Can a scalp biopsy showing androgenetic alopecia be wrong? (Photo)

Hello, technology has made some advancements to treat this condition. Please see suggestions below. Women are currently not FDA approved for the use of the ARTAS.  However, our use of the ARTAS does suggest that women who are experiencing androgenic alopecia may be good candidates.  As always, women should have a thorough workup including the following:
Trichoscopy- identify type of hair loss Extensive history and labs- rule out other forms of hair lossWe use ARTAS with regenerative techniques with women such as PRP and growth factors to help improve overall results.
Best,
Anil Shah

If you have questions about your results, I recommend following up with your Doctor to go over your results. There are also great non-invasive options like prp/progesterone and/or hair transplantation. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Likely you have some degree of androgenic alopecia. It is important that the biopsy was NOT performed on the temples, as this area always has miniturization. Rogaine is helpful to treat miniturization and PRP is excellent to reduce shedding. Best of luck!

Thank you for your question and posting your picture. The vast majority of hair loss in women is caused by androgenetic alopecia so I suspect the diagnosis is correct. The inheritance pattern can be from either your mother or father so it would not be surprising if there was no female androgenetic alopecia in your family. Other conditions which can result in alopecia are thyroid disease, nutritional deficiencies, systemic diseases, infection, and neoplasm. You don't state anything in your medical history to reflect these conditions and most are quite rare.I would recommend seeing a hair restoration specialist to optimize your treatment plan for preserving and restoring your hair. There are a number of options available to you including low level laser therapy, PRP, minoxidil, and some topical products which can reduce the effects of DHT (the principal cause of androgenetic alopecia).I hope this was helpful - Dr. Moore.

The short answer is that yes, a biopsy can be wrong. The long answer is that if done properly and from the right area, and read by a good pathologist, them no, it is very likely that androgenetic alopecia is at least one of the diagnoses. Many women with androgenetic alopecia do not have a family history so please don't give that too much emphasis. See your dermatologist for follow up discussion if you still have doubts.

The reading of a bippsy is a subjective process based upon the doctor's skills. If you question the results, ask for a dermatopathologist to read the biopsy.