Fluorescence advanced videodermoscopy. a new methodof hairs and scalp evaluation. comparison with trichoscopy.

Introduction Non-invasive diagnostic methods in clinical dermatology are widely used to reduce the need for invasivetechniques, with great advantages in terms of cost and time. Dermoscopy is the reference test for the in vivo diagnosisof cutaneous lesions, and when it is performed on the scalp region it is named trichoscopy. Fluorescence advancedvideodermoscopy (FAV) has been lately proposed as a new non-invasive method for the in vivo skin examination at highmagnication, with cell-level resolution. So far, it has shown promising results for the assessment of melanocytic andvascular lesions and for the in vivo diagnosis of parasitosis.Objectives This observational study aims to perform, for the rst time, a morphologic study of healthy scalp and scalpelementary lesions using FAV and to compare it with trichoscopy.Methods We enrolled 90 healthy individuals for the evaluation of the scalp using FAV. Then, we recruited 53 patientswith alopecia and collected images of the elementary lesions using FAV and trichoscopy.Results Three hundred healthy scalp FAV images of different epidermal layers, papillary dermis, follicular ostia andhealthy hair shafts were collected. Three hundred and eighty FAV and trichoscopic images of alopecic scalp elementarylesions were collected, showing that FAV provided a more detailed observation than trichoscopy, with higher magnica-tion and cellular resolution.Conclusion Fluorescence advanced videodermoscopy may represent a new valid technique of support to trichoscopy,adding further information, increasing chances of diagnosis and decreasing the need of invasive procedures.