Alopecia Areata (patchy hair loss)
What is Alopecia Areata?
Alopecia Areata is recognised by hair loss resulting in small to large patches of baldness on the scalp or the beard.
It can occur at any age & in both men & women.
It is an auto immune disorder which results in your body seeing the follicles as an anti-body & attacking them.
Signs of Alopecia Areata
Often you won't notice the first signs of Alopecia Areata, but a friend, partner or hairdresser might be the one to tell you first as the areas are often hidden.
It is distinctive in that it presents itself as a small bald patch. There can be one or many areas affected.
It can occur in sufferers once or numerous times. Your hair loss will sometimes re-grow by itself but if left there is a chance that the areas will become larger & can then become a more advanced form of Alopecia.
The underlying scalp is often unaffected & healthy looking. Occasionally it can look slightly red & some sufferers complain of a slight burning, itching, irritated or tingling sensation.
A trichologist will be able to tell you at consultation if the areas are still active by looking closely at your hair & scalp through a pro-scope camera to see if there are any signs of ‘ exclamation marks’ (broken hairs that look just like an exclamation mark).
Your nails can also be affected by giving them a pitted look or causing them to be brittle & break easily.
As a result of any form of Alopecia, you can become stressed, self-conscious & it can have an effect on your mental health. All of these can unfortunately make your condition worse but saying that, once you have engaged in the correct treatment all of these feelings soon go away as you will have taken control of the alopecia. We find that once clients see new hair re-growing this helps their recovery immensely.
Unfortunately once you have suffered with any form of alopecia it is possible that you can suffer a reoccurrence at any time although many sufferers only suffer one bout.
Possible Causes of Alopecia Areata
Autoimmune disorder-
Hereditary
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Stress
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Medication
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Vitiligo (patches of lighter skin)
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Thyroid disease
Remedy
Sometimes, if left, your hair will re-grow by itself although it must be known that this isn’t always the case & the areas can become larger if left untreated.
There are many non-natural medications/options available like steroid injections (which can be very uncomfortable & often without results). Minoxidil, Regaine & Propecia are all topical & tablet form treatments which some people benefit from, although it is advisable to know that if you choose any of these options you will need to continue use to sustain the growth. As stopping often results in your hair loss reoccurring & then a stronger dose is needed to gain results once again.
At Hove Hair Clinic we have a very high success rate with our natural approach that involves intense stimulation to the follicles. Our treatments not only produce amazing results in both hair growth & condition but they are very relaxing. Each client is sent home with an individual prescription of products to use at home in-between their in house treatments.
Micro-needling is also a great treatment for all forms of hair loss. The tiny needles stimulate fibroblast in the base of the follicle. See http://hovehairclinic.co.uk/mcro-needling-pen/ for more information.
As with any condition, the earlier it is correctly diagnosed & treated the better & quicker the results are seen.
Call us on 01273 711140 to book a consultation & take control of your alopecia today.
Some before & after pictures of our clients.
