Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata is a hair disorder that affects about 2% of the people of the world.. It is a disorder that inflicts hair loss from some areas of the body, especially the scalp. In some chronic cases, this disorder spreads to the entire scalp or epidermis.

However, alopecia areata is a hair loss condition that affects only growing hair while resting hair is not affected. Usually, a person suffering from alopecia areata makes hair follicles enter telogen resting state so that the worst effects of the disease are avoided.

With this, shedding of hair is triggered and hair follicles tend to stay in this resting stage for long periods of time. In alopecia areata, it is when the hair follicles return to an anagen growth state that the hair follicles are retargeted by the immune system and forced into a resting state.

Alopecia areata treatment reduces the action of immune cells on hair follicles

It is based on this knowledge that treatment is vested for cases of people suffering from alopecia areata where the objective of the treatment is to not only promote resting hair follicles to start growing, but to also reduce the action of immune cells on hair follicles.

Alopecia areata exists in various types; alopecia areata monolucularis is where baldness occurs in any singles spot on the head. In the case of alopecia areata multilocularis, there are multiple areas of hair loss on the scalp.

The loss of all hair on the scalp is called alopecia areata totalis while alopecia areata universalis is a condition where there is loss of all body hair, including pubic hair. Diffuse alopecia areata takes place only when a person loses dark hair with psychological trauma. These people usually have only mixed gray and dark hairs.

Four types of alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is not contagious, but can be contrary. Sometimes, stress too may lead to alopecia areata where the body treats hair follicles as foreign tissue. There are four types of alopecia areata treatment options available today.

The first one is immune inhibitors like steroids and Psoralen, the second involves the use of topical sensitizers like dibutylester, the third option is the use of non-specific anthralin and last, but not least, using the help of vasodilators like Minoxidil for hair treatment.

Most common treatment options for alopecia areata

Today, the most common and famous treatment options for alopecia areata is the use of topical corticosteroids, getting corticosteroids and using combination therapies with minoxidil. The duration and extent of treatment for alopecia areata depends on factors like duration and extent of the disease.

Usually, small patches of corticosteroid and local injections are sufficient to treat small alopecia areata spots. However, it is the extensive cases of alopecia areata that require special and specific treatment using anthralin and other sensitizing agents. Dermatologists today usually use a combination of corticosteroids or anthralin, with minoxidil.

So if you feel that you may be a victim of alopecia areata, make sure you consult your dermatologist as soon as possible so that you will be able to treat the condition affectively.