Comparison between clinical diagnosis with and without dermoscopy in the assessment of hair disorders

Background: Hair dermoscopy or trichoscopy is a tool used to find hair abnormalities more clearly. Morphologic feature of skin and hair abnormalities becomes more visible under this tool compared with naked eye. It helps to diagnose hair disorders faster and can be used for follow up treatment in patients. The purpose of this study is to compare superiority between clinical diagnosis alone and with addition of dermoscopy tool in the assessment of hair disease. Methods: Research was conducted in October 2018 in a boarding school in West Java, Indonesia. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS Statistics 20.0. Data were collected from 127 subjects through anamnesis, general physical examination and dermatological findings, pull test, dermoscopy, and photographs of scalp and hair lesions. Results: The highest incidence of hair disorder in this study found by clinical examination and dermoscopy was pediculosis capitis, with a total of 86 subjects (67.7%). From the comparison between clinical examination and dermoscopy, we found that dermoscopy was superior for diagnosis. As much as 43 cases of hair disorders which were not detected on clinical examination screening were found by dermoscopy. Out of 127 children, there were 49 subjects with hair disorders found in clinical examination and 92 subjects found by dermoscopy. Conclusion: Dermoscopy as a non-invasive tool which plays an important role in determining the diagnosis of hair disorder.