Dermatology Online Journal

Comma and corkscrew hairs are trichoscopic markers of tinea capitis. Although comma hairs have been reported in both black and white patients with tinea capitis, corkscrew hairs were previously hypothesized to manifest exclusively in patients with curly or African hair types. However, we report a significant number of comma and corkscrew hairs in a Hispanic female patient with naturally straight hair and Trichophyton tonsurans tinea capitis. Thus, dermoscopy is a rapid, noninvasive, and cost-effective tool for evaluating tinea capitis and should be used in combination with culture in all patients regardless of hair texture or race.