Trichology Glossary: Hair, Scalp and Skin Terms

Glossary

308 terms

The words you meet at an appointment, in a doctor's notes and in our publications, in plain language. This is a reference: a doctor sets the diagnosis and treatment after an examination.

Hair and follicle43

Anagen: The phase of active hair growth and the longest in the cycle, on average 2 to 6 years on the scalp. Most scalp hairs are in it at any time. Only now do the follicle's melanocytes make pigment, so this is when a hair gets its colour.Read more: Involutional hair loss
Catagen: A short transition of about 2 to 3 weeks between growth and rest. The follicle regresses and some of its cells die in a programmed way. Pigment production stops before growth does, so the last-made stretch of the hair has no colour.Read more: Involutional hair loss
Dermal papilla: A cluster of cells at the base of the follicle, supplied by fine blood vessels. Its signals are needed for the follicle to pass through every phase of the growth cycle. A fall in the number of these cells is linked to follicle miniaturisation.
Dermal sheath: A layer of connective tissue wrapped around the outside of the follicle. Together with the dermal papilla it controls hair growth in adult skin. A fall in the number of its cells is linked to age-related follicle miniaturisation.
Eumelanin: The black form of melanin, which colours hair black and chestnut brown. Together with pheomelanin it produces the whole range of natural hair shades, of which more than fifty are counted.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Exogen: The phase of controlled shedding, when the old hair leaves the follicle, usually after a new growth cycle has begun. This order of events keeps the total amount of hair on the head steady.
Extrinsic ageing: Additional age-related changes in skin and hair caused by the build-up of environmental exposure. Among outside factors, ultraviolet radiation and smoking are the best studied. These changes are laid on top of programmed intrinsic ageing.Read more: Scalp ageing and associated conditions
Follicle bulge: An area in the upper part of the follicle where its stem cells are kept. Research shows that all the epithelial layers of the follicle and the hair are formed from the cells of this zone.
Follicle miniaturisation: Gradual shrinking of the follicle, so that the hair gets thinner and shorter with each cycle, down to barely visible vellus. It is typical of androgenetic alopecia. Follicles also shrink in age-related thinning, though by different mechanisms.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Follicular pigmentary unit: The melanocytes of the hair bulb, which together make pigment and pass it to the cells of the hair. This unit works hardest in early adulthood and gradually loses melanocytes with the years, which leads to greying.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Follicular unit: A natural group of hairs that emerge from the scalp side by side. In androgenetic alopecia the number of hairs in a unit falls, often to a single one. Hair transplantation also moves hair in these groups.Read more: Hair transplantation
Grey hair (canities): The loss of pigment in hair that comes to everyone with age: the follicle loses melanocytes and each new hair grows colourless. Grey hair is usually coarser and more wiry, holds a style less well and resists dye more.Read more: Premature grey hair
Hair bulb: The widened lower end of the follicle, deep in the skin, where the hair is formed. It holds the matrix cells and melanocytes, and the dermal papilla enters it from below.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Hair cortex: The layer beneath the cuticle, made of hardened keratin-filled cells bound tightly together. This is where melanocytes deliver pigment. With age it holds fewer of the cystine disulphide bonds that give the hair its strength.
Hair cuticle: The outer layer of a hair, made of tiny scales, which sets how its surface looks. With age the scales get smaller and the layer gradually wears away from root to tip, leaving the hair drier and more prone to breaking.Read more: Age-Related Hair Thinning
Hair follicle: A tiny organ in the skin that makes a hair and goes through growth cycles throughout life. All follicles form before birth and no new ones appear afterwards; a person is born with two to five million of them.Read more: Biological foundations of hair follicle ageing
Hair follicle stem cells: Immature cells able to turn into cells of different types. Their activation is linked to the follicle leaving its resting phase, and in the laboratory they can give rise to melanocytes and keratinocytes, for example. Their role in hair growth and ageing is still being studied.Read more: Biological foundations of hair follicle ageing
Hair growth cycle: The repeating sequence of phases each follicle goes through for life: growth (anagen), transition (catagen) and rest (telogen). It also includes the shedding of the old hair (exogen) and a pause with an empty follicle (kenogen). The phases are closely coordinated by hormones and other signals.Read more: Involutional hair loss
Hair matrix: The zone of the bulb above and around the top of the dermal papilla. Matrix cells divide and give rise to the hair, and the melanocytes in this zone pass pigment to them.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Hair medulla: The central part of a hair. It is smaller in fine miniaturised hairs than in terminal ones, and more developed in white hairs than in pigmented ones. Greying follicles are thought to switch their matrix cells towards building this layer.
Hair repigmentation: The return of colour to greyed hair. Few such cases are described in the medical literature, among them some where a specific cause of the greying was removed, such as a nutrient deficiency. No way is known today of restoring colour to inherited or age-related grey hair.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Hair shaft: The part of a hair visible above the skin, made almost entirely of protein. It has a cuticle on the outside, a cortex beneath it and a medulla at the centre. Its thickness, fractures and narrowing are assessed at trichoscopy.Read more: Trichoscopy
Hair shaft ageing: Changes in the already formed hair caused by sun, weather and time. The cuticle gradually wears away from root to tip, moisture and lipids run short and strength falls. As a result, hair becomes dry, fragile and prone to breaking.Read more: Age-Related Hair Thinning
Intermediate hair: Fine pigmented hair of childhood, a transitional type between vellus and terminal hair. Early in puberty it gradually replaces vellus hair on the pubic area and later in the armpits, before terminal hair grows there.Read more: Biological foundations of hair follicle ageing
Intrinsic ageing: Genetically programmed age-related changes in skin and hair, also called chronological or physiological ageing. They depend on inherited traits and come about regardless of outside factors. Oxidative stress plays an important part in them.Read more: Scalp ageing and associated conditions
Kenogen: A pause in the growth cycle when the follicle stays empty: the old hair has been shed in telogen and the new one has not yet appeared. This pause lengthens with age, most clearly in involutional hair thinning.Read more: Age-Related Hair Thinning
Keratin: A group of structural proteins, many containing sulphur, that make up almost all of the hair shaft. The follicle needs sulphur-containing amino acids to build them. With age the content of some keratin proteins in the hair falls, and its strength falls too.
Lanugo: Very fine hair of the unborn baby, which grows before birth and is later replaced by vellus hair. The same follicle goes on to make the other hair types. In adults such hair occasionally returns, for example with eating disorders.Read more: Biological foundations of hair follicle ageing
Melanin: The pigment that gives hair and skin their colour. The shade depends on the form and position of the pigment and the mix of its two types, eumelanin and pheomelanin. Melanin also protects the proteins of the hair from light.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Melanocyte: A cell that makes melanin. In the follicle melanocytes sit in the bulb above the dermal papilla and pass pigment to the cells of the cortex. Unlike those of the skin, they work only during the hair's growth phase.Read more: Premature grey hair
Melanocyte stem cells: A reserve of immature cells in the permanent part of the follicle that replenishes the melanocytes of the bulb. Its size differs from person to person, so the age of greying is largely set by genes. Once it runs out, a new hair grows without pigment.Read more: Premature grey hair
Melanogenesis: The making of melanin, which takes place in melanosomes, special structures inside melanocytes. In the follicle it is tied closely to the growth cycle: it is active in anagen, and in catagen the activity of the enzyme tyrosinase falls sharply. In the skin pigment production is continuous.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Oxidative stress: Damage to cells by reactive oxygen species (ROS) when there are more of them than the antioxidant defences can neutralise. It affects DNA, proteins and cell membranes. It is considered one cause of melanocyte death and of age-related changes in the follicle.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Pheomelanin: The yellow or red form of melanin, which gives hair a light shade. Together with eumelanin it sets natural hair colour and, like eumelanin, helps protect the hair's proteins from light.Read more: The mysteries of grey hair
Premature grey hair: Greying that begins before age 20 in people of European descent, before 25 in Asians and before 30 in Africans. Most often it is an inherited trait with no disease behind it. It is sometimes linked to autoimmune conditions, nutrient deficiencies, medicines or smoking.Read more: Premature grey hair
Scalp ageing: Age-related changes in the skin of the scalp. Under the hair it becomes pale, dry and slightly slack, though these changes are hard to notice. Balding areas, with less natural protection from the sun, also show the marks of ultraviolet light.Read more: Scalp ageing and associated conditions
Sebaceous gland: A small gland linked to the hair follicle that makes sebum. It is almost idle before puberty and very active in adolescence and youth, then weakens after the fourth decade of life, above all in women.Read more: Biological foundations of hair follicle ageing
Sebum: The oily secretion of the sebaceous glands, which reaches the skin surface through the follicle opening. Its make-up changes over a lifetime: children's sebum has less squalene and cholesterol than adults'. The glands also become less active with age.
Sudden greying (canities subita): What is popularly called going grey overnight. It is now explained as an acute episode of alopecia areata: the disease selectively removes pigmented hairs, while the grey ones, which it usually spares, remain and suddenly stand out.Read more: Premature grey hair
Telogen: A period of relative rest for the follicle after catagen, lasting about 12 weeks. The hair no longer grows, and the melanocytes sit shrunken on the papilla without making pigment. In time this hair is shed and the follicle returns to a new anagen.Read more: Involutional hair loss
Telomeres: The end sections of chromosomes, which shorten each time a cell divides. Their shortening is among the mechanisms discussed as causes of age-related changes in the hair follicle, including involutional hair thinning.Read more: Age-Related Hair Thinning
Terminal hair: The long, thick, pigmented hair of an adult: on the head and, after puberty, on the pubic area, in the armpits and on men's faces. In androgenetic alopecia scalp follicles gradually switch from it to fine vellus hair.Read more: Biological foundations of hair follicle ageing
Vellus hair: Short, barely visible and mostly colourless hair, typical of childhood. It comes from the same follicle that at another stage makes terminal hair. A growing share of such hairs on the scalp is one of the signs of androgenetic alopecia.Read more: Biological foundations of hair follicle ageing

