Alopecia
It’s not without a reason it is said that hair is your crowning glory.

Everybody desires to have healthy, dense and strong hair.

People pay a lot of attention to take care of their hair.

While women long for silky and lustrous hair, men dread to have a bald head.

Facts about Alopecia

• These dermatological conditions are non-contagious and won’t spread to people who come in contact with affected people.
• Some of the auto-immune diseases that can trigger Alopecia Areata are thyroid disease, diabetes mellitus, anemia, vitiligo, psoriasis, etc.
• There is no permanent cure for any form of Alopecia.
• However, one suffering from it doesn’t have to be disheartened.
• Even as patches are formed, hair follicles are alive giving hope of re-growth of hair.
• The treatment period may vary from patient-to-patient depending on the severity of the disease.
• According to reports, around 50-80 percent of patients suffering from Alopecia Areata see hair re-growth within one year.

Different types of Alopecia
Alopecia is common on the scalp and in some cases affects any area of skin that has hair on it. It affects people of both genders and any age group.

➤ Alopecia Areata
It is a medical condition in which the body’s immune system gets wrong signals and by mistake starts attacking the skin and damages hair follicles. This results in the disruption of hair growth on the affected part of the skin leading to bald patches. A small area of scalp loses hair and a patch is formed. The patch may increase in circumference or multiple patches may merge to form a large patch.

➤ Alopecia Totalis
It is a medical condition in which a patient loses hair on the entire scalp.

➤ Alopecia Universalis
It is a medical condition in which there are times when the patient loses hair from other parts of the body like eyebrows, lashes, beard, pubic hair, etc.

Various types of Alopecia treatments
There are various treatments available to stimulate hair regrowth in the lost areas for patients suffering from Alopecia.

➤ Stem cells therapy
Stem cells are special cells used in regenerative therapy to repair and rejuvenate tissues and organs. They transform themselves into different types of cells that are damaged and replace them. The stem cells are extracted from the fat layer under the patient’s skin through liposuction. After a concentrate of stem cells is collected, it is injected in the affected area to strengthen hair follicles and re-start hair growth.

➤ Platelets-Rich-Plasma (PRP)
The patient’s blood sample is collected and centrifuged to separate red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The concentrated PRP is made using these platelets. PRP is injected in the patchy area to maximize the healing process. The dermatologist will decide whether a patient requires to be given both stem-cells, PRP or any one of them.

➤ Mesotherapy
This procedure involves administrating superficial injections of plant extracts, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, etc or other nutrients in the middle layer of the skin to promote healthy hair growth. It is painless and doesn’t require any local anesthesia.

➤ Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a famous Chinese alternative medicine therapy. It is widely used to treat cases of Alopecia and in many cases have given encouraging results. While performing acupuncture, thin needles are inserted in the affected part of the skin. These needles are understood to trigger neurological effects and stimulate blood circulation in the patchy area.

➤ Cupping Therapy
This is another form of Chinese alternative therapy. Practitioners believe that the root cause of a certain disease is stagnant blood. Thus, it has to be flushed out of the body. To treat Alopecia, dermatologists prick the patchy area of the skin with sterilized tiny needles. A cup is placed over the area and air is sucked out using a suction pump. This results in “bad blood” oozing out from pricks and gets collected in the cup. This procedure is carried out without the use of local anesthesia and is mildly painful.

Medicines
Along with above mentioned therapies, dermatologists also prescribe medicines to speed-up the treatment.