Alopecia Areata Treatment, Cause and Effects
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease condition affecting many men and women, characterised by loss of hair in patches, seen mostly on the scalp and less frequently at other parts of the body like eyebrows, etc. the disease is known to be caused by destruction of the body’s hair follicle cells by the immune system resulting in a rapid loss of hair, more on one side of the head than the other.
This condition occurs more commonly in children, teenagers and young adults. Although almost half of the cases show re-growth of hair in the affected areas within a certain period of time, the other half of them requires the assistance of treatment.
What is Androgenetic Alopecia?
Androgenetic Alopecia affects both men and women and is categorized by a well defined hair loss. Starting at the temples, the pattern continues in men mostly and the hairline recedes further, often forming a pattern of ‘M’ shape. While the hair thins out at the crown, the condition worsens over time to lead to partial or even complete baldness.
However, it is essential to note that the pattern of Androgenetic Alopecia differs between men and women. While men start to go bald in the middle of their head, often termed as ‘male-pattern baldness’; in women the disease affects the entire head. The hair thins out, but the hairline often doesn’t recede. For women, Androgenetic Alopecia rarely ever leads to total baldness, though growth becomes scanty and bald patches occur on the head.
Alopecia Areata Treatment: An Overview
Since the disease condition of Alopecia Areata is autoimmune mediated, the current treatment methods focus on symptom alleviation as the main therapeutic effect. The manifestation of Alopecia Areata is in the form of patchy hair loss, which is most commonly seen on the scalp and can occur on other parts of the body too.
The predominant causative factor of this autoimmune disease is genetic, and so the nature of the symptoms is long-term, and need treatment methods that have a long-lasting effect. There are different kinds of Alopecia Areata treatment, with different immune-system suppressing agents used to suppress the hair follicle destruction that is behind the hair loss symptom of the disease.
All about Alopecia Areata Treatment:
The condition of Alopecia Areata is marked by patches of hair loss, particularly on the scalp, which causes bald spots on the scalp and in some cases, may spread over the entire epidermis too. The disorder is characterised by more bald spots on one side of the scalp and sensitivity of the patch of skin which has lost hair.
Deduced as an autoimmune disorder which results in the suppression of hair follicles thus causing hair loss, Alopecia Areata treatment may be formulated with the use of immuno-modulating medications, as the disorder is autoimmune in nature. The Alopecia Areata treatment includes the usage of steroids, Minoxidil, cyclosporine and DNCB.
