Overview Of Alopecia Areata Treatments

Alopecia areata is an unpredictable hair loss disease affecting about 2% of the world’s population and is the second most common type of hair loss after male and female pattern baldness. It is often called spot baldness or patch baldness due to its patchy balding pattern. In severe cases, it can affect the whole scalp (alopecia totalis) or the entire body (alopecia universalis). It is not yet known what causes this condition. It is thought to be an autoimmune disease triggered by a person’s autoimmune system, which suddenly decides to attack its own hair follicles. Sometimes the hair grows back a few years later and stays and sometimes it falls out again. Although there is no treatment for alopecia areata that works 100%, some treatments have been shown to improve this condition. The most popular treatment option, which does not require a doctor’s prescription, is topical minoxidil, such as Rogaine. It can be used alone or in combination with other medicinal treatments that will be discussed later.

The most common prescription treatments used for alopecia areata are corticosteroid shots, injected straight into the bald spot, and steroid gels and creams. Corticosteroid injections are said to be a more effective but also the more painful option of the two. The aim of this approach is to suppress the autoimmune reaction but it has been proven to work only on small bald spots. Another common treatment for small bald patches, which is also thought to affect the autoimmune reaction, is the application of topical anthralin. Anthralin is a tar-like substance used to treat psoriasis.

Topical immunotherapy is the most common form of treatment for extensive alopecia areata conditions. It uses an immunosuppressant such as cyclosporine that is applied to the skin to cause a skin reaction similar to mild eczema, which in some people leads to hair regrowth. This method is also the most drastic type of treatment, causing an array of negative side effects.

Another therapy for extensive alopecia areata is PUVA, which stands for "psoralen plus ultraviolet A radiation", consisting of a topical or oral application of psoralen, followed by ultraviolet radiation. This treatment is better tolerated than topical immunotherapy but is also less effective.

A recently conducted study with sulfasalazine also spells some promise for patients with severe cases of alopecia areata. Sulfasalazine is an anti-inflammatory medication first used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is hoped to be soon used to treat alopecia areata.

This is the list of the most commonly prescribed medicinal treatments for alopecia areata. There obviously is a number of other alternative therapies that are claimed to improve this condition and do not require a doctor’s visit. Consumers should be aware that none of such products has ever been clinically shown to be effective in treating alopecia areata and such claims are possible only because these products are not regulated pharmaceuticals but non-regulated cosmetics.

By: Dody 143 Gasparik143

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The author of this review is the editor of a website dedicated to treating different types of hair loss, including spot baldness and other hair conditions such as dandruff and premature grey hair. Use his blog to read and/or write a consumer review on any hair restoration therapy you have used and thus share you experiences with other readers.