Alopecia Areata - Info on Alopecia Areata Symptom, Causes & Treatment

What is Alopecia Areata ?

The hair-growing tissue is attacked by the patient's own immune cells for unknown reasons. There are three stages: first, there is sudden hair loss, then the patches of hair loss enlarge, and last, new hair grows back. . In most cases, hair falls out in small, round patches about the size of a quarter. In many cases, the disease does not extend beyond a few bare patches. This process takes months, sometimes more than a year, but rarely does the hair never grow back In some people, hair loss is more extensive. (alopecia areata universalis). In the form of alopecia known as alopecia areata , round bald patches appear suddenly, most often affecting the scalp.

However, any hair-bearing area can be affected, including eyebrows, eyelashes, beard and body areas. In Alopecia Areata, The hair-growing tissue is attacked by the patient's own immune cells for unknown reasons. Alopecia areata sometimes runs in families.

Here you find all terms related to Alopecia Areata, like symptoms, causes and effective treatment.

What are the symptoms of Alopecia Areata ?

Here are the list of some of the common symptoms of Alopecia Areata :

1)Roundish patches of hair loss on the head, with smooth, hairless scalp in the affected areas.

2) Alopecia totalis involves the complete loss of all scalp hair, and alopecia universalis is characterized by the complete loss of all body hair.

3)Hairs that look like exclamation points are sometime seen at the edges of a bald patch.

4)The hair stops growing and then falls out from the roots.

5)Sudden loss of hair, then enlargement of the patches of hair loss.

6)New hair grows back, often initially coloured white or grey

What are the causes of Alopecia Areata ?

The cause of the Alopecia Areata is foods. Alopecia areata is not contagious, not caused by foods, and is not the result of nervousness.

Treatment of Alopecia Areata - With Home Remedies

Different Types of Treatment For Alopecia Areata are available, some are :

• Corticosteroids --Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs similar to a hormone called cortisol produced in the body.
• Corticosteroids may be administered in three ways for alopecia areata:
  
  • Local injections --Injections of steroids directly into hairless patches on the scalp and sometimes the brow and beard areas are effective in increasing hair growth in most people.
  • Oral corticosteroids --Corticosteroids taken by mouth are a mainstay of treatment for many autoimmune diseases and may be used in more extensive alopecia areata.
  • Topical ointments --Ointments or creams containing steroids rubbed directly onto the affected area are less traumatic than injections and, therefore, are sometimes preferred for children.
    
• Minoxidil (5%) (Rogaine*)--Topical minoxidil solution promotes hair growth in several conditions in which the hair follicle is small and not growing to its full potential.
  
• Anthralin (Psoriatec)--Anthralin, a synthetic tar-like substance that alters immune function in the affected skin, is an approved treatment for psoriasis.
  
• Sulfasalazine --A sulfa drug, sulfasalazine has been used as a treatment for different autoimmune disorders, including psoriasis. It acts on the immune system and has been used to some effect in patients with severe alopecia areata.
  
• Topical sensitizers --Topical sensitizers are medications that, when applied to the scalp, provoke an allergic reaction that leads to itching, scaling, and eventually hair growth.
  
• Oral cyclosporine --Originally developed to keep people's immune systems from rejecting transplanted organs, oral cyclosporine is sometimes used to suppress the immune system response in psoriasis and other immune-mediated skin conditions.
  
• Photochemotherapy --In photochemotherapy, a treatment used most commonly for psoriasis, a person is given a light-sensitive drug called a psoralen either orally or topically and then exposed to an ultraviolet light source.
  
• Alternative therapies --When drug treatments fail to bring sufficient hair regrowth, some people turn to alternative therapies. Alternatives purported to help alopecia areata include acupuncture, aroma therapy, evening primrose oil, zinc and vitamin supplements, and Chinese herbs.

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