The Role of trichogram in hair and scalp diseases

ABSTRACT THE ROLE OF TRICHOGRAM IN HAIR AND SCALP DISEASES The aim of this study was to determine the contributions of trichogram in understanding if there was really a hair loss; having knowledge about type and prognose of the hair loss by obtaining informations about hair cycle dynamics; clarifying existing hair anomalies for patients who had congenital and acquired hair shaft anomalies; differentiating types of alopecia which were difficult to differentiate in clinical manner; in patients who applied to our clinic complaining from alopecia. For this purpose, between May 1996 and May 1997 a total of 160 patients (114 women and 46 men) who applied to our clinic complaining from hair loss and congenital anomalies related with hair, had been studied without considering of age and sexuality. An amount of 50-100 hair roots taken from the patients, had been examined under a light microscope with x40 magnification. The findings recorded after percentaging of the physiological and pathological hair roots and determination of trichogram types at microscopic examination were as follows: Telogen, dystrophic and mixed trichogram had been observed both in diffuse alopecia and in alopecia areata; telogen trichogram was characteristic in androgenetic alopecia; in cicatricial alopecia dystrophic; in congenital alopecia besides dystrophic and normal trichogram some shaft anomalies were observed. Also it has been understood that, in alopecia areata and diffuse alopecia, trichogram could give considerable informations about intensity of etiologic factor and prognose of alopecia. As a conclusion, trichogram provides limited help in differentiating the specific diagnosis of alopecia types with various aetiologies; it's a method having considerable contributions in approaching to hair and hair diseases as a guide in diagnosis and therapy with its easy, quick and cheap application. Key words: Hair, hair shaft anomalies, scalp diseases, alopecia, trichogram. VI