Alopecia Areata
What is Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata will initially appear as rounded bare patches about an inch, or two and a half centimeters across. It can affect both men and women, and is often experienced first in childhood. According to medical surveys, one person in every hundred is likely to experience alopecia areata at some point in their life.
Many people affected with alopecia areata will only have a single experience of thinning hair, with regrowth occurring afterwards. However, in approximately 20 percent of cases, thinning hair either recurs or becomes permanent.
What Causes Alopecia AreataAlopecia areata is believed by doctors to be an auto-immune disease of the hair. This means that the body’s immune system acts as if the hair follicles are foreign, and attacks them. White blood cells called T- lymphocytes attack the hair follicle, as part of the body’s defense system. This causes the hair to stop growing and to enter into the resting, or telogen phase. After about 3 months, at the conclusion of the resting phase, the hair will fall out. The hair follicle will grow new hair when T-lymphocytes stop attacking. |
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Three main types of alopecia areata have been diagnosed, depending on the severity of symptoms:
- Alopecia areata: mild patchy thinning hair on the scalp
- Alopecia totalis: loss of all scalp hair
- Alopecia universalis: loss of scalp and all body hair
Treatment for Alopecia Areata
The hair follicles remain alive are can resume normal hair production, as soon as they are appropriately stimulated. In all cases of Alopecia Areata, the hair can begin regrowth even without any treatment. While there are no FDA approved treatments specifically for Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis or Alopecia Universalis, many people are eager to try off label medications. The following outlines the common treatment routes undertaken:
Topical Minoxidil:
A 5% topical minoxidil solution applied twice daily may regrow hair. If and when scalp hair regrows completely, the treatment can be stopped. 2% topical minoxidil solution alone is not effective in alopecia areata; response may improve if cortisone cream is applied thirty minutes after the monoxidil. Topical minoxidil is safe, easy to use, and does not lower blood pressure in persons with normal blood pressure. Topical minoxidil solution is not effective in treating those with 100% scalp hair loss, and is ideally suited for those that have less than 50% scalp hair loss.