Hair loss and hair disorders44

Alopecia: The medical word for hair loss on the head or body. It covers different conditions: scarring, where the follicle is destroyed for good, and non-scarring, where it survives. The word alone does not name a cause; a doctor establishes that.
Alopecia areata (AA): A long-lasting inflammatory disease of the hair follicles: hair falls out in round patches on the scalp, in the beard, on the eyebrows or eyelashes, and sometimes over the whole head or body. It is not contagious and leaves no scars. The follicles survive, so hair is able to grow back, but the course is unpredictable.Read more: Alopecia areata
Androgenetic alopecia (AGA): Gradual thinning of the hair in men and women, caused by an inherited tendency and the action of androgens, the male sex hormones. On the top and crown of the head the follicles shrink with each cycle, and the hairs grow thinner and shorter. Follicles at the back of the head do not respond to androgens.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Autoimmune disease: An illness in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues. Autoimmune thyroiditis, vitiligo and rheumatoid arthritis belong to this group. Alopecia areata is also regarded as autoimmune, although the exact target of the attack in the follicle has not yet been proven.Read more: Pathogenesis of alopecia areata: immune mechanisms
Christmas tree pattern: One of the three typical patterns of androgenetic alopecia in women: the hair thins diffusely in the central part of the head along the parting, while the hairline above the forehead is relatively preserved. The widened parting then resembles the outline of a fir tree.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Comorbidity: Two or more illnesses present in one person at the same time; publications also say polypathology or multimorbidity. In alopecia areata it has been described alongside atopic conditions, autoimmune thyroiditis, vitiligo, anemia, vitamin D deficiency and anxiety disorders. With accompanying illnesses the alopecia ran a heavier course.Read more: Comorbidity in alopecia areata
Cytokines: Signaling proteins that cells use to pass commands to one another, including inflammatory ones. In alopecia areata production of pro-inflammatory cytokines rises around the follicles, among them TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6. They can disturb hair growth and sustain inflammation.Read more: Immunomorphological features of the development of alopecia areata
Diffuse alopecia: Even thinning of the hair over the whole head, with no separate bald areas. Telogen effluvium, thyroid disease, iron deficiency and age-related change can all look like this. The name describes the appearance; the cause has to be found separately.Read more: Hair Loss in Women
Diffuse alopecia areata: A variant of the disease with no clear patches: the hair thins evenly over the whole head. It is easily mistaken for telogen effluvium, and trichoscopy helps in such cases. Publications also call it incognita.Read more: Alopecia areata
Discoid lupus erythematosus: A long-lasting skin disease, a form of lupus that is sensitive to sunlight. On the scalp it is among the common primary scarring processes. The pattern of the vessels on trichoscopy helps tell it apart from psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis.
Dystrophic anagen: A state of the follicle in alopecia areata: it stays in the growth phase, but the surrounding inflammation stops it from making a hair of normal thickness and strength. Such a hair anchors poorly in its canal and soon falls out, while the follicle itself keeps the ability to recover.Read more: Pathogenesis of alopecia areata: immune mechanisms
Folliculitis decalvans: One of the primary scarring alopecias. Inflammation around the follicles, with pustules and crusts, leaves hairless areas that slowly widen, and the follicles there do not recover.
Frontal fibrosing alopecia: A form of scarring alopecia in which the hairline above the forehead recedes and the eyebrows thin. A follicle lost in this area does not recover. Trichoscopy of the eyebrows shows symmetrical grey or brown-grey dots.Read more: Hair Loss in Women
Hormonal hair loss: A general name for shedding linked to changing hormone levels: androgens, estrogens, thyroid hormones, prolactin, corticosteroids. It can appear after childbirth, during menopause, with thyroid disease, or after a hormonal medicine is started or stopped.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Immune privilege: A special state of the growing hair follicle that normally keeps the immune system from attacking it; publications also speak of immune tolerance. When genetic and outside factors break this protection, T lymphocytes attack the follicles and alopecia areata develops.Read more: Pathogenesis of alopecia areata: immune mechanisms
Involutional alopecia (age-related thinning): Very slow but steady thinning of the hair over the whole head, usually starting after age 50. It is regarded as an age-related process unconnected with androgens; another name is senile alopecia. It often occurs together with androgenetic alopecia, and the two can be hard to tell apart.Read more: Age-Related Hair Thinning
JAK-STAT signaling pathway: A route that carries signals inside a cell and through which many cytokines act. Genetic research has shown its importance in alopecia areata. The drugs that suppress it (JAK inhibitors) are still being studied, and only a doctor decides whether they suit a particular person.
Lichen planopilaris: A form of lichen planus that affects the hair follicles: inflammation and scaling develop around them, and in time a scar remains and hair no longer grows there. It belongs to the primary scarring alopecias.
Microinflammation: Slow, barely noticeable and painless inflammation around the upper part of the hair follicle, found in androgenetic alopecia. The term was proposed to set it apart from the marked, destructive inflammation of scarring alopecias.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Microsporia: A contagious fungal infection of the scalp. It often comes with scaling, redness, crusts and broken hair, and trichoscopy shows comma-shaped and corkscrew hairs. It is treated quite differently from alopecia areata, which it can resemble.Read more: Hair Loss in Children
Multifocal alopecia areata: A variant of the disease in which separate bald patches merge into larger areas. On the SBN system it usually corresponds to a moderate or severe grade, depending on the share of hair lost.Read more: Alopecia areata
Non-scarring alopecias: A group of hair loss types in which the follicles are not replaced by scar tissue. It includes androgenetic, diffuse and areata alopecia as well as trichotillomania. These forms account for most cases of hair loss.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Ophiasis: A form of alopecia areata that appears as a continuous band of hair loss along the hair margin at the back of the head and above the ears. Publications also call it the band-like form.Read more: Alopecia areata
Patchy alopecia areata: The most typical picture of the disease: one or several separate round or oval bald patches with clear edges. The skin in them is smooth, without scaling or scarring, and short broken hairs are visible at the edge of an active patch.Read more: Alopecia areata
PedsQL questionnaire: A children's quality of life questionnaire (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory) with age-based forms for children and for parents. It scores physical, emotional, social and school functioning on a 100-point scale: the higher the score, the better the quality of life.Read more: Study of quality of life in children with alopecia areata
Perifollicular fibrosis: An overgrowth of collagen fibers around the hair follicle in areas where balding is progressing. In androgenetic alopecia it is usually moderate and made of loose collagen layers, and it is distinguished from scarring alopecia.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Postpartum hair loss: Increased shedding about 1–4 months after childbirth. During pregnancy more hairs stay in the growth phase, and after delivery these follicles move quickly into the resting phase. It is a kind of telogen effluvium.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Pseudopelade of Brocq: A primary scarring alopecia in which smooth hairless areas slowly appear on the scalp, with almost no visible inflammation. The follicles in these areas are lost for good.
Quality of life: A person's own rating of their physical, psychological and social well-being. Medicine measures it with special questionnaires to see how an illness affects daily life. In children with alopecia areata, social life and school suffer most.Read more: Study of quality of life in children with alopecia areata
Red scalp syndrome: Persistent redness of the scalp with burning, itching and soreness, which often does not settle with anti-seborrheic shampoos or topical hormonal products. The diagnosis is made after similar diseases are ruled out. Doctors suggest it may be rosacea of the scalp.Read more: Red Scalp Syndrome
Scarring alopecia: A large group of conditions in which hair follicles are destroyed for good and scar tissue forms in their place. Primary forms are caused by diseases such as discoid lupus; acquired forms follow burns, injuries or radiation dermatitis. A congenital type also exists.Read more: Hair transplantation
Seborrheic dermatitis: A long-lasting inflammatory skin disease, most often in areas rich in oil glands, including the scalp. It shows as redness and scaling. In androgenetic alopecia it is the most frequent explanation for a red scalp.
Shutsky classification: A severity scale for alopecia areata with four grades. I: single patches 3–5 cm across; II: patches 5–10 cm; III: subtotal alopecia; IV: total and universal alopecia. It does not take into account hair loss on the body or the state of the nails.Read more: Assessing the severity of alopecia areata
Social maladjustment: A breakdown of usual relationships and of taking part in community life: it becomes hard to talk to people, go to school or be among others. Publications describe it as a result of the long course of alopecia areata in adults and children.Read more: Study of quality of life in children with alopecia areata
Spontaneous regrowth: New hair appearing with no treatment at all, which happens in alopecia areata months or years after onset, especially in young children. It makes the effect of treatment harder to judge, and patches may come back later.Read more: Hair Loss in Children
Stages of alopecia areata: Two phases of the disease. In the active (progressive) stage patches enlarge or new ones appear, with a zone of loose hair at the edge. In the chronic (stationary) stage there are no complaints, hair in the patch does not grow, and the skin is normal in color and slightly thinned.Read more: Alopecia areata
T lymphocytes: Immune system cells that make up the bulk of the inflammation around affected follicles in alopecia areata. CD8+ cells enter the follicle and disturb hair growth, while CD4+ cells sit around it and probably support the process.Read more: Pathogenesis of alopecia areata: immune mechanisms
Telogen effluvium: Heavy shedding over the whole head when many hairs enter the resting phase at once. Triggers include high fever, serious illness, surgery, sudden weight loss or a severe shock. The hair starts to fall out with a delay, because this phase lasts about 12 weeks.Read more: Hair Loss in Women
Total and subtotal alopecia: Complete loss of hair on the whole head in alopecia areata is called total, which is S5 on the SBN system. When 96–99% of the hair is lost and only isolated hairs remain, the form is called subtotal (S4b).Read more: Alopecia areata
Traction alopecia: Hair loss from long-term pulling by tight braids, ponytails or chignons. The hair thins mainly along the hairline, and after years of tension the loss can become permanent. Tight hairstyles can also cause hair loss in children.Read more: Hair transplantation
Trichodynia: Soreness of the scalp, felt even on light touch and often alongside complaints of hair loss. It is linked to widened small blood vessels and inflammation around the follicles. Depressive episodes can intensify the discomfort.Read more: Red Scalp Syndrome
Trichotillomania: A habit of pulling out one's own hair. Areas with blurred edges and hairs broken at different lengths appear on the head, and density falls. It can occur together with alopecia areata, so a doctor assesses the picture.Read more: Hair Loss in Children
Universal alopecia: The form of alopecia areata that covers the largest area: there is no hair on the head, face or body. As with the total form, the scalp loss is marked S5 on the SBN system.Read more: Alopecia areata
Zone of loose hair: A band up to a centimeter wide around an active patch of alopecia areata, where hairs come out easily when gently tugged. Its presence points to the active stage of the disease. A doctor checks for it with the hair pull test.Read more: Alopecia areata

