A practical guide to the standardization of hair loss photography for clinicians

Abstract

Background Global and trichoscopic photography are fundamental in the clinical assessment of hair loss. Standardised protocols in this respect are lacking. Objectives To create novel, pragmatic and flexible standardised photography protocols for hair loss, which are practical to use for clinicians and medical photographers alike. Methods Published disease severity scales for a variety of hair loss conditions were utilised to create standardised photography protocols. There were reviewed and refined by a national clinical working group of consultant dermatologists specialising in hair loss. Results Three main presentation-based protocols are presented, defined by the type of hair loss a patient may present with; including pattern loss, frontal fibrosing alopecia/traction alopecia and alopecia areata and other patchy hair loss disorders. Additional supplementary protocols facilitate further specific views for a variety of individualised clinical scenarios, based on user discretion. Conclusions We present novel, pragmatic, standardised photography protocols for hair loss disorders. These can be used by clinicians even where formal medical photography units are unavailable. Standardisation allows high-quality, informative images for objective assessment and monitoring of hair loss in clinical practice, as well as in research settings.