Dermnet Videos
Alopecia Videos
- Alopecia areata – Causes and Associated Conditions
- Alopecia Areata Information
- Alopecia Areata Treatment
- Course of Sudden Hair Loss Telogen Effluvium
- Evaluation and Treatment of Sudden Hairloss Telogen Effluvium
- Female Pattern Baldness and Hair Loss Causes
- Female Pattern Baldness and Hair Loss in Women
- Female Pattern Hair Loss Evaluation and Testing
- Female Pattern Hair Loss Treatment
- Hair loss and Alopecia Introduction
- Hair Loss Due To Hair Pulling – Trichotillomania
- Hair Loss Treatment and Male Pattern Baldness Medicine
- Loose Anagen Hair Syndrome
- Male Patern Baldness Causes and Hair Loss
- Male Pattern Baldness and Hair Loss Information
- Sudden Hair Loss Telogen Effluvium
- Traction Alopecia Hair Loss
- Traction Alopecia Hair Loss Treatment
- Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia
- Discoid Lupus Erythematosus – Clinical
- Discoid Lupus Erythematosus – Histology
- Discoid Lupus Erythematosus – Treatment
- Follicular Degeneration Syndrome
- Folliculitis Decalvans – Clinical
- Folliculitis Decalvans Treatment
- Hair Loss Alopecia With Scarring Information
- Lichen Planopilaris
- Lichen Planopilaris – Clinical Features
- Lichen Planopilaris Treatment
Video Topics
Female Pattern Hair Loss Evaluation and Testing
Androgen levels do not need to be routinely checked in patients with FPHL. They should be checked in women with virilization, severe acne, hirsuitism, irregular menses or infertility. Women with severe bitemporal notching or loss of the frontal hair line should also be checked for hyperandrogenism. Free and total testosterone levels and DHEA-S are good initial screening tests. If any of these tests are significantly elevated, the patient can be referred to endocrinology for further workup.
Iron levels may also be important in women with FPHL, although this is controversial. Ferritin and the ratio of serum iron to total binding capacity (TIBC) can be checked. Even if the relationship of iron levels to FPHL is unproven, many women are iron deficient and feel better if their iron stores are replenished. One study suggests that serum ferritin greater than 40 is desirable, while another study recommends a serum ferritin greater than 70.