Hair-loss treatments often require ≥6 months to show visible change, leading to high attrition and difficulty tracking subtle progress. Evidence suggests that photographic assessment boosts follow-up, satisfaction, and tolerability, and standardized images can reduce anxiety and motivate adherence. Yet, clinics underuse photography due to workflow burdens, inconsistent technique, and limited staff training—even though EMR-secured images align with patient preferences. Root-cause analysis identified staff training as a high-impact, low-friction fix, prompting creation of a brief instructional video covering when to photograph, which views to capture (frontal, bitemporal/temporal, crown), and how to upload images.
In a pre/post review at an academic dermatology center, 50 charts were sampled before (from 500 visits) and after (from a separate 500-visit cohort) the intervention. Two independent reviewers assessed image adequacy for a single visit per patient. Correct, standardized photos rose from 32% pre-intervention to 66% post-intervention (χ² p=0.0007; p<0.005 overall), a medium effect (Cramer’s V=0.34). The researchers concluded that a 2-minute training video is a simple, scalable way to improve documentation—and potentially care quality—for patients with hair-loss. Future work should embed training in onboarding, measure durability of gains, evaluate patient experience and adherence, ensure protocols fit diverse hair types, and explore pragmatic integration with advanced imaging/AI where feasible.
Reference: Rose L, Khuhro A, Rojas S,. Standardization of Clinical Photos for Tracking Management of Hair Loss in Dermatology Clinics. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025;24(8):e70381. doi: 10.1111/jocd.70381.
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.70381