Diagnostics39

Anisotrichosis: Uneven hair thickness within one area, with fine, medium and thick hairs side by side. On trichoscopy it points to miniaturisation, the gradual shrinking of follicles, and is regarded as the most typical feature of androgenetic alopecia.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Biopsy sample: A small piece of tissue taken during a biopsy. It goes straight into a special solution and on to the laboratory, where it is studied under a microscope to establish the nature of the skin change.Read more: Skin biopsy
Black dots: Pigmented hairs broken or destroyed at the level of the scalp, so on trichoscopy they look like dark specks. They used to be called cadaverised hairs. They are seen in alopecia areata, where they point to an active process, and in microsporia and trichotillomania.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Comma and corkscrew hairs: Short hairs bent like a comma or twisted like a corkscrew. Both shapes show up on trichoscopy and are typical of microsporia, a fungal infection of the scalp.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Dermatoscopy: Examination of the skin under magnification through an optical device, the dermatoscope. It shows structures in a growth that the naked eye cannot see, painlessly and without damaging the skin. The result helps decide on observation, further tests or removal, though it is not a final diagnosis in itself.Read more: Dermatoscopy
Dermoscopic follow-up: Comparison of images of the same skin growth taken at different times. It reveals changes in structure, shape or colour that are hard to see in an ordinary examination. The doctor decides individually whether this is needed and how often.Read more: Mole and Skin Lesion Checks in Kharkiv
Dermoscopic signs: The colours, structures and patterns a doctor sees in a skin growth under magnification. Each one corresponds to particular tissue changes under the microscope, so taken together they help tell a benign growth from a suspicious one.Read more: Dermatoscopy
Digital dermatoscopy: Dermatoscopy in which the image of a growth is shown on a screen and stored digitally. Saved images can be compared with later ones to reveal changes, and the patient can receive them along with the result of the examination.Read more: Mole and Skin Lesion Checks in Kharkiv
Dots on trichoscopy: The general name for follicle openings on the skin surface as seen under magnification. The doctor assesses their colour and contents. Yellow, black, white, red and grey dots are told apart, and each variety has its own meaning for the diagnosis.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Dry and immersion dermatoscopy: Two modes of examination under a dermatoscope. In immersion mode a thin layer of fluid between the optics and the skin removes glare; in dry mode there is no fluid and polarised light cuts the glare. Each mode helps show different skin structures more clearly.Read more: Dermatoscopy
Empty follicles: Follicle openings with no hair visible in them on trichoscopy. They are among the signs of telogen effluvium, when many hairs enter the resting phase at once and shed, and are also described in androgenetic alopecia.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Exclamation mark hairs: Short broken hairs that narrow towards the skin and look like an exclamation mark. On trichoscopy they are one of the signs of active alopecia areata. They are seen less often in trichotillomania, a habit of pulling out one’s own hair.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Flame hairs: Short remnants of broken hair shaped like tongues of flame. Together with remnants shaped like a tulip or the letter V, they are seen on trichoscopy in trichotillomania, a habit of pulling out one’s own hair.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Grey dots: Symmetrically placed grey or brownish-grey specks seen on the eyebrows on trichoscopy. They are a typical sign of frontal fibrosing alopecia, a scarring form of hair loss that affects the hairline above the forehead and the eyebrows.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Hair pull test: A simple test during an examination: the doctor gently pulls a small lock of hair and checks whether hairs come out easily. In alopecia areata it is done along the edge of a patch, where there may be a zone of loosened hairs that pull out with ease.Read more: Alopecia areata
Hamilton–Norwood scale: A rating of the degree of baldness in men with androgenetic alopecia that sets out seven stages. Doctors use it to describe how far the changes on the head have gone, including a receding hairline and thinning at the crown.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Histology: Study of a tissue sample under a microscope, also called pathomorphological examination. It shows the cell type, how mature the cells are and how deep a tumour lies, and helps confirm the diagnosis of a growth or chronic skin disease where examination and dermatoscopy are not enough.Read more: Skin biopsy
Honeycomb scalp pigmentation: A dark net-like pattern on the skin between follicles, clearly visible under magnification. It is linked to the sun reaching a scalp not well covered by hair. The sign is non-specific and is often seen in severe androgenetic alopecia and in involutional alopecia, age-related hair loss.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Ludwig scale: A rating of female hair thinning in androgenetic alopecia. It describes diffuse thinning of the central part of the head along the parting in three grades, while the hairline above the forehead usually stays in place.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Medical history: The story of the condition as the patient tells it: when the changes began, what came before them, chronic illnesses, medicines, earlier treatment and similar problems in relatives. A family history covers the illnesses of close relatives.
Mole map (digital skin mapping): An examination in which the whole skin surface is photographed and individual moles and other growths are also imaged with a dermatoscope. At repeat visits the images are compared to spot new growths or changes in existing ones. Whether it fits depends on the number of moles and on risk factors.Read more: Mole Mapping in Kharkiv: Digital Skin Mapping
Peripilar sign: A dark ring of about 1 mm around the follicle opening from which a hair emerges, also called a peripilar ring. It occurs in androgenetic alopecia, more markedly at the front than at the back of the head, and also in telogen effluvium and in healthy people.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Phototrichogram: Measurement of hair from images of a defined scalp area. Software calculates hair density and thickness, the share of fine hairs and the ratio of growing hairs to resting ones. Sometimes a small area is clipped short for this and a second image is taken later.Read more: Trichoscopy
Pigtail hairs: A fine regrowing hair coiled into a symmetrical round or oval ring. This shape is described in patches of alopecia areata when growth resumes. It has to be told apart from the asymmetrically coiled hairs typical of trichotillomania.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Punch biopsy: A biopsy with a round instrument, the punch, which removes a small column of tissue under local anaesthetic. The sample is then studied under a microscope. On the scalp, trichoscopy helps choose the most informative spot for it.Read more: Skin biopsy
Quantitative trichoscopy: Measurement of hair parameters on trichoscopic images: shaft thickness, the number of hairs per follicular unit and the share of fine hairs. Exact figures are usually not needed for the diagnosis itself and serve as a baseline for comparison at follow-up visits.Read more: Trichoscopy
Red dots: Reddened follicle openings seen on trichoscopy in discoid lupus erythematosus, an inflammatory skin disease that can leave scars. They are regarded as a favourable sign because they point to a possible return of hair growth.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Regrowing vellus: Short, fine, pale hairs that appear in areas of hair loss. Vellus is the name for the finest downy hair. In alopecia areata it is seen above all during recovery, while a larger share of such hairs at the front and crown is a sign of androgenetic alopecia.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
SBN system: An international system for rating the severity of alopecia areata. S describes the share of hair lost on the scalp, from S0 to S5, B refers to body hair and N to nail involvement. The rating guides the choice of treatment and comparison at follow-up visits.Read more: Assessing the severity of alopecia areata
Single-hair follicular units: Hair grows in small groups called follicular units. When groups holding just one hair predominate on trichoscopy, the number of hairs per unit has fallen. This sign is typical of androgenetic and involutional alopecia and also occurs in telogen effluvium.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Skin biopsy: Removal of a small skin sample under local anaesthetic to study it under a microscope. Reasons include a suspected malignant process, clarifying a tumour type and an atypical picture of a chronic skin disease. On the scalp it is done for an atypical trichoscopic picture or suspected scarring alopecia.Read more: Skin biopsy
Strawberry pattern: The dermoscopic picture of non-pigmented actinic keratosis, a dry reddish plaque on sun-damaged skin. A red vascular network combines with widened follicle openings filled with keratin plugs and ringed by a pale halo, which together resemble the surface of a strawberry.
Trichoscopy: Examination of the hair and scalp under magnification with a digital video dermatoscope. The doctor sees hair shafts, follicle openings, the skin between them and tiny vessels. The method is painless, does not damage the skin and helps tell apart types of hair loss that look alike.Read more: Trichoscopy
Ugly duckling sign: A way of assessing moles that draws attention to the one looking clearly different from the others on a person’s body in colour, shape or structure. The difference does not necessarily mean malignancy, but it is a reason to assess that growth more closely.Read more: What Skin Cancer Looks Like: Early Signs
Ultraviolet trichoscopy: A form of trichoscopy in which ordinary or polarised light is replaced by ultraviolet light in the spectrum of a Wood’s lamp. It can add to what the examination shows in microsporia and pityriasis versicolor, which are fungal skin infections.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Vessels on trichoscopy: The tiny blood vessels of the scalp visible under magnification. Their type, arrangement and number differ from one disease to another, which helps tell apart psoriasis, seborrhoeic dermatitis and discoid lupus erythematosus. Widened, winding vessels are described in red scalp syndrome.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Video dermatoscope: A digital camera magnifying from 10 to 1000 times, placed on the skin, with the image shown on a screen and saved. Together with computer software it forms a diagnostic system. For examining hair the same device is also called a trichoscope.Read more: Dermatoscopy
White dots: A trichoscopic sign of two types. Large irregular dots mark fibrosis, meaning scar tissue around the follicle, and are seen most often in lichen planus. Tiny ones are the openings of follicles and glands against a pigmented background, seen in people with dark skin whether or not they are losing hair.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias
Yellow dots: Follicle openings on the skin filled with keratin and sebum, which makes them look yellow on trichoscopy. These dots are typical of alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia and are rarely seen in telogen effluvium, a diffuse shedding of resting hairs.Read more: Trichoscopic differential diagnostic algorithms for non-scarring alopecias

