What exactly is Alopecia?
Alopecia areata is a condition of hair loss that normally affects the scalp. However, it can in some cases affect other parts of the body. This loss of hair has a tendency to be very swift as well as frequently involving one side of the head much more than the other.
Alopecia affects both women and men. This kind of loss of hair is different than the inherited condition which is known as male-pattern baldness.
Alopecia Symptoms
As mentioned above, alopecia begins swiftly and can involve only one side of the head or both and in some cause it can involve hair on the whole body. The hair begins to be lost in small quarter size clumps usually beginning on the scalp. The hair might regrow and fall out again or regrow and stay.
Other symptoms that can appear with this disease include:
- Mild tingling, itching or burning in the areas which are affected. These can include besides the scalp, armpits, eyebrows, beard, as well as eyelashes.
- They may be some irregularities on the fingernail faces for instance small grooves or dents. This can also emerge as redness or splitting surface.
- Examine your teeth every day. There is believed to be a linkage with dental caries which is a communicable disease that causes harm to tooth formations. The bacterium which is there in dental caries is thought to be identical as that established in the hair follicles of individuals with alopecia.
- Avoid any stress if at all possible. It has been shown that in some individuals occurrences of alopecia have been discovered to follow a period of rigorous stress
- If you appear to be losing hair all over the body and can tenderly pull hairs out on the edge of the affected bald areas, you need to see your primary care physician.
Alopecia tends to occur most frequently in children, teens, as well as young adults. But, it can also affect older adults and in rare cases toddlers. It is not contagious and this condition should not be confused with the hair shedding that can happen following discontinuation of the hormones estrogen as well as progesterone therapies which are used for birth control or the hair shedding which is often associated with the end of a pregnancy.
Alopecia Areata Causes
Alopecia is a problem that many researchers believe is an “autoimmune disease”; meaning that the individual’s system of immunity assaults the body, which is in the conditions in the follicles of the hair. As this occurs, the individual’s hair starts to drop out, most of the time in clumps about the size of quarters. The amount of the loss of hair varies and in a number of cases, it’s just in a few spots. In others, the loss of hair on the head is total.
There are very rare cases where the individual loses every bit of hair on his or her head as well as the entire body – this is known as “alopecia areata universalis”.
The individual’s genetic makeup for reasons that are not known triggers the autoimmune result of alopecia.
The condition is a very irregular illness. In some individuals, the hair develops back only to fall out again. For others, hair develops back and stays. Each case is distinctive.
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Anyone may grow alopecia; but, the chances of developing it are somewhat greater if there is a family member with the disorder. It most often occurs in individuals who have members in the family with other autoimmune diseases for instance lupus, thyroid disease or diabetes.
The most frequent pattern for alopecia is where one or more spots of hair are lost on the scalp. There is also a form which consists of a more generalized thinning of hair which is referred to as diffuse alopecia areata thru out the scalp. There are occasionally patterns in which all of the scalp hair is lost and this condition is referred to as alopecia totalis. The least frequent type is the loss of all hair on the entire body and this is known as alopecia universalis.
Alopecia Areata Treatment
Alopecia is not curable, but, there are products which can be used to care for and the hair can develop back. In most individuals, alopecia is cared for with medications which are developed for other medical problems. For alopecia, treatment options include:
Corticosteroids
This is anti-inflammatory medications that are normally prescribed for autoimmune conditions. This type of medication can be administered in injection form; which is injected directly into the scalp as well as any other areas, or in oral form such as a pill, or applied topically with an ointment, foam or cream. Therapy response can be slow.
Rogaine
This is a topical medication already in use as a therapy for pattern baldness. It normally takes approximately 3 months of therapy with Rogaine before hair will restart to grow. Results are often disappointing.
Other drugs commonly used for the management of alopecia with varying levels of success embraces medications used in the management of psoriasis, as well as topical sensitizers which are drugs applied to the skin and creates an allergy like reaction that stimulates hair growth.
Besides drug therapy, there exist many protective as well as cosmetic techniques which individuals with this condition can try. They include:
- Use of makeup to minimize or hide loss of hair
- Wearing wigs, hates or scarves in order to guard the head from the elements
- Reduction of stress. There are individuals with newly onset alopecia who have recent stresses in their life, for instance family, work, surgeries, deaths or accidents. But this has not been proven to be a cause of alopecia.
This disease is not considered to be medically severe but it can psychologically impact individuals in many ways. Support groups have been helpful to many people with this disease. Further information can be located at National Alopecia Areata Foundation(NAAF.ORG) .
Alopecia Areata Pictures
