What is Alopecia?
Simply put, alopecia is a medical term for hair loss. Male and female pattern hair loss is known as androgenic alopecia. Whereas, alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by your body attacking its hair follicles, resulting in random patches of hair loss. There are alopecia treatment options available, so let’s dive into more details about the condition and explore those options.
Androgenic Alopecia
As mentioned above, androgenic alopecia is also known as male and female pattern hair loss. It affects millions of people and is the most common cause of hair loss worldwide. Pattern hair loss is hereditary, meaning you’ve inherited genes that cause your hair follicles to shrink and eventually stop growing hair.
Male and female pattern hair loss starts later in life for most people, but it can start as early as your teens for some. The first sign of male pattern hair loss is usually a receding hairline or bald spot at the top of your head. With female pattern hair loss, signs can include overall hair thinning, a widening hair part, or receding hair near your temples. Without treatment, you may eventually develop widespread thinning. Hair loss medication can help prevent hair loss from worsening or even help you regrow your hair.
Alopecia Areata
As mentioned above, alopecia areata is a disease that develops when the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles. Hair loss can occur anywhere on the body, not just on the head. Alopecia is the medical term for “bald” and areata means “patchy.” It’s common that people who develop alopecia areata will develop a round or oval bald patch on their scalp. Alopecia areata can also affect your nails and can create dents, ridges, brittle, or red nails.
The most common sign of alopecia areata is sudden hair loss. Sometimes the large patches of hair loss can even become one large bald spot. Unfortunately, hair loss from alopecia can often be unpredictable. Hair may regrow without treatment, but most patients will seek other treatment options. Hair can regrow, but it may or may not fall out again.
Three Types of Alopecia Areata:
- Alopecia areata is characterized by patchy baldness that can occur anywhere on the body, including the scalp, eyebrows, and inside your nose or ears. Many people who develop this type develop a round or oval bald patch on their scalp.
- Alopecia totalis leaves your scalp completely bald.
- Alopecia universalis is rare and is characterized by having no hair on your body.
What are the Main Causes of Alopecia?
As mentioned, androgenic alopecia is hereditary. Whereas, alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease – meaning that your immune system attacks healthy parts of your body. When you have this condition, your immune system is attacking the hair follicles. The hair follicles that are attacked are damaged, causing the hair to fall out.
However, although the hair follicles are damaged, they are not destroyed. Therefore, it is possible for your hair to grow back. Hair is more likely to grow back without alopecia treatment if there is a small amount of hair loss.
While anyone can be diagnosed with alopecia, certain factors may cause you to be more likely to. Those factors include:
- Having a family member with alopecia
- Having asthma, hay fever, Down syndrome, vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, or thyroid disease
- Taking a drug called nivolumab used to treat cancer
Many people will begin to show signs of alopecia in their childhood and teenage years. Most people who are diagnosed with alopecia will develop it before the age of 30. While it is not possible to cure this condition, there are multiple alopecia treatment options that can help regrow hair.
What Can a Dermatologist Do for Alopecia?
There are many types of hair loss and your dermatologist can help identify the specific cause of hair loss and prescribe an appropriate treatment plan. To diagnose alopecia, your dermatologist will examine the area of hair loss, as well as ask you some questions. If this is not enough information to confirm a diagnosis, additional testing, such as a blood test, may be required.
There are many alopecia treatment options available. If you were recently diagnosed with alopecia, your dermatologist may forego any treatment to see if your hair will grow back naturally. To determine the type of treatment needed, your dermatologist will consider your age, where your hair loss is occurring, and how much hair loss there is. There is not a one-size-fits-all alopecia treatment option, but our highly trained dermatologists will determine the correct treatment plan for you.
Non-medical alopecia treatment options can help alleviate any self-consciousness surrounding your hair loss. If your eyelashes are affected, your dermatologist may suggest wearing fake eyelashes or wearing glasses (which can help protect your eyelashes and hide the loss of eyelashes). Stick-on eyebrows and semi-permanent tattoos can help cover eyebrow hair loss. For hair loss on the scalp, your dermatologist may recommend a wig or hair piece to increase your self-esteem while waiting for results from other treatment options.
Hair loss medication is commonly part of an alopecia treatment plan. With male and female pattern hair loss, this medication can help prevent hair loss from worsening and help you regrow your hair. Hair loss medication can also help treat alopecia areata, although it’s less common.
Common Alopecia Medications
- Minoxidil: Minoxidil is a medication that is safe for children and adults that is applied twice daily. This medication usually shows results in approximately three months and is commonly paired with other alopecia medications.
- Anthralin: Anthralin is a tar like substance that is applied to the skin for 20-60 minutes at a time and is used to alter the skin’s immune function.
- Diphencyprone (DPCP): DPCP is a topical medication that causes a minor allergic reaction. This allergic reaction is believed to increase the white blood cell count in affected areas. These blood cells aid in decreasing the break down of hair follicles. Many people see hair growth in approximately three months.
- Alopecia Topical Solution: Alopecia topical solution is used for both men and women and has two active ingredients commonly used in alopecia treatment: minoxidil and niacinamide. The minoxidil can increase the size of your hair follicle and extend the natural growth cycle of your hair. The niacinamide helps alleviate inflammation often found with alopecia. Alopecia topical solution is conveniently available in our offices, ask us about hair loss medication during your visit.
How Do You Prevent Alopecia from Getting Worse?
Another important part of alopecia treatment is self-care. Understanding how alopecia affects you and knowing what signs to look out for can help prevent alopecia from becoming worse. It is important to know that many people who have alopecia are still healthy – it is not a sign of cancer or other illness.
When dealing with hair loss, it is important to treat your remaining hair with care. Dermatologists recommend using a gentle shampoo that will not strip additional moisture from your hair. Apply a moisturizing conditioner or leave-in conditioner after shampooing your hair. This can help to lessen breakage and split ends. Drying your hair with a microfiber towel is suggested, as it is less damaging than a regular towel.
In addition, using hot oil treatments or hot styling tools can increase the damage done to your hair. Heating your hair can weaken it, causing it to be more likely to break. If you are not able to let your hair air dry, use your hair dyer on the lowest setting. At-home hair maintenance, like box-dying your hair and at-home perms, can cause additional damage. A professional can examine your scalp to ensure that you are using products that are least likely to damage your hair.
Brushing or tugging on your hair can also cause alopecia to worsen. Brush from the tips to the root to avoid pulling and tugging at knots. Refrain from wearing tight hair styles when possible because tight ponytails and buns can cause bald patches to appear where hair is pulled too tight.
Lastly, a balanced diet can help improve alopecia, as well as refraining from smoking. Lack of nutrients, such as iron or protein, can contribute to hair loss. Your dermatologist may ask for a blood test to determine if you are deficient in any key nutrients, which can cause hair loss. Smoking causes inflammation throughout your body, which can also lead to hair loss.
If you have alopecia and are interested in learning more about available alopecia treatment options, contact our team to schedule an appointment today.