Hormones and tests30

5-alpha reductase: An enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, another androgen, right inside the hair follicle. It comes in two types, I and II. In areas prone to baldness its activity and the level of dihydrotestosterone are raised.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Androgens: A group of sex hormones that includes testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. They stimulate beard growth, yet on the crown of genetically prone people they gradually turn thick hair into downy hair. Follicles at the back of the head do not respond to them. Androgenetic alopecia does not require an excess of these hormones in the blood.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Antinuclear antibodies: Antibodies directed against the nuclei of the body’s own cells. A test for them and for antibodies to native DNA, the cell’s genetic material, is used with inflammatory changes of the scalp to rule out autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus.Read more: Red Scalp Syndrome
Aromatase: An enzyme that converts androgens into oestradiol, one of the oestrogens. It is active in the hair follicle itself, so the follicle is both a target and a source of oestrogens. Medicines that block this enzyme are used in breast cancer, and prone women may have hair loss while taking them.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s disease): Chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissue. It is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, a shortage of thyroid hormones, and it often occurs together with alopecia areata.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Blood chemistry test: A laboratory blood test that assesses the work of internal organs and metabolism, including liver tests and glucose level. In chronic dermatoses, meaning long-lasting skin diseases, it is part of a whole-body check. The doctor decides individually which values are needed.Read more: Laboratory diagnostics
Complete blood count: A study of the blood cells: the numbers of red cells, white cells and platelets and the haemoglobin level. Among other things it shows signs of anaemia or inflammation. A doctor may order it when indicated for hair changes or chronic skin diseases.Read more: Laboratory diagnostics
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia: An inherited disorder of cortisol production in the adrenal glands, also called adrenogenital syndrome. The pituitary gland overstimulates these glands and androgens build up. In women this shows as virilisation, and a partial form may cause hirsutism alone.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Cortisol: A hormone of the adrenal glands, one of the steroid hormones that regulate cell growth and metabolism. A lasting excess of it leads to Cushing’s syndrome, and an inherited disorder of its production causes congenital adrenal hyperplasia.Read more: Hormones and hair
Cushing’s syndrome: A condition with too much cortisol in the body, most often from taking glucocorticosteroids, a type of hormonal medicine. It shows as weight gain, a rounded face, fat on the trunk with thin arms, bruises and raised blood pressure; the skin may show excess facial hair and alopecia.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA, DHEA-S): A precursor of androgens and its sulphate form. Their level peaks at about the third decade of life and then gradually falls. A doctor may order a DHEA-S test when there are signs of excess androgens. In people with androgenetic alopecia, taking DHEA can trigger hair loss.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): An androgen formed from testosterone by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase right inside the hair follicle. In areas prone to baldness its level is raised, the follicle gradually shrinks and the hair becomes finer. It is given the key role in the development of androgenetic alopecia.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Growth hormone (somatotropin): A hormone that also matters for hair, as conditions with too little or too much of it show. When cells respond poorly to it (Laron syndrome), hair is sparse with abnormal shafts; in acromegaly, an excess of this hormone, there is too much hair. It acts largely through insulin-like growth factor 1.Read more: Hormones and hair
Hirsutism: Excessive growth of dark, coarse hair on the face and body in women. It is one of the signs of excess androgens, which occurs in diseases of the ovaries and adrenal glands. Hirsutism can also accompany an excess of prolactin.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Hyperandrogenism: An excess of androgens in the body, with its cause in the ovaries or the adrenal glands. In women it shows as hirsutism, thinning hair on the head and sometimes other signs of virilisation, while in men it usually causes no symptoms.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Hyperprolactinaemia: An excess of the hormone prolactin in the blood. It shows as discharge from the breasts, a disturbed cycle or absent periods, seborrhoea, acne and hirsutism. Effects on hair can include diffuse telogen shedding and androgenetic alopecia.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Hyperthyroidism: An excess of thyroid hormones, most often due to autoimmune Graves’ disease. Hair becomes fine, soft and straight, sheds evenly and often thins in the armpits too. General signs include palpitations, sweating and weight loss. The severity of hair loss does not follow the severity of the disease.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Hypoparathyroidism: A shortage of parathyroid gland hormones, most often after surgery on the thyroid or neck. Blood calcium falls, attacks of muscle cramps appear, hair thins or falls out completely, and horizontal grooves may form on the nails.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Hypothyroidism: A shortage of thyroid hormones, most often from chronic autoimmune thyroiditis or after radioactive iodine treatment or surgery. Hair turns dull, coarse and brittle and thins evenly, the outer part of the eyebrows thins and the skin is dry. It is far more common in women than in men.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Iron metabolism tests: A group of blood tests showing how much iron the body holds and how large its stores are; ferritin is one of them. Iron shortage can produce a picture of hair loss similar to a hormonal one, so a doctor may check these values after the examination.Read more: Laboratory diagnostics
Oestrogens: Sex hormones that act on the skin, hair follicles, and sebaceous and sweat glands. In the second half of pregnancy more hairs stay in the growth phase, and after childbirth they shed more heavily. At menopause oestrogen levels fall: skin and hair get drier and the tendency to hair loss grows.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Polycystic ovaries: A hormonal disorder in which the ovaries produce too many androgens and the menstrual cycle is disturbed. A woman may have acne, hirsutism and thinning hair on the head. A gynaecologist is the doctor who manages this condition.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Progestins (progestogens): Hormonal substances found in contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy. Some of them have androgenic activity and more often cause hair thinning in genetically prone women.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Prolactin: A hormone of the front lobe of the pituitary gland that stimulates breast growth and milk production and follows a daily rhythm. It acts on the hair follicle directly and indirectly, through adrenal androgens, so an excess of it can affect the hair.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Testosterone (free testosterone): An androgen from which dihydrotestosterone forms in the hair follicle. Free testosterone is its biologically active part, and a doctor may order this test when there are signs of excess androgens. In men the level falls gradually with age, with no sudden drop.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Thyroid hormones: Hormones, including triiodothyronine, that regulate the body’s energy use and the growth and maturing of tissues. The hair follicle has receptors for them, so both too little and too much affect hair. The hair changes are non-specific, and other signs and tests give the clue.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH): A pituitary hormone that controls the thyroid gland and prompts it to make its own hormones. Its blood level is often checked among thyroid function tests because it changes in hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Virilisation: The appearance of male features in a woman caused by excess androgens: hair on the face and body, a receding hairline at the temples, thinning on the head and a deeper voice. In children such an excess shows as early puberty, while in men it causes no symptoms.Read more: Hormonal Hair Loss
Vitamin B12: A vitamin whose shortage is linked to changes in hair pigment, including early greying. Its blood level is among the tests a doctor may order when indicated while looking for the cause of premature grey hair.Read more: Premature grey hair
Vitamin D: A vitamin whose blood level a doctor may check when indicated, for example in alopecia areata. Its shortage is described among the conditions that often accompany this disease, along with iron deficiency and thyroid diseases.Read more: Alopecia areata

