Comparison of Dermoscopic Patterns at the Center and Periphery of Alopecia Areata Patch - A Cross-sectional Study in 100 Patients

BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy is a noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of various dermatological disorders. Dermoscopy of alopecia areata (AA) aids in confirming the diagnosis and severity of the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients of AA were evaluated with a dermoscope (×20 and × 200) to determine the dermoscopic features at the center and periphery of patches of AA. RESULTS: Black dots were the most common dermoscopic finding at the periphery of AA patch among the study population, followed by yellow dots, vellus hair, broken hair, tapering/exclamation mark hair, kinking at the point of emergence of a hair shaft, piggy tail hair, and depressed follicular opening. At the center of the patch, yellow dots were the most common dermoscopic findings among the study population, followed by black dots, vellus hair, broken hair, and piggy tail hair. CONCLUSION: Black dots were the most common dermoscopic findings at the periphery of the patch. Yellow dots were the most common dermoscopic findings at the center of patch among the study population. Kinking at the point of emergence of the hair shaft was a new sign in this study seen at the periphery of the patches in 19 patients. It is the latest finding which requires further elaboration with larger sample size studies.