<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Many patients of alopecia are encountered in daily practice with diagnostic dilemma. Trichoscopy is a sensitive, non-invasive tool which aids in clinical diagnosis.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> An observational study performed in adult patients with alopecia attending R.D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, over a period of one year. Trichoscopy was performed using a Dinolite digital microscope with both polarized and non polarized modes.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> 269 patients of alopecia (257 non cicatricial, 12 cicatricial) aged 18-50 years were enrolled. The diagnosis was made after detailed history and clinical examination. 173 (64.3%) males and 96 (35.7%) females. 45.4% patients were diagnosed to have alopecia areata in which yellow dots were the most common trichoscopic finding observed in 88.5% patients. 37.2% patients were diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia with hair diameter diversity &gt;20% observed in all the patients. 9.3% patients were diagnosed to have telogen effluvium with short vellus hair seen in 64% patients. 3.7% of the patients were diagnosed to have seborrheic dermatitis with arborizing vessels being the most common finding seen in 90% patients. 2.9% patients were diagnosed with lichen planopilaris in which loss of follicles and peritubular white casts were seen in all the cases. 0.9% patients were diagnosed to have discoid lupus erythematosus with hyperkeratotic follicular plugging seen in all the cases. Overall yellow dots were the most common trichoscopic findings seen in 61% cases.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Trichoscopy is a reliable diagnostic tool in hair and scalp disorders. Hence trichoscopic evaluation should be done in every case of alopecia.  </p><p class="abstract"> </p>

Alopecia areata remains one of the common cases presenting in clinical practice. Considering the anxious state of patients it becomes very important to correctly diagnose the cause and type of alopecia followed by the appropriate treatment. Trichoscopy is a novel, sensitive, non invasive modality which provides rapid detection of alopecia areata with advanced diagnostic accuracy, predicts the cause of disease and decreases unnecessary biopsies. To determine the Trichoscopic findings in alopecia areata in adult population. 122 patients with clinically diagnosed alopecia areata were enrolled. After taking proper history and consent trichoscopy was done using a Dinolite digital microscope system in both non polarized and polarized modes and their photographs were taken. 122 patients with alopecia areata were enrolled. Yellow dots were the most common trichoscopic findings observed in 108 (88.5%) patients followed by short vellus hair 66 (54.1%), short regrowing hair 58 (47.5%), exclamation mark hair 56 (45.9%), black dots 44 (36.1%) and broken hair 34 (27.9%).