Alopecia Areata: Symptoms and Remedies

Alopecia areata is a disorder where hair falls out in small areas. When the immune system attacks the hair follicles this is what causes alopecia to develop. Sudden male (female) pattern baldness or alopecia can begin on the scalp and different parts of the body as well. The condition can infrequently bring about Alopecia Universalis (the complete loss of hair on the scalp and body) but the hair can grow back in time. When the hair does grow back, it may fall out again at some point. The degree of hair loss and regrowth are not the same for everyone. They do vary from one individual to another.

As of right now there is no cure for Alopecia Areata, but there are medications that can help hair to grow back more quickly and to reduce the chance of further hair loss.

What are the signs and symptoms of alopecia areata?

There are some symptoms to look for when it comes to alopecia areata. The hair will begin to fall out in little round patches on the scalp. These patches can range is size from a few centimeters to less. You may even have hair loss in other parts of the body. Many notice clusters of hair in the shower or on their pillow. Hair loss can also happen similarly for those that have a sickness. For this reason hair loss alone shouldn’t be used to analyze alopecia areata. If an individual is experiencing frequent hair loss, this could be a sign of another type of alopecia like:

• Alopecia Totalis, which is the loss of all hair on the scalp
• Alopecia Universalis, which is the loss of all hair on the whole body

Both male and female pattern baldness and thinning related to alopecia areata is sudden and irregular. The hair may come back but there is no particular time that can happen in and it may fallout again in the future.

What are the causes of alopecia areata?

Like what we have mentioned before, alopecia areata is an immune disorder. The immune system takes strong cells for failed cells. Normally your resistant framework protects you from infections, and micro-organisms. If you have alopecia areata, your immunity goes after your hair follicles, from which your hair grows from. The follicles become weaker and in time they stop creating hair and hair loss is the result.

Experts in the field have not yet figures out the particular triggers that causes the immune system to attack the hair follicles. We do know that it happens more frequently to those that have a family history of immune system illnesses like type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid joint pain.

What are the treatments available for alopecia areata?
There is no cure for Alopecia Areata but the condition is something that can be dealt with. Certain treatments may have the ability to prevent future hair loss while others may help hair to grow back more quickly.

Therapeutic Treatment
Medications like minoxidil can help hair develop but needs to be used regularly and if you stop the hair loss will continue. Steroid infusion or corticosteroid creams and balms is another treatment that can help stop hair loss.

Alternative Therapies
Some people with alopecia areata have turned to treatments like:

• Fragrant healing
• Needle therapy
• Homegrown supplements
• Vitamins

Most alternative treatments haven’t been tried in clinical trials, so their viability in treating Alopecia Areata isn’t known.

Non-Surgical Hair Replacement Options

For those with alopecia areata the hair loss can make them feel embarrassed to be seen by others in public. Medical wigs for Alopecia offer a wonderful solution that can help them restore their hair. They are designed to be worn by individuals with little to no hair on their scalp and offer a comfortable fit that can be worn all day. The hair can be synthetic or 100% natural human hair that can give you hair that nobody would ever suspect wasn’t your own.