This site is intended for healthcare professionals
Upset Black Woman Holding Comb Full Of Fallen Hair After Brushing
  • Home
  • /
  • Medical education
  • /
  • Alopecia
  • /
  • Transcripts
  • /
  • Transcript: The key reason for delayed AA diagnosi...
Inclusive Care in Alopecia: Beyond Diagnosis

Transcript: Yolanda Lenzy on AA diagnosis

Last updated: 21st Jan 2025
Published:21st Jan 2025

Dr. Yolanda Lenzy

All transcripts are created from interview footage and directly reflect the content of the interview at the time. The content is that of the speaker and is not adjusted by Medthority.

So alopecia areata often presents very similarly in skin of colour populations than it as it does in, you know, other populations with these classics. Usually circular patches of hair loss. Some, one of the challenges that we see overall in skin of colour patients is delayed presentation to dermatologists for complaints of hair loss. Many people that I've experienced often feel that the hair loss is normal or they've normalised it, and so they don't seek, you know, seek treatment for it. They may have told it's just from stress or really minimised it. So one of the things that we've been really trying to do is increase awareness that this is a condition, it has a name, and it can be treated. So that's really a lot around a lot of the work that many of us in the hair loss space have been doing via social media, via conferences, via traditional media, doing interviews with publications around that, you know, hair loss, particularly in skin of colour populations.

There's something that you can do because many times when I ask patients, "What caused you to come in now?" It's many times after years of delay. and they may have seen a podcast interview that was done or a social media post, so these non-traditional, well, previously non-traditional ways are very effective to get patients in. The impact of delay diagnosis of any form of hair loss, but particularly alopecia areata, is that it often can, you know, progress. The unique feature of alopecia areata versus other forms of hair loss is that it kind of waxes and wanes, meaning patients may have an episode, then they may go months, years, decades without another episode, but some patients may experience a rapid flare of the alopecia areata. And they can go from a full head of hair to no hair in a matter of weeks or months. So really just talking to patients that if they're noticing this, you know, hair loss to come in and have it evaluated so that a treatment plan can be developed and they be educated on what to do should it worsen.

View the video

Developed by EPG Health. This content has been developed independently of the sponsor, Pfizer, which has had no editorial input into the content. EPG Health received funding from the sponsor to help provide healthcare professional members with access to the highest quality medical and scientific information, education and associated relevant content. This content is intended for healthcare professionals only.

Welcome:
Updates in your area
of interest
Articles your peers
are looking at
Bookmarks
saved
Days to your
next event