Hair treatment and transplant52

5-alpha reductase inhibitors: A group of medicines that suppress the enzyme which, inside the hair follicle, turns testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. They are used in androgenetic alopecia. They have contraindications, including when planning a pregnancy, so only a doctor chooses the medicine and its form after an examination.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Aesthetic trichology: The branch of trichology concerned with rehabilitating hair and scalp. It covers physiotherapy and spa procedures, manual techniques, needle-free mesotherapy and care procedures. The treatment of hair diseases stays with clinical trichology.Read more: Esthetic trichology
Antiandrogens: Medicines that weaken the action of androgens, the hormones that gradually shrink sensitive follicles. They may be considered for androgenetic alopecia in women with signs of androgen excess. They have contraindications, including when planning a pregnancy, so only a doctor prescribes them.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Beard and moustache transplant: Moving hair, usually from the back of the head, to a man's face. This makes stubble denser, defines the beard line more clearly or covers scars left by injuries, burns or surgery. Scalp hair is softer than facial hair. Slight swelling after the procedure is possible.Read more: Hair transplantation
Body hair transplant (BHT): A form of FUE in which grafts are taken from the beard, chest, arms, legs or groin. It is considered when the donor supply on the back of the head is limited, for example in advanced baldness. Body hair is of lower quality than hair from the back of the head, so it often supplements the main grafts.Read more: Hair transplantation
Champissage (Indian head massage): A massage technique for the scalp, face and ears that grew out of traditional Indian massage. The name comes from the word champi, meaning head massage. It is used to ease tension and as part of hair care procedures.Read more: Head massages
Combined transplant method: The strip and FUE methods used together in one operation: some grafts come from a strip of skin on the back of the head, others are extracted one at a time. It is chosen when many grafts are needed and one method cannot supply that number in a single session.Read more: Hair transplantation
Contact sensitizers (DPCP, SADBE): Diphenylcyclopropenone and squaric acid dibutyl ester, substances that cause a delayed allergic reaction in the skin on contact. They are the agents used for topical immunotherapy of alopecia areata. Only a doctor prescribes them.
Density effect: A form of trichopigmentation for people who keep their hair, including long hair. The pigment evens out the colour difference between skin and hair, so the hair looks thicker. It can complement a hair transplant.Read more: Trichopigmentation
Dithranol (anthralin): A substance used on the skin in creams or ointments. It is thought to suppress the local inflammatory immune response in the hair follicle. It has been studied in the chronic stage of alopecia areata, after hair shedding has stopped. Only a doctor prescribes it.
Donor area: The area from which hair follicles are taken for a transplant. It is usually the back of the head, whose follicles do not react to androgens; the beard and body may also be used. The number of available grafts depends on hair density there and on how far the scalp stretches.Read more: Hair transplantation
Donor dominance: The ability of a transplanted follicle to keep the qualities of the area it came from. Follicles that resist androgens stay resistant in their new place. This is why hairs moved to the eyebrows or beard keep growing like hair from the back of the head.Read more: Hair transplantation
Dutasteride: A substance that blocks both types of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, I and II, and lowers the formation of dihydrotestosterone. In trichology it is studied in androgenetic alopecia, including as injections into the scalp. Only a doctor prescribes it.Read more: Injection options in the therapy of hair pathology
Eyebrow transplant: Implanting single hairs, usually taken from the back of the head, into the eyebrow area. It is considered after excessive plucking, for naturally thin brows or to change their shape. The transplanted hairs keep the qualities of scalp hair, so they have to be trimmed.Read more: Hair transplantation
Finasteride: A medicine taken by mouth that blocks the enzyme 5-alpha reductase type 2. As a result less dihydrotestosterone is made, the hormone that shrinks follicles in androgenetic alopecia. It has contraindications, so only a doctor prescribes it.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Follicular unit extraction (FUE): A transplant technique in which follicular units are taken from the donor area one by one with fine rotating trocars, without incisions or stitches. It leaves no linear scar on the back of the head. A version without shaving the donor and recipient areas exists. Grafts can also come from other hairy parts of the body.Read more: Hair transplantation
Follicular unit transplantation (FUT): A transplant technique, also called the strip method, in which a narrow strip of hair-bearing skin is cut from the back of the head and the wound is stitched. Under stereomicroscopes the strip is divided into follicular units, which are placed into prepared micro-holes. A linear scar remains, so it does not suit people prone to keloid scars.Read more: Hair transplantation
Fractional mesotherapy: A form of mesotherapy in which a device makes many micro-injections at a constant depth and a set distance between needles. The needles act on evenly spaced spots, and products applied to the skin are absorbed better. The technique can also be used for plasma therapy.Read more: Injection options in the therapy of hair pathology
Graft: A follicular unit prepared for transplanting. The size of an operation is counted in grafts; the number depends on the diagnosis, the size of the thinning area, skin and hair colour, hair diameter and hairstyle. The surgeon works it out at the consultation.Read more: Hair transplantation
Growth factors: Signalling molecules that cells use to control one another's division and maturation. In the hair follicle they take part in regulating the hair growth cycle. How they work is not fully understood, and their use to stimulate hair growth is still being studied.Read more: Injection options in the therapy of hair pathology
Hair growth stimulants: Products applied to the scalp to support hair growth, for example in androgenetic and involutional alopecia. The skin is sometimes prepared beforehand with a peel so that they penetrate better. The doctor decides on the product, its form and how long to use it.
Hair reconstruction: A procedure from aesthetic trichology for dry and brittle hair. It acts on the hair shaft and leaves the follicle alone, so it has no effect on the growth of new hair. It is often combined with a relaxing massage.
Hair replacement system: A non-invasive hair prosthesis for adults: a thin base known as a second skin, with natural hair inserted by hand. It is custom-made, fixed with medical adhesive and serviced regularly. It is considered for large areas of hair loss when a transplant is not possible, in widespread alopecia areata, and during and after chemotherapy.Read more: CNC Hair Prosthesis Hair Replacement System
Hair transplant: An operation that moves the patient's own hair follicles from the donor area to the area of hair loss. It is considered in androgenetic, scarring and traction alopecia. It does not stop the process behind the hair loss, so the remaining hair often needs further treatment.Read more: Hair transplantation
Hair transplant into scar tissue: Placing grafts into scars from burns, injuries or surgery, or into areas of scarring alopecia once the disease has stabilised. The skin there is often thin with poor circulation, so high density is hard to reach. Enough hair in the donor area is a condition for the operation.Read more: Hair transplantation
Hairline design: Planning before a transplant where the front edge of the hair will run. A line set too low can look unnatural and use up donor hair that may later be missing for other areas if androgenetic alopecia progresses.Read more: Hair transplantation
Injection methods in trichology: Ways of placing a medicine directly into the scalp: intralesional corticosteroid injections, mesotherapy, plasma therapy and others. The classic techniques have their own names: nappage, point injections, micropapules and depot injection. The method and preparation depend on the diagnosis and are decided by the doctor.Read more: Injection options in the therapy of hair pathology
Intralesional corticosteroid injections: Injections of an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid directly into a bald patch, deep in the skin. This reaches the needed concentration in the tissue with minimal absorption into the body. The method is used above all in localised alopecia areata and is prescribed only by a doctor.Read more: Alopecia areata
JAK inhibitors: Medicines that block the Janus kinase (JAK) enzymes, cutting off the effect of inflammatory signalling molecules on the cell. They are being studied in alopecia areata as tablets and as products applied to the skin. Only a doctor decides whether they suit a particular patient.Read more: Alopecia areata
Keratolytics: Products that soften the scales of the top skin layer and help remove them. On the scalp they are used, among other times, before phototherapy, because heavy flaking holds back ultraviolet light and weakens the procedure.Read more: Phototherapy
Long hair transplant (FUT-L): Transplanting follicular units with long hair shafts, without the usual short trim. Doctor and patient can see the future look of the hair straight after the procedure. Most of the long transplanted hairs later fall out and grow back, as with other methods. A linear scar remains on the back of the head.Read more: Hair transplantation
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT): Low-power laser light directed at the scalp, often from a helmet-shaped device. The exact mechanism is still being studied; it is thought to boost blood flow, growth factors and mitochondrial activity. It is used alongside other treatment, for example in androgenetic alopecia and after a hair transplant.Read more: Laser therapy
Mesotherapy: A medicine delivered into the skin through many small injections with very fine needles, most often a blend of vitamins, trace elements, amino acids and antioxidants. In hair loss it serves as a supporting method within combined therapy; the doctor chooses the preparation and technique.Read more: Mesotherapy
Metabolic complexes: Combinations of amino acids, B vitamins, biotin, pantothenic acid and other substances the body needs to build hair. In hair loss therapy they play a supporting part and do not replace the main treatment. The doctor chooses the composition.
Microneedling: Pricking the scalp with a drum covered in tiny needles, known as a scalp roller or meso-roller. Products applied to the skin pass deeper through the micro-channels, and the tiny injuries set off a local repair response. As a treatment for androgenetic alopecia it still needs confirmation in clinical studies.Read more: Injection options in the therapy of hair pathology
Minoxidil: A substance first developed for high blood pressure and now used on the scalp to stimulate hair growth. It lengthens the growth phase of the hair (anagen) and enlarges the follicle, though the mechanism is still being studied. Only a doctor prescribes it.Read more: Androgenetic alopecia
Narrowband UVB phototherapy (311 nm): A type of ultraviolet B phototherapy in a narrow wavelength band. These rays leave out the part of the spectrum most likely to redden the skin. For the scalp there are devices with a comb and light guides that carry the rays between the hairs.Read more: Phototherapy
Needle-free mesotherapy: A way of carrying active substances into the skin without needles or punctures, using a dedicated device. In aesthetic trichology it is one of the procedures for rehabilitating hair and scalp, along with physiotherapy and manual techniques.Read more: Esthetic trichology
Phototherapy: Treatment with light of a set wavelength delivered by a special device. For psoriasis and seborrhoeic dermatitis of the scalp, ultraviolet B is used; it reduces inflammation, slows excessive cell division and alters the local immune response.Read more: Phototherapy
Plasma therapy (PRP): The patient's own plasma, enriched with platelets, injected into the scalp. It is obtained from whole blood, and the platelets release growth factors that act on hair follicle cells. This is a supporting method with no standard protocol yet, and its exact mechanism is still debated.Read more: Injection options in the therapy of hair pathology
Recipient area: The place that receives the grafts: a thinning area, receding temples, a scar, eyebrows or a beard. It is prepared before implantation by making tiny holes. Its size, along with hair colour and diameter, determines how many grafts will be needed.Read more: Hair transplantation
Scalp massage: Manual work on the skin and reflex zones of the head. It relaxes the muscles and improves scalp microcirculation and the uptake of applied treatments. The procedure is contraindicated in inflammatory conditions and some other diseases of the scalp.Read more: Head massages
Scalp peeling: A course of procedures that speeds up the shedding of dead skin scales, either mechanically with scrubs or chemically with acids and retinol. It renews the top layer of skin and helps medicines penetrate. It is used in combined therapy of seborrhoeic dermatitis and to prepare the skin for other procedures.Read more: Scalp peelings
Shaved effect: A trichopigmentation technique in which dots of pigment recreate the look of a closely shaved head. It can hide the patches of alopecia areata and shape the outline of the scalp hair.Read more: Trichopigmentation
Shock loss: A rare complication of a transplant in which existing hair sheds in the operated area and later recovers. It is distinct from the expected shedding of the transplanted hairs themselves in the first weeks, which is a reaction to surgery.Read more: Hair transplantation
Systemic corticosteroids: Anti-inflammatory hormonal medicines that act on the whole body, given as tablets or as short intravenous pulse therapy. They are considered in alopecia areata that spreads quickly or covers a large area. Such medicines can have side effects, so only a doctor prescribes them.Read more: Alopecia areata
Topical corticosteroids: Anti-inflammatory hormonal products applied to the skin, including lotions made for the scalp. In alopecia areata they are used to stop inflammation in the patches. Only a doctor decides on the product and how long to use it.Read more: Alopecia areata
Topical immunotherapy: A method that deliberately sets off allergic contact dermatitis on the skin, to change the immune process in the affected area and allow hair to regrow. It is considered in severe chronic forms of alopecia areata. It has side effects, so only a doctor makes this decision.Read more: Alopecia areata
Triamcinolone acetonide: A corticosteroid used for intralesional injections in alopecia areata. It is placed into the skin of the bald area, where it suppresses inflammation around the hair follicles. Only a doctor prescribes and administers it.
Trichocosmetics: Products and procedures for the care of hair and scalp. They are formulated around age, sex, hair type (normal, dry, oily, permed or bleached) and care habits. Some of them are meant to correct certain scalp conditions.Read more: Trichocosmetics
Trichophytic closure: A way of closing the wound on the back of the head after the strip method so that hair grows through the surgical scar. This makes the scar less visible, even with a short haircut.Read more: Hair transplantation
Trichopigmentation: Pigment placed in microscopic dots in the surface layer of the scalp, which visually hides missing hair. It is used in androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata and scarring forms, alone or together with a transplant. The pigment gradually breaks down, so the correction is temporary.Read more: Trichopigmentation

