title: Semi-quantitative measurements of body hair in hirsute women compare well with direct diameter measurements of hair shafts.
abstract: No standards exist for the evaluation of hair in hirsute women. This study compared the semi-quantitative visual scoring of body hair, using the Ferriman & Gallwey scale, in 88 hirsute women with direct objective measurements of hair shaft diameter and daily linear growth rates of hair growing on the pre-auricular area of the face, the forearm, the anterior abdominal wall and the anterior thigh. There was a significant correlation between the semi-quantitative score and diameter measurements on the forearm, abdominal wall and thigh. There was no relationship between linear growth rates at any of the four sites and the semi-quantitative score. The conclusion of this report is that suitably standardised and controlled semi-quantitative measurement of hair in hirsute women with visual analogue scores would appear to offer information similar to that obtained by direct measurement of hair diameter.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Leeds General Infirmary, UK. j.h.barth@leeds.ac.uk
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Barth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000473:pathology*; D006628:Hirsutism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans