Alopecia Areata Treatment
A Few Facts About Alopecia Areata Treatment
If you suffer from this disorder, alopecia areata treatment is under ongoing research, to determine the best way to help you. Alopecia areata is a condition which causes rapid onset hair loss in an area that is sharply defined. This can occur in any surface where hair grows, but it most noticeably affects the scalp. No clear reason is known as to what triggers this disease, as some of the time it may be associated with other diseases.
Several different hypotheses have been submitted to explain what causes alopecia areata. Genetic factors appear to play a role at times, since family members seem to be similarly affected. The disease also seems to have some basis in the autoimmune system, which may cause victims' immune systems to produce antibodies that act against the new hair follicles. Some chemicals that act as part of your immune system may have a role in the disorder, which causes less growth of hair follicles. A few studies have suggested that stress may also be a cause of alopecia areata. Treatment is sometimes delayed, because dermatologists are only treating this symptomatically until a precise cause is established.
The loss of hair occurs when the hair follicles in one area of the scalp (or other area) all enter the last stages of hair growth at one time. Then the same area experiences the telogen stage, at which point the hair falls out. Under normal conditions, hairs go through the growth stages randomly. When the patient is affected by this disorder, all the hairs in a specific area enter the last stages at once.
Dermatologists use several different options for alopecia areata treatment. The most common is simply to observe the changes in the affected area(s), to see if the hair regrows itself, without outside help. Another method is to apply topical steroids to the area, which usually shows some results in a manner of a few months. Some physicians also inject a steroid into the area of the scalp that is affected. This usually shows results in four to eight weeks, and the treatments must be repeated every four to six weeks. Steroids have the side effect of the skin becoming thinner.
Minoxidil has been used for hair growth, and it shows results in about one-third of patients affected. This medicine does not stop the disease, it only regrows the hair. If you discontinue the treatments, the new hair usually falls out.
Another alopecia areata treatment produces an irritation at the site, which can seem to stimulate hair growth. Anthralin is the most common irritant that is used in these cases. Some recent studies have suggested that dermatologists could use anthralin and minoxidil together, to affect more hair growth.
If none of these treatments work for you, PUVA is sometimes used. PUVA is also called photochemotherapy. In this method, you would take a drug and then be exposed to ultraviolet light. This type of treatment is more often used in cases of severe psoriasis. Starting hair regrowth can take between forty and eighty treatments, and you won't see complete hair regrowth for one to two years.