Skin and skin lesions46

ABCDE rule: Five signs for a first look at pigmented lesions: asymmetry, irregular border, uneven color, diameter over 6 mm and evolution, meaning change over time. The rule only shows what to notice. It cannot rule out melanoma, which can also be smaller.Read more: What Skin Cancer Looks Like: Early Signs
Allergodermatosis: A general name for inflammatory skin diseases driven by an allergic reaction in the body. The chronic forms include atopic dermatitis and eczema. They usually come with strong itching and flare up again and again.
Angioma: A benign skin growth made of blood vessels, often seen as a red or bluish dot. In itself it is no sign of liver disease. One type of these growths is called a hemangioma.Read more: Radiofrequency ablation of neoplasms
Atopic dermatitis (AD): A long-lasting inflammatory skin disease with strong itching, dryness and rashes that settle and then return. It often begins in early childhood and also occurs in adults. Over the years it has been called childhood eczema, allergic diathesis or diffuse neurodermatitis.Read more: Atopic Dermatitis
Atypical nevus: A mole with an unusual shape, uneven color or irregular borders. It is not a melanoma, but if the doctor cannot confidently rule out a malignant process, it is removed for histological examination. Such moles are counted among the risk factors for melanoma.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Basal cell carcinoma (basalioma): One of the most common skin cancers, most often on the face, nose, ears and neck. It grows slowly and very rarely spreads to distant organs, but it can destroy nearby tissue. Its forms are nodular, superficial and sclerosing; it may look like a pearly nodule, a pink patch or a sore that does not heal.Read more: Basal Cell Carcinoma Removal in Kharkiv
Breslow thickness: A figure in the histology report on a melanoma: how deep the tumor has grown into the skin, in millimeters. Together with other features, such as ulceration, it helps determine the extent of further surgery.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Calcineurin inhibitors: Non-hormonal products applied to the skin that reduce inflammation by acting on immune cells. In atopic dermatitis they help lower the need for steroids. Only a doctor prescribes them.Read more: Atopic Dermatitis
Clear margins: A finding on the removed tissue: there are no tumor cells at its edges. If such cells are found at an edge, a repeat operation may be needed. In Mohs surgery the wound is closed only once this result has been reached.Read more: Basal Cell Carcinoma Removal in Kharkiv
Contact allergic dermatitis: Inflammation of the skin where it has touched something the body is allergic to, such as cosmetics, household chemicals, metal or synthetic fabric. It can look like atopic dermatitis, but the two are treated differently.
Cryodestruction (cryosurgery): Destroying tissue with extreme cold, usually liquid nitrogen. It is used for certain benign growths and very rarely for malignant ones. It does not allow full histological control, and a blister, crust, pigment change or scar may follow.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Dermato-oncologist: A doctor who specializes in diagnosing, treating and preventing skin lesions, including malignant ones. At the examination this doctor looks over all the skin, performs dermatoscopy and sets out the next step: observation, biopsy or removal.Read more: Dermatosurgery
Dermatofibroma: A benign skin lesion in the form of a small firm nodule within the skin. It usually causes no trouble and may look like a mole. Dermatoscopy helps the doctor tell it apart from other growths.Read more: Radiofrequency ablation of neoplasms
Dermatomycosis: A fungal infection of the surface layers of the skin and of its appendages, the hair and nails. It spreads through shared shoes and household items and in shared showers and changing rooms. People differ in how easily they catch it.
Dermatosis: A general name for diseases of the skin. Examples include atopic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and fungal infections. Treatment depends on the diagnosis, the stage and severity of the disease and how far the rash has spread.Read more: Dermatology
Destructive methods: Ways of removing a lesion that destroy its tissue with a laser, cold or chemicals. They may leave no sample fit for histological examination, so clinical guidelines warn against them when melanoma has not been ruled out.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Diagnostic excision: Complete removal of a suspicious lesion through the full thickness of the skin with a narrow margin, usually 1–3 mm, in order to make a diagnosis. It is not yet the final operation: if histology confirms melanoma, the extent of further surgery depends on the features of the tumor.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Eczema: A chronic inflammatory skin disease with swelling, redness, small blisters, oozing and crusts, usually with strong itching. Its mechanisms are close to those of atopic dermatitis, so the two look very much alike. Eczema can change the nails as well.Read more: Dermatology
Erythema: Redness of the skin caused by the widening of small blood vessels. It can be a sign of inflammation or a short-lived reaction to light or a procedure. Under the dermatoscope the doctor assesses it together with the pattern of the vessels.
Immunosuppression: A state in which the body's defenses are weakened by a disease or by medicines that suppress the immune system. It is counted among the factors that can raise the risk of skin cancer.
Incisional biopsy: Taking only a fragment of a skin lesion for study. It is considered when complete excision at the diagnostic stage is impractical or technically difficult, as with large lesions or awkward anatomical sites. The sample must hold enough tissue to make a diagnosis.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Intradermal nevus: A type of mole that often looks like a raised, flesh-colored or brown growth. It may change slowly over a lifetime and become a cosmetic concern. Other growths can look similar, so a doctor establishes which kind it is.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Lichen planus: A chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and mucous membranes with small, flat, itchy bumps. It can involve the nails: by damaging their growth zone it causes roughness, lengthwise ridges and thinning of the plate.
Lichenification: Thickening and coarsening of the skin after long-lasting inflammation, so that its natural lines stand out more. The skin there is usually dry as well. It is typical of the chronic course of atopic dermatitis.Read more: Atopic Dermatitis
Melanoma: A malignant skin tumor that develops from pigment cells, the melanocytes. At an early stage it may be small and painless and is not always dark; it also occurs in young people. Histological examination gives the exact diagnosis and the features of the tumor.Read more: Myths About Moles and Skin Cancer
Mohs surgery: Step-by-step removal of a tumor under microscopic control: each layer taken off is examined, and another is removed only where tumor cells are found. This saves as much healthy tissue as possible. It matters most on the nose, eyelids and lips, and not every patient needs it.Read more: Basal Cell Carcinoma Removal in Kharkiv
Mole (melanocytic nevus): A benign skin growth formed by a cluster of nevus cells, relatives of the melanocytes that make pigment. It can be flat or raised, from light brown to nearly black, sometimes pinkish or grayish. New moles may appear throughout life.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Non-melanoma skin cancer: A shared name for skin cancers other than melanoma. The most common are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The ABCDE rule is not meant for recognizing them, and pain or other sensations may be absent for a long time.Read more: What Skin Cancer Looks Like: Early Signs
Papilloma: A small soft outgrowth on the skin or a mucous membrane, usually benign. It is often linked to the human papillomavirus. Patients often take these growths for moles, so a doctor establishes what kind of lesion it is.Read more: Radiofrequency ablation of neoplasms
Psoriasis: A chronic inflammatory skin disease with red, scaly plaques, often also on the scalp. It can change the nails, and when it affects the joints it is called psoriatic arthritis. Flares alternate with periods of remission.Read more: Phototherapy
Radio-wave removal: Removal of a skin lesion under local anesthesia with an electrode that cuts tissue using high-frequency waves. It is used mainly for benign growths. Whether the material can then be studied under a microscope depends on the technique: once the tissue is destroyed, histology is impossible.Read more: Radiofrequency ablation of neoplasms
Rosacea: A common chronic dermatosis that usually begins between 30 and 50, more often in women. It shows as redness and widened vessels, most often on the cheeks, nose, chin and forehead, and can involve the eyes. How it develops is not yet fully understood.Read more: Dermatology
Seborrheic keratosis: A benign skin growth that often appears with age and looks like a patch or outgrowth, from pale to dark brown. It can resemble a mole, and patients often call it one. It is assessed under the dermatoscope.Read more: Radiofrequency ablation of neoplasms
Shave biopsy: A surface slice of a skin lesion taken with a special blade, after which the material can be studied under a microscope. It does not suit every lesion: if melanoma is suspected, complete excision is preferred, because a slice may not show the depth of the tumor.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Skin barrier: The protective work of the skin's upper layer, which holds in moisture and keeps out irritants and microbes. When the barrier is weak, as in atopic dermatitis, bacteria and fungi settle on the skin more easily and inflammation lasts longer.
