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

BACKGROUND

Global and trichoscopic photography are fundamental in the clinical assessment of hair loss. At present, standardized protocols for hair loss photography are lacking.

OBJECTIVES

To create novel, pragmatic and flexible standardized photography protocols for hair loss that are practical to use for clinicians and medical photographers alike.

METHODS

Published disease severity scales for a variety of hair loss conditions were utilized to create standardized photography protocols. These protocols were reviewed and refined by a national clinical working group of consultant dermatologists specializing in hair loss.

RESULTS

Three main presentation-based protocols are provided, defined by the type of hair loss a patient may present with, including pattern loss, frontal fibrosing alopecia/traction alopecia, alopecia areata and other patchy hair loss disorders. Additional supplementary protocols facilitate further specific views for a variety of individualized clinical scenarios, based on user discretion.

CONCLUSIONS

We present novel, pragmatic, standardized photography protocols for hair loss disorders. These can be used by clinicians even where formal medical photography units are unavailable. Standardization allows for the creation of high-quality, informative images for objective assessment and monitoring of hair loss in clinical practice and in research settings.