[New and established methods for diagnosing hair diseases].

Numerically speaking, patients with hair disorders play a significant role in dermatological practice. Precise diagnostic techniques are always necessary to reach the proper diagnosis and institute appropriate treatment. Thus, at first consultation, thorough anamnestic and physical examinations are indispensable. In contrast, so-called visual diagnoses often lead to misjudgment of the actual cause of acute or chronic hair loss or overlooking concomitant disease. A few methods for diagnostics of hair disorders are described in the following overview.