Skin lesion: A growth on the surface of the skin or within it: a mole, patch, nodule, outgrowth or small raised area. It may be benign or malignant, and a large share of such growths are benign. Its nature cannot always be told from its appearance alone.Read more: What Skin Cancer Looks Like: Early Signs
Skin phototype: A type of skin defined by how it reacts to the sun. Light phototypes I–II burn easily and count among the risk factors for skin cancer, while dark types V–VI react more often to laser and light procedures.
Squamous cell carcinoma: A common type of non-melanoma skin cancer, more often on areas with long exposure to ultraviolet light: the face, ears, lips and hands. It looks like a rough scaly patch, a firm nodule or a sore that is slow to heal. In some cases the risk of spread is higher than with most basal cell carcinomas.Read more: What Skin Cancer Looks Like: Early Signs
Surgical excision: Cutting out a skin lesion with a narrow strip of skin around it and closing the wound with stitches, using a local skin flap if needed. The removed tissue goes for histological examination, which confirms the diagnosis and shows the state of the edges.Read more: Mole Removal in Kharkiv: When It's Needed and How It Works
Surgical margin: The strip of normal-looking skin that the surgeon removes around a lesion. Its width depends on the features of the lesion and the risk of recurrence. In a diagnostic excision of a suspicious mole it is narrow, usually 1–3 mm.Read more: Basal Cell Carcinoma Removal in Kharkiv
Systemic therapy: Treatment with medicines that act on the whole body, given as injections or tablets. It is usually used in moderate and severe skin diseases. Only a doctor prescribes the drug and the length of treatment, taking into account age, stage and tolerance.Read more: System therapy of dermatoses
Telangiectasia: Tiny widened blood vessels in the skin, known in everyday speech as spider veins. They can be seen with the naked eye or under magnification. They may result from long sun exposure or from prolonged unsupervised use of hormonal ointments.Read more: Radiofrequency ablation of neoplasms
Topical therapy: Treatment with products applied to the skin: solutions, emulsions, powders, varnishes, gels, creams or ointments. The doctor chooses the drug and its form according to the disease, its stage, and the depth and site of the lesions.Read more: Topical treatment of dermatoses
Viral warts: Small benign growths on the skin caused by a virus. They can come back after they have gone. They may be mistaken for other skin lesions, so a doctor establishes what the growth really is.Read more: Radiofrequency ablation of neoplasms
Vitiligo: A condition in which pale patches without pigment appear on the skin. It is classed among autoimmune conditions. It is more common in people with alopecia areata and is associated with early graying.Read more: Dermatology
Weeping (oozing): Fluid seeping onto the surface of inflamed skin during a flare, which leaves it wet. Crusts and scales form afterwards. It occurs in atopic dermatitis and eczema, among other skin diseases.

Nails25

Beau's lines: Grooves across the nail plate that form when the growth zone stops working for a while. Their depth shows how severe the damage was and their width how long it lasted. On single nails the cause is more often local; on all nails at the same level it is general, such as a fever or a medication.Read more: Nail Disorders
Clubbing (watch-glass nails): Bulb-like thickening of the fingertips with an overly curved nail resembling a watch glass. It can be inborn or acquired. The acquired form is rare and most often linked to lung disease, less often to the heart, liver or thyroid.Read more: Nail Disorders
Hapalonychia: Abnormally soft, thin and brittle nails. There are many causes: an inborn tendency, deficiencies, hypothyroidism, nerve and vessel disorders, exhaustion, contact with chemicals, injury to the growth zone and poor manicure technique.Read more: Nail Disorders
Koilonychia (spoon nails): A thin, concave nail shaped like a spoon, with the side edges of the plate turned upward. On children's toes this is normal and passes by itself. In adults it is most often linked to occupation or severe iron deficiency.Read more: Nail Disorders
Leukonychia: Opaque whitening of the nail plate in spots, bands or across the whole nail. It most often follows an injury, and the bands move along as the nail grows. In pseudoleukonychia the plate itself is unchanged and the bed beneath it is white.Read more: Nail Disorders
Mees' lines: Opaque white bands across the nails, a form of banded leukonychia. They are described in arsenic and thallium poisoning, which is a rare cause. The bands move out with the nail as it grows and do not fade when pressed.Read more: Nail Disorders
Muehrcke's lines: Parallel white bands across the nail that curve like the lunula, the pale half-moon at its base. The change lies in the nail bed, so the plate stays clear, the bands fade when pressed and they do not move as the nail grows. They are often linked to chemotherapy or low blood albumin.Read more: Nail Disorders
Nail bed: The tissue on which the nail plate lies. Changes in it show through the plate and do not move with the nail as it grows, as happens with Muehrcke's lines. In onycholysis it is from this tissue that the plate lifts.
Nail fold: The fold of skin that frames the nail at its base and sides. Chronic inflammation of the proximal fold, the one at the base, can disturb nail growth and leave grooves across the nail.
Nail matrix: The growth zone at the base of the nail, where the nail plate is formed. Damage to it later shows on the nail itself as grooves, tiny pits, white marks or lifting. From the look of the change, the doctor can tell which part of this zone was hurt.Read more: Nail Disorders
Nail pitting (thimble nails): Tiny pits on the surface of the nail plate that make it look like a thimble. They come from patches of faulty keratin formation in the growth zone. They are most often linked to psoriasis, alopecia areata and eczema.Read more: Nail Disorders
Nail plate: The hard, visible part of the nail. It grows from the zone at the base, lies on the nail bed and slowly moves toward the free edge. Changes in its surface, color or thickness help the doctor see which part of the nail was hurt.
Oil drop sign: Uneven yellow-orange patches that can be seen through the nail plate. Their color and look are the reason for the comparison with a drop of oil. This sign occurs in psoriasis.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onychauxis: A thickened nail caused by scaling of the upper skin layer under the plate, which doctors call subungual hyperkeratosis. It most often occurs in psoriasis, onychomycosis and eczema.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onychocryptosis (ingrown nail): The nail growing into the nail fold, with inflammation and overgrowth of tissue. It usually affects the toes, and one reason can be tight shoes, especially high heels.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onychodystrophy: A general name for changes in the shape, surface, color or strength of a nail. These changes are a symptom: the cause may be an injury, a manicure, a skin disease, an infection, a hormonal or internal illness, a medication, an inborn condition or age.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onychogryphosis: A thick, hard, yellow-brown nail that curves like a ram's horn because it grows unevenly. It occurs in older people, almost always on the feet and as a rule on the big toe.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onycholysis: The nail plate lifting from its bed, starting at the free edge. Air gets underneath, so the plate looks white. Causes include outside damage, psoriasis, onychomycosis and ultraviolet light, and the idiopathic form is linked to frequent contact with water and irritants.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onychomadesis: The nail coming away at its base after severe damage that completely stops the growth zone. The causes are the same as for Beau's lines. When several fingers are affected, this points to a general cause.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onychomycosis: A fungal infection of the nails, often connected with fungal infection of the feet. It can lift the plate and thicken the nail. Similar changes occur in psoriasis and eczema, so the diagnosis is not made from the look of the nail alone.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onychorrhexis: Lengthwise cracks and ridges in the nail plate, often with thinning. Mild ridges are a common sign of aging; marked ones occur with lichen planus, poor blood supply, injuries and tumors pressing on the growth zone.Read more: Nail Disorders
Onychoschizia (brittle nails): The end of the nail plate splitting into several horizontal layers. It comes from dehydration of the nail due to outside factors, such as frequent hand washing. It is common, usually in women, and affects the fingernails.Read more: Nail Disorders
Pachyonychia congenita: An inherited condition in which the nails are very thick and hard and extremely difficult to trim. It is linked to changes in the keratin genes. Thickened skin on the palms and soles, painful when walking, and heavy sweating may come with it.Read more: Nail Disorders
Paronychia: Inflammation of the nail fold, with pain, swelling, redness and sometimes pus around the nail. The chronic form can disturb nail growth and leave grooves across the nail, known as Beau's lines.Read more: Nail Disorders
Trachyonychia: Even roughness of the nail plate: the nail turns dull and opaque, with fine lengthwise lines, which is why these are called sandpaper nails. It occurs in alopecia areata, lichen planus, psoriasis and eczema.Read more: Nail Disorders

