Clinical and Dermatoscopic Patterns of Alopecia Areata: A Tertiary Care Centre Experience

BACKGROUND: 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.