Generally attributed to other factors, about 25% of women at 30 years of age already show signs of baldness. After the age of 45 this incidence becomes clearer and baldness can be found in approximately 50% of the women.

In the past the diagnoses and treatments were wrong because androgenetic alopecia was not “admitted” as a real cause and therefore, it was not treated. The diagnosis was only defined when the woman was at an advanced stage of the problem, with definitive hair loss.

Today, technology is the great ally of dermatologists in the difficult diagnosis of baldness. One of the novelties of the area is the Tricoscan, a small microscope illuminated with low power lasers that captures images of the scalp and wires with 40 times of magnification. With this device, the image is transferred to the computer and projected onto the screen for better analysis of the doctor and patient that can keep track of changes in wires and scalp. In addition, it is possible to save and freeze the image for future comparisons after treatment.

The reduction of capillary volume can have several causes: alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, drug, vitamin deficiencies, hormonal changes, chemical treatments, tricotilomania, stress, among others. Therefore, before Tricosan, it was much more difficult to perform an accurate diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia (baldness).

In the case of baldness, for example, it is possible to observe the process of reducing capillary volume with the identification of thinning, loss of pigmentation and reduction of yarn length: a process called miniaturization, which characterizes baldness, an androgenetic condition. In the case of fungal peels on the scalp, the strands are septated at the base with the appearance of exclamation points, which is the opposite of immunological peeling in which the bald skin is smooth and shiny, similar to an onion peel.

The dermatologist should be aware of other factors such as: damaged wires, bifurcated tips and aggressions in the texture of the wires caused by external agents such as excessive brushing and chemical products, among others.