Cosmetology29

Atrophic scar: A pit in the skin left where damaged tissue has healed with a scar, often after acne. These scars vary in depth; the hardest among them are the narrow, deep ice-pick scars.Read more: Post-Acne Marks and Scars
Biorevitalization: A series of injections into the skin of a preparation based on unmodified hyaluronic acid. The aim is to restore the natural environment and metabolism of the dermis, the deeper skin layer. Indications include dehydration, loss of firmness and photoaging.Read more: Biorevitalization
Botulinum therapy: Injections of botulinum toxin into selected muscles of the face or neck, or into the skin. They are used to correct expression lines on the forehead and around the eyes and mouth, in combined therapy of acne and rosacea, and for excessive sweating.Read more: Botulinum Toxin Therapy
Botulinum toxin: A protein that temporarily weakens muscle contraction at the injection site, so that expression lines smooth out. Aesthetic medicine uses botulinum toxin type A. Only a doctor prescribes and injects it.Read more: Botulinum Toxin Therapy
Care procedures: Cosmetic skin care with professional products: facial cleansing, care by skin type, massage. It is used to prevent age-related changes, between injection procedures, and for dry or dehydrated skin, acne and rosacea.Read more: Care procedures
Chemical peel: The application to the skin of a chemical that causes controlled injury and the shedding of specific layers, after which new tissue forms. The depth of action depends on the agent, and by it peels are divided into superficial, medium and deep.Read more: Chemical peelings
Congested marks: Reddish marks where acne breakouts used to be, one of the signs of post-acne. They are linked to inflammation and impaired microcirculation, the flow of blood through the skin's smallest vessels. The skin's surface is usually not altered.Read more: Post-Acne Marks and Scars
Contour plastics: Filler injections that change the shape and volume of soft tissues without surgery. This corrects the lips, chin, cheekbones, nasolabial folds, tear trough and temples, as well as lost volume on the backs of the hands.Read more: Contour plastic surgery
Deep peel: The deepest kind of chemical peel, reaching the lower layers of the dermis; phenol peels belong here. In post-acne, such methods are possible only once inflammation has fully settled and scarring is complete.
Depigmentation: Loss of some pigment, which makes a patch of skin lighter than the skin around it. In post-acne these pale patches stay where breakouts used to be. They are not scars, but they can last a long time.Read more: Post-Acne Marks and Scars
Dermabrasion: Mechanical abrasion of the upper skin layers, a method of deep action. Microdermabrasion is its gentler, device-based variant. In post-acne, mechanical dermabrasion is used only once inflammation has fully passed and scarring is complete.
Dermal filler: A gel-like injectable preparation placed at different depths to correct the volume of soft tissues. The most widespread are based on hyaluronic acid, and such a filler can be removed from the tissues if needed. Only a doctor injects it.Read more: Contour plastic surgery
Facial mesotherapy: Multiple injections into the skin with very fine needles, most often of a cocktail of hyaluronic acid, vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants. On the face it serves skin tone, evening out colour in hyperpigmentation and post-acne therapy. The effect is usually cumulative.Read more: Mesotherapy
Hyaluronic acid: A natural component of human skin that holds water and keeps tissues hydrated. In the body it is made by fibroblasts, cells of the dermis. Injectable preparations, fillers among them, are based on it.Read more: Contour plastic surgery
Hyperhidrosis: Excessive sweating of certain body areas, such as the palms and feet, beyond what the body needs for cooling. It may come with an unpleasant odour. Botulinum toxin injections are among the ways of correcting it.Read more: Botulinum Toxin Therapy
Hypertrophic scar: Raised above the skin, this kind of scar stays within the bounds of the original injury. A doctor takes any tendency to such scars into account before injections and other procedures.Read more: Post-Acne Marks and Scars
Ice-pick scar: Narrow and deep, this atrophic scar looks like a small pit in the skin. Such scars remain after acne and are considered the hardest of the atrophic kind to correct.Read more: Post-Acne Marks and Scars
Injection papules: Small bumps on the skin at the spots where a preparation has been injected during mesotherapy or biorevitalization. Depending on its composition and density and on the injection depth, they vanish at once or last several days.Read more: Mesotherapy
Keloid scar: Firm and raised, this scar can grow and spread beyond the original injury. It forms less often than atrophic scars. A doctor takes any tendency to keloids into account before injections and surgical procedures.Read more: Post-Acne Marks and Scars
Medium peel: The middle depth of chemical peel: it passes through the epidermis, the top skin layer, and reaches the upper part of the dermis. It stands between superficial and deep peels, and the skin needs a period of recovery afterwards.Read more: Chemical peelings
Nasolabial folds: Lines running from the wings of the nose to the corners of the mouth. They deepen with age, partly because soft tissues droop. Fillers and thread techniques are used to correct them.Read more: Thread lifting
Photoaging: Skin changes caused by the sun's ultraviolet light. Signs include uneven pigmentation, wrinkles, spider veins, excessive thickening of the top skin layer and chronic inflammation.Read more: Photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy (PDT): A minimally invasive method combining a photosensitizer, oxygen and light, for example from an LED lamp. Together they selectively damage altered cells, bacteria and viruses. In cosmetology it is used for photoaging, acne, hyperpigmentation and scarring.Read more: Photodynamic therapy
Photosensitizer: A substance that makes tissues more sensitive to light. In photodynamic therapy it is applied to the skin and the area is then exposed to light. Only a doctor prescribes it. For a while after the procedure the skin reacts more strongly to the sun.Read more: Photodynamic therapy
Post-acne: The marks acne leaves behind: scars, lasting redness, congested marks, darker or lighter patches, enlarged pores and uneven texture. Acne inflammation damages the dermis, the deeper skin layer, the most. How marked the changes are depends on, among other things, how severe the disease was and how long it lasted.Read more: Post-Acne Marks and Scars
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: Darker patches left on the skin after inflammation, for example where acne breakouts used to be. They are not scars, but they can last a long time, and sun exposure makes them more visible.Read more: Post-Acne Marks and Scars
Skin dehydration: A lack of water in the skin tissues. Hormonal changes, unfavourable weather or unsuitable cosmetic care can bring it on. The condition is among the indications for biorevitalization and care procedures.Read more: Biorevitalization
Superficial peel: The lightest depth of chemical peel: it acts only in the epidermis, the top layer of the skin. The composition depends on the state of the skin, the indications and the contraindications.Read more: Chemical peelings
Thread lifting: A minimally invasive procedure without a scalpel: absorbable threads are placed in the soft tissues of the face or body under anaesthesia. Notches on the threads raise the tissues and hold them until a new framework of collagen, the skin's own protein, forms.Read more: Thread lifting