Index
First of all, you need to understand what Alopecia areata is before anything else? It is a condition that makes your hair fall off in small patches from your head. Sometimes this condition is unnoticeable, but when it is in its adverse condition, you will see clear patches that have had the hair off completely. This condition takes place especially when one’s immune system attacks the hair follicles in your head, leading to hair loss.
The sudden loss of hair may happen on your scalp, eyes, brows, eyelashes, face, and even other parts of your body. The problem is gradual as it may develop slowly and recur years later after treatment is on a condition that can leave the victim traumatized and depressed due to low self-esteem. Do you know why it may lead to such a critical state? It is all because the condition can lead to total hair loss, which is a disorder termed alopecia Universalis. Worse enough, with this condition, it is hard to grow back your hair irrespective of the hair treatment you employ. In a situation where you will manage to have your hair grow back, there are high chances of the hair falling out again and again. The hair loss extent and regrowth process varies from one person to the next.
There is no established treatment for this type of hair loss condition to date. But, some treatments would help your hair to grow back much quicker and can prevent you from losing your hair in the future and other exceptional ways to covering up the lost hair.
Treatment
There is no exact identified cure for alopecia areata, but there are treatments that one can try which can slow down hair loss in the future or aid them in growing back. It is hard to predict this condition as it needs a large amount of trial and error treatment until you get what best works for you. It is important to note that some people will still lose their hair even with treatment.
Medical treatment
Topical agents
This involves hair medication that you rub on your scalp to enhance hair growth. There are numerous medications available today which you can find over-the-counter and the prescription type. Here is the list of some hair loss treatments that you should try.
Minoxidil is also known as Rogaine. It is available over-the-counter, and you should apply it at least twice a day on your scalp, beard, and eyebrows are. These are areas that have got hair that maybe you are protecting from breaking off. It is one of the best safe methods you can use, but it may take you up to a year to see a clear result.
Anthralin is yet another drug that can be used on your scalp to help regrow your hair. The drug is now for the irritation that it causes on the skin as it spurs regrowth of the hair.
Topical immunotherapy is yet another hair loss treatment technique whereby chemical like the diphenncyprone is applied on your skin to enhance allergic rash. It looks much like poison oak which induces the growth of new hairs within six months. However, for this to take place, you will need to maintain the regrowth.
The injection that treats hair loss
Asteroid injection is a common option that is used to treat mild, patchy Alopecia in regrown back hair around bald spots. The tiny needles are used to inject the steroids into bare skin around the areas which are affected. You will need to repeat this treatment after a span of either one or two months, depending on the hair loss adversity. It, however, has no effects in preventing new hair loss from taking place.
Symptoms of Alopecia
Hair loss is the main symptom of Alopecia. You will have your hair falling out in patches from your scalp. They can be many centimeters, so less visible in an adverse situation. Losing hair may result in another body part, around the face, eyebrows, eyelashes, and even beard. While some people lose their hair in a few places others lost it in several spots, which may look so unpleasing to the eye.
You may notice a clump of hair on your bed or in the showers, a clear indication that the chunk has just pulled out your scalp. If the hair has or the patches are on the back of your head, you will get informed by someone to get attention. The front areas, you can see while on your mirror. Other health conditions may lead to hair falling off similarly. That is to denote that hair loss alone should not be used to diagnose Alopecia.
It is in rare situations you will find people experiencing extensive hair loss, which an indication of an adverse type of Alopecia known as alopecia totalis, where you may experience loss of all hair from your scalp. Another one is known as alopecia Universalis where you lose any kind of hairs in your entire body.
Many physicians avoid the use of totalis and Universalis terms since some people may experience something that lies between the two. That means it is all possible to lose hair on your arms, legs, head but not your chest, and there is no term purposely to describe such a scenario. It is, for this reason, doctors avoid mention the total and Universalis terms. Any hair lost in association with Alopecia is unpredictable as long as doctors can tell the situation is spontaneous. Your hair may grow back anytime and fall out again. Its growth and loss vary depending on different people.
Conclusion
Alopecia can be a temporary or permanent condition. And following uncertainties of your skin disorder, it is hard to tell the results—the odds of a positive outlook than when you are starting to treat the problem. Always keep in mind that you are not alone. If it is hard to cope with the loss of hair, it’s good to join support groups and find solace where many other people are experiencing the same for solace and encouragement. Besides, you may get one-on-one counseling.