her hair on the top of the scalp. She is
worried there is an underlying medical problem
causing this.
 PMH: hypertension
 Allergies: penicillin
 Medications: lisinopril
 Family history: non-contributory
 Social history: widowed, lives with sister
 ROS: infrequent hot flashes

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Case Four : Skin Exam

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Case Four, Question 1

Mrs. Hamilton has thinning on the top of the scalp

and increased hair part width, but a normally
placed hairline. What is the most likely diagnosis?
a. Alopecia areata
b. Anagen effluvium
c. Female pattern hair loss
d. Telogen effluvium
e. Traction alopecia

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Case Four, Question 1

Answer: c
Mrs. Hamilton has thinning on the top of the scalp
and increased hair part width, but a normally
placed hairline. What is the most likely diagnosis?
a. Alopecia areata (focal hair loss)
b. Anagen effluvium (seen with cancer treatment)
c. Female pattern hair loss
d. Telogen effluvium (normal hair part width)
e. Traction alopecia (no loss at front, sides)

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Examples of female pattern hair loss

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Case Four, Question 2

Mrs. Hamilton has female pattern hair loss. What

is the best recommendation for treatment?
a. Avoid dyes or hair coloring
b. Estrogen supplemenation
c. Intralesional triamcinolone 40 mg/mL
d. Oral finasteride 1 mg tablet daily
e. Topical minoxidil 5% foam daily

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Case Four, Question 2

Answer: e
Mrs. Hamilton has female pattern hair loss. What
is the best recommendation for treatment?
a. Avoid dyes or hair coloring (not applicable)
b. Estrogen supplemenation (no benefit)
c. Intralesional triamcinolone 40 mg/mL (no benefit
for FPHL; also too high a concentration)
d. Oral finasteride 1 mg tablet daily (equivocal; may
need higher doses in postmenopausal women)
e. Topical minoxidil 5% foam daily

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 Female pattern hair loss
• FPHL occurs in half of women by their 80s
– Unlike male pattern loss, women tend to maintain their hairline
– Tend to thin on top and spread down slowly
– Men go “bald”; Women go “thin”
– May start much earlier in some women
• First line therapy is topical minoxidil
– OTC 5% minoxidil foam daily is less irritating than using the solution
twice daily
– May have some shedding when first using
– It takes 6-12 months to see if it will slow the loss
– Discontinuing will result in some hair loss
• Second line therapies
– May benefit from low-level laser light therapy
– Finasteride (only if postmenopausal), [cyproterone, flutamide], and
spironolactone

[not approved for use in United States]

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Examples of male pattern hair loss

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 Male pattern hair loss
• MPHL occurs in half of men by their 50s
– Frontal hairline recedes, bitemporal thinning, then
thinning on top and crown
– Rating with Hamilton scale
• Treatment with topical minoxidil and/or oral
finasteride or dutasteride
– Finasteride and dustasteride associated with 2-
4% sexual side effects
– Finasteride and dutasteride lower PSA levels
• Good results with hair transplant but
expensive

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 Summary Table
Diagnosis Focal/Diffuse/P Sudden/Gradual Clinical Notes
atterned
Alopecia Areata Focal (usually) Sudden Active hair pull, no 
scaling, smooth
Tinea capitis Focal Sudden KOH +, fungal culture +, 
scaling or black dots
Traction alopecia Focal Gradual Fringe sign, frontal 
hairline and sides
Trichotillosis Focal Gradual Different length hairs, 
(trichotillomania) may have black dots
Telogen effluvium Diffuse Sudden Active hair pull with 
telogen bulbs
Pattern hair loss Patterned Gradual Classic patterns for men 
and women
Scarring alopecia Focal Gradual Shiny +/‐ inflammation

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 Take home messages
 History and physical exam help distinguish focal from diffuse
hair loss, and sudden loss (shedding) from gradual loss
(thinning)
 Small smooth patches of acute loss suggest alopecia areata
 Refer to dermatology if extensive (>50% of scalp)
 Small scaly patches in children with broken hairs (black dots)
suggest tinea capitis—perform fungal culture
 Screen for depression and anxiety when you see patches of
hairs with different lengths (trichotillosis)
 Recommend natural, non-pulling hairstyles for traction
alopecia
 Patients with scarring hair loss should be referred to a
dermatologist for evaluation.

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 Take home messages
 Diffuse shedding with white bulbs is telogen effluvium
 Labs for diffuse shedding:
 TSH, ferritin, iron studies, CBC, +/- Vit D, +/- RPR
 Estrogens, levothyroxine, beta blockers, retinoids, can all cause
hair loss due to disruption of hair cycle regulation
 Recognize female and male pattern hair loss
 Minoxidil is first line therapy
 Show empathy for patients with hair loss
 Support groups may help deal with psychosocial impact
 See references for more treatment information

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 Acknowledgements
 This module was developed by the American Academy
of Dermatology’s Basic Dermatology Curriculum
Workgroup.
 Primary Author: Patrick McCleskey MD FAAD.
 Reviewers: Linda Beets-Shay, MD FAAD FAAP, Jeffrey
Miller MD FAAD, Erin Mathes MD FAAD, Paradi
Mirmirani MD FAAD, Sheilagh Maguiness MD FAAD.
 Thanks to the Society for Pediatric Dermatology for their
input.

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 References
• Bolduc C, Lee H, Shapiro J. Alopecia areata treatment and management.
Emedicine. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1069931-treatment#d10
Updated Apr 8, 2016. Accessed August 21, 2016.
• Hunt N, McHale S. The psychological impact of alopecia. BMJ 2005;331:951-3.
• McMichael A. Female pattern hair loss. Up-to-date.
• http://www.uptodate.com/contents/female-pattern-hair-loss-androgenetic-
alopecia-in-women-treatment-and-prognosis?source=see_link. Updated July
2014. Accessed May 2, 2016.
• Mounsey AL, Reed SW. Diagnosing and treating hair loss. Am Fam Physician
2009;80(4):356-362,373-374.
• Mubki T, Rudnicka L, Olszewska M, Shapiro J. Evaluation and diagnosis of the
hair loss patient. J Am Acad Dermatol 2014: 71(3): 415.e1-415.e15.
• Tey HL, Tan ASL, Chan YC. Meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials
comparing griseofulvin and terbinafine in the treatment of tinea capitis. J Am
Acad Dermatol 2011;64:663-70.

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 End of the Module
To take the quiz, click on the following
link:

https://www.aad.org/quiz/hair-loss-
learners

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