Dermatologist vs trichologist vs specialist - understanding who to believe about whether hair loss is TE or AGA?

Question

A dermatologist in January thought I had TE and did a scalp biopsy and said my hair loss is consistent of AGA and was very certain about this- she couldn’t explain why she thought it was TE. After this in March I went to a trichologist who looked at my scalp and said TE- no signs of AGA. Most recently I went to a specialist in England. He looked with a video trichoscopy and said no signs of AGA and only TE- he thinks the biopsy was wrong. Who’s opinion do I take?

Joseph L. Williams, MD · Answer

Typically, a Dermatologist with a scalp biopsy is what I would trust. After all, skin is an organ all to itself & a dermatologist is a specialist in skin (of which hair is an appendage of skin.) There is the possibility of a patient having both at the same time, however, with my patience, I explain that TE (telogen effluvium) will typically resolve over time, but AGA (androgenic alopecia) usually worsens with time, as it is a progressive disease. The dermatologist will assist the patient on treatment of both.

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Dermatologist vs trichologist vs specialist - understanding who to believe about whether hair loss is TE or AGA?

Answers (1)

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