Curl pattern classification: A potential tool for communication and risk stratification.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Loren Krueger, Emory University; Crystal Aguh, Johns Hopkins University; Erik Peterson, New York University; Jamael Thomas, Johns Hopkins University; JaBreia James, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia.; Kristen Lo Sicco, New York University; Jerry Shapiro, New York University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-06
• Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of Women’s Dermatologic Society.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JW9.0000000000000015
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: International Journal of Women's Dermatology
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: e015
• End Page: e015
• Grant/Funding Information: This was funded by the Rudin Research Foundation Grant at the Department of Dermatology, New York University, to support resident research. This funding was used to support the development of medical imagery.
• Keywords: hair texture; classification scheme; curl pattern; hair loss; skin of color; Alopecia
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Human Development; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

Hair and hair loss disorders lack adequate tools for quantitative assessment, impacting the quality of our care. Even though alopecia is among the top 10 conditions for which Black patients seek dermatologic care, many dermatologists are less familiar or confident with evaluation of hair loss in ethnic hair. For example, we do not utilize a widely accepted measure for hair texture, yet we do consider hair texture when evaluating our hair loss patients as it is relevant to hair fragility, shaft shape, and styling practices. This gap in objectivity likely lowers dermatologists’ confidence and accuracy in addressing hair disorders in these patients.