Alopecia Areata is an unpredictable disorder which causes hair loss in 2% of the population of the entire world. Experts and researchers are finding the causes, treatments and diagnosis of alopecia areata. Treatment for alopecia areata has observed a change in the past 10 years. Studies have revealed various facts on the disorder, and more facts are still being revealed.
Alopecia areata causes severe hair loss from various parts of the body, mainly from the scalp. In the first stage of this disorder, you may notice bald spots on the head. Thus, this disorder has got a nickname – spot baldness. In some cases, alopecia areata has been found spreading on the entire scalp or on the external layer of the skin.
Alopecia areata targets only the growing hair. The rest of the follicles are not affected. Hence, trimming the growth phase of hair avoids the destruction of hair follicles. Alopecia areata causes the hair follicles to step into a resting stage called telogen. The hair follicles stay in this resting stage for an extended period of time. If the hair follicles try to return to an anagen growth stage, the immune system forces the hair follicles to get back in the resting stage.
Alopecia areata treatment is mainly based on this knowledge. The aim is to reduce the immune cells on the hair follicles, and to promote the resting hair follicles back to a new growth action.
Alopecia areata is of various types. They are as given below:-
• Alopecia areata monolocularis – This type of the disorder causes baldness at any one spot of the head.
• Alopecia areata multilocularis – This type affects multiple areas.
• Alopecia areata totalis – This type of the disorder causes loss of all the hair on the scalp.
• Alopecia areata universalis – This type causes a loss of all the hair on the body, including the pubic hair. This disorder is also called alopecia areata barbae if it affects only the beard.
• Diffuse alopecia areata – This type of the disorder is seen when a psychological trauma causes a person to lose all the dark hair he has.
Alopecia areata diagnosis and treatment indicate that the disorder shows autoimmunity. It fails to identify its own elements. It wrongly treats the hair follicles as foreign tissues. This results in the control of hair growth.
Alopecia areata isn’t infectious, it may just be hereditary. This is because there are few cases where babies are born with this disorder.
Alopecia areata treatments can be separated into various categories of widely accepted therapeutic modalities. They are:-
• Immune inhibitors like steroids or Psoralen and UV-A light (PUVA)
• Topical sensitizers like squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE) and diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP)
• Non-specific irritants (Anthralin)
• Vasodilators like Minoxidil hair treatment
The most important thing to be noted in the treatment procedures of alopecia areata is that they are directed at hair regrowth only. This is cosmetically accepted by the patients. These treatments do not protect patients from hair loss.