'I need to understand… so we can decide together': Difficult conversations about alopecia areata.

The management of alopecia areata (AA) in pediatric patients poses unique challenges, particularly regarding treatment discussions and decision making involving both patients and their families. This commentary presents findings from unpublished research on treatment-discontinuation discussions between AA patients and their treating providers, shedding light on the hopes, expectations, and disappointments of individuals with severe AA. The study explored patient and guardian satisfaction with these discussions, emphasizing the importance of addressing psychosocial concerns, facilitating contact with support groups, and demonstrating empathy.

Beyond health-related quality of life: initial psychometric validation of a new scale for addressing the gap in assessing the full range of alopecia areata psychosocial burden.

Background: Patients with alopecia areata (AA) report a broad range of psychosocial outcomes beyond those assessed in existing health-related quality of life measures. Yet, to date, no psychometrically validated scale based on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) appears to exist to comprehensively measure these AA-specific psychosocial outcomes.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to develop such a scale, the Scale of Alopecia Areata Distress (SAAD), and to provide its initial validation evidence.

Psychosocial impact of pediatric alopecia areata: A survey study.

This study, which aimed to identify distress by sites of hair loss and psychosocial stressors for a pediatric alopecia areata population, enrolled 50 patients (32 females, 18 males, ages 7-17 years) from pediatric dermatology clinics, including a monthly hair disease clinic. Patients completed a 47-question survey. Scalp hair loss was rated as often or always bothersome in 34.

Assessment of Black Patients' Perception of Their Dermatology Care.

Importance: The availability and quality of skin and hair care for black patients in the United States has been a subject of growing interest in dermatology. There is limited understanding of the perceptions of black patients about the care they receive from dermatologists and the factors affecting their care satisfaction.

Objective: To elucidate black patients' perceptions of their dermatology experience in and outside of a skin of color clinic (SOCC).