Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

A New Technique for Quantitative Analysis of Hair Loss in Mice Using Grayscale Analysis
Published on: March 9, 2015
[Genetic hair diseases. An update]
J Frank1, P Poblete-Gutiérrez, K Giehl
1Hautklinik und Sektion für Genodermatosen, Medizinische Fakultät, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Deutschland, jorge.frank@med.uni-duesseldorf.de.
Abstract:
Patients suffering from hair loss or undesirable excessive hair growth are a challenge for dermatologists because the pathogenesis of most hair diseases is not well understood and therapeutic options are limited. This particularly holds true for genetic hair disorders, in which all current treatment attempts are unsuccessful. Furthermore, these diseases also pose a diagnostic challenge due to a broad range of clinical and genetic heterogeneity. However, the enormous progress in molecular biology over the past 20 years, in particular the availability of different new techniques such as whole exome and genome sequencing, has enabled us to elucidate the genetic basis of most monogenic hair disorders, given the availability of suitable index patients and families as well as adequate technical equipment and sufficient financial resources. In this review we provide an update on clinical and genetic aspects of selected monogenic and polygenic hair diseases manifesting with hypertrichosis and hypotrichosis.
Related Concept Videos
Incomplete Dominance
Pleiotropy
Accessory Structures of the Skin: Hair Growth and Types
Genetic Lingo
Accessory Structures of the Skin: Hair and Hair Follicles
Hair is a keratinous filament growing out of the epidermis. It is primarily made of dead, keratinized cells. Hair strands originate at the epidermal penetration called the hair follicle. The hair shaft is the part...
Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets

