ABSTRACT
The evolution of hair techniques and therapeutic methods has, in the past few years, radically changed the way people approach our patients. Non-scarring (or non-cicatricial) alopecia is more frequently seen in daily practice and can be caused by androgenetic alopecia (AGA), alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and anagen effluvium. Scarring alopecia is not as common and is characterized by damaged hair follicles with permanent hair loss and skin scarring, such as lichen planopilaris or frontal fibrosing alopecia. Scalp biopsies are not useful in the diagnosis of hair shaft disorders, for which trichoscopy and electron microscopy should be utilized to make the diagnosis. Microneedling is a relatively new, minimally invasive, procedure involving superficial and controlled puncturing of the skin by rolling with miniature fine needles. Traditionally used as a collagen induction therapy for facial scars and skin rejuvenation, the scope of microneedling has expanded for hair stimulation and for transdermal delivery of therapeutic drugs and vaccines.
