Women who present with female pattern hair loss tend to underestimate the severity of their hair loss

Abstract

Background: Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is the preferred term for androgenetic alopecia in women. FPHL can be a source of considerable distress for affected women. Our hypothesis was that women with FPHL who seek treatment would rate their condition as more severe than would their treating doctors. Objectives: To identify discrepancies between the severity ratings of the women and their clinicians. Methods: Participants were 30 women receiving treatment for biopsy-proven FPHL and 44 women on a waiting list to receive treatment for FPHL. Each woman completed a self-report photographic measure of severity of hair loss, specifically developed for the current study. Results: Although no diff..