Validation of TrichoScan technology as a fully-automated tool for evaluation of hair growth parameters.

There is a need for a simple and reliable tool to evaluate hair loss and treatment effects in patients suffering from alopecia. In 2001 TrichoScan was introduced as a fully-automated method for the measurement of biological parameters of hair growth such as density, diameter and growth rate. However, the conventional phototrichogram method with manual marking of hairs on images is still performed and, although no real independent side-by-side comparison is available, the manual method is sometimes defined as the most precise method of measurement. The aim of this study was validation of the Trichoscan method by comparative assessment of TrichoScan analysis and manual marking of hairs. Digital images were taken from 10 patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and validity and reliability of both methods were assessed. This study showed an excellent correlation of TrichoScan and manual marking of hairs. Considerable variability was noted in the results from manually evaluated images (range 2.71%-12.95%), compared to none in TrichoScan analyzed images. Results with TrichoScan were obtained more quickly and were more reproducible with a smaller margin of operator error. The consistency in the Trichoscan data allows statistically significant results to be obtained with a smaller sample size.

Different skin thinning potential of equipotent medium-strength glucocorticoids.

In this study, we investigated the effect of prednicarbate, mometasone furoate and betamethasone 17-valerate on total skin thickness over a treatment period of 6 weeks. The study was conducted as a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial with a confirmatory approach. The influence of these drugs on healthy human skin under non-occlusive conditions was assessed by measuring total skin thickness and epidermal thickness using 20 and 50 MHz sonography, respectively. Epidermal surface structure was evaluated using profilometry. Visual assessment addressed signs of atrophy and formation of telangiectasia. The reduction of total skin thickness induced by prednicarbate was clearly less than that caused by betamethasone 17-valerate and mometasone furoate. Prednicarbate led to a higher degree of skin thinning than vehicle. For technical reasons, epidermal thickness could not be reliably evaluated with 50 MHz sonography. Profilometry did not demonstrate any differences between treatments. Visible signs of atrophy or telangiectasia were detected in two subjects each upon betamethasone 17-valerate and mometasone furoate, but not upon prednicarbate or its vehicle. Prednicarbate is a topical glucocorticoid with an improved benefit/risk ratio, as it causes less skin atrophy than the equipotent betamethasone 17-valerate.