Trichoscopy: A Useful Tool in Diagnosing Temporal Triangular Alopecia

Temporal triangular alopecia (TTA) is a form of localized non-cicatricial alopecia of the scalp. Commonly affecting children, TTA may be present at birth or later in life. The diagnosis of TTA is essentially clinical, as an invasive biopsy may not be practicable in all cases. Trichoscopy is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging technique that allows magnified visualization of surface and subsurface changes in disorders of scalp and hair. Utilizing the technique, a quick and non-invasive confirmation of the clinical diagnosis of TTA is made possible as the disease exhibits distinctive trichoscopic patterns. Further, trichoscopy allows differentiating TTA from other causes of localized non-cicatricial alopecia of scalp, such as alopecia areata which also exhibits distinctive trichoscopic features. Differentiating the two is important as the clinical behaviour and prognosis in either are entirely different. In this report, we describe the trichoscopic features in two children with TTA.