Alopecia Areata
I. Definition:Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is the name for a condition in which round patches of hair loss appear suddenly. The hair-growing tissue is attacked by the patient's own immune cells for unknown reasons. There are three stages: first, there is sudden hair loss, then the patches of hair loss enlarge, and last, new hair grows back. This process takes months, sometimes more than a year, but rarely does the hair never grow back.
II. Causes:
* We do not know why the immune cells attack the hair-growing tissue.
* Alopecia areata is not contagious, not caused by foods, and is not the result of nervousness.
* Alopecia areata sometimes runs in families.
III. Treatment:
* Many people have achieved success with treatments such as Provillus, an all-natural alopecia solution for men and women.
* Cortisone injections can also stimulate hair regrowth. Twenty to thirty injections per patch are required once a month. The injections are uncomfortable. Cortisone injections only work in the areas that have been injected; the injections do not prevent new areas of hair loss. It generally takes one to two months after the injection before hair growth is visible.
* Some patients do not respond to any treatment. We cannot predict which patients will respond to treatment.
* Cortisone creams are also sometimes beneficial in the treatment of alopecia areata.
IV. For More Information on Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis:
* National Alopecia Areata Foundation
* Alopecia Areata by Maria Hordirisky, MD
* American Academy of Dermatology WHITE PAPER ON ALOPECIA AREATA
I. Definition:Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is the name for a condition in which round patches of hair loss appear suddenly. The hair-growing tissue is attacked by the patient's own immune cells for unknown reasons. There are three stages: first, there is sudden hair loss, then the patches of hair loss enlarge, and last, new hair grows back. This process takes months, sometimes more than a year, but rarely does the hair never grow back.
II. Causes:
* We do not know why the immune cells attack the hair-growing tissue.
* Alopecia areata is not contagious, not caused by foods, and is not the result of nervousness.
* Alopecia areata sometimes runs in families.
III. Treatment:
* Many people have achieved success with treatments such as Provillus, an all-natural alopecia solution for men and women.
* Cortisone injections can also stimulate hair regrowth. Twenty to thirty injections per patch are required once a month. The injections are uncomfortable. Cortisone injections only work in the areas that have been injected; the injections do not prevent new areas of hair loss. It generally takes one to two months after the injection before hair growth is visible.
* Some patients do not respond to any treatment. We cannot predict which patients will respond to treatment.
* Cortisone creams are also sometimes beneficial in the treatment of alopecia areata.
IV. For More Information on Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis:
* National Alopecia Areata Foundation
* Alopecia Areata by Maria Hordirisky, MD
* American Academy of Dermatology WHITE PAPER ON ALOPECIA AREATA
