On this page
Study tools
Write your answer
Saved on this device. No marking — you are the marker.
Q1: Definition and clinical presentation (2 min)
What is androgenetic alopecia? Describe the male and female clinical patterns using the Hamilton-Norwood and Ludwig classifications. What is the single most useful bedside feature that distinguishes AGA from a scarring alopecia?
Q2: Pathophysiology (3 min)
Walk through the testosterone → dihydrotestosterone pathway. Which enzyme catalyses this reaction, and which isoenzyme predominates in the hair follicle? Why are occipital follicles spared, and how does this explain the rationale for hair transplantation?
Q3: Trichoscopy and diagnosis (2 min)
What are the diagnostic trichoscopic features of AGA? What is the threshold for hair diameter diversity? How would you distinguish AGA from telogen effluvium and from alopecia areata on trichoscopy alone?
Q4: Pharmacotherapy (3 min)
Compare and contrast the mechanisms, indications, and adverse effects of topical minoxidil, oral minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride, and spironolactone. In which patients are finasteride and dutasteride absolutely contraindicated, and why? What is the dose-related effect of finasteride on serum PSA?
Q5: Hair transplantation and adjuncts (2 min)
Briefly describe follicular unit extraction (FUE) versus follicular unit transplantation (FUT). What is donor dominance? Why must all transplant patients continue medical therapy after surgery? Name two evidence-supported adjunctive therapies and two with weaker evidence.
Q6: Female pattern hair loss, PCOS, and special populations (3 min)
How would you investigate and manage a 32-year-old woman presenting with Ludwig grade II thinning, acne, hirsutism, and irregular menses? Which antiandrogens are appropriate, and which are contraindicated until menopause? What is the appropriate counselling for transgender and gender-diverse patients requesting AGA treatment?