Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata
Causes, symptoms, and its homeopathic treatment

Alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease affecting the hair follicles, is characterized by patches of hair loss. This condition commonly affects young adults and children. This disease's course can be unpredictable in terms of time, duration, and severity, even for the same individual. Some individuals will only have one episode that lasts weeks or months. In contrast, others will have continuous diffuse alopecia over many years with occasional remissions during which the hair grows back typically.



What are the types of alopecia areata?

Alopecia areata (patchy)

Alopecia areata (patchy) is the form with one or more coin-sized either round or oval patches on the scalp or other hair-growing areas on the body. This condition may worsen to become either Alopecia totalis or universalis. In Alopecia totalis, the hair loss and baldness extend to the whole scalp. Whereas in universalis, the patient loses hair from the entire body. Mostly it remains patchy.

Persistent patchy alopecia areata

Persistent patchy alopecia areata is characterized by patchy scalp hair loss that continues over a long period of time without ever developing into extensive alopecia areata such as totalis or universalis.

Alopecia totalis

Alopecia totalis results in hair loss across the entire scalp.

Alopecia universalis

Alopecia universalis is more advanced than alopecia totalis. This type results in hair loss across the entire scalp and face (including eyebrows and eyelashes), plus the rest of the body (including pubic hair).

Diffuse alopecia areata

Diffuse alopecia areata results in sudden and unexpected thinning of the hair all over the scalp. It can be hard to diagnose because it looks a lot like other forms of hair loss such as telogen effluvium or male or female pattern hair loss.

Ophiasis alopecia

Ophiasis alopecia areata has a unique pattern of hair loss, which includes the sides and lower back of the scalp in the shape of a band. Ophiasis alopecia areata can be more difficult to treat because it does not respond as quickly to medication.


What are the symptoms of alopecia areata?

Symptoms vary depending on the form and severity of alopecia areata.
You should seek medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Patchy hair loss on the scalp
  • Complete loss of all scalp hair
  • Flakes of skin with missing hairs, especially if this is happening without apparent cause (e.g., physical trauma or infection)
  • Bumps on the edge of the patch where broken hairs are often seen under magnification
  • Dryness or mild scaling of the surrounding skin that may be accompanied by itching.

Cause of alopecia areata:

The several factors that may contribute to its pathophysiology are:

  • Genetic predisposition
  • Infections (e.g., mumps, human immunodeficiency virus)
  • Allergens (e.g., poison ivy) or irritants (e.g., solvents, formaldehyde)
  • Autoimmune reactions to hair follicles
  • Stress, surgery, fever, childbirth, and other physiologic stresses can lead to alopecia areata relapses
  • Traction alopecia related to tight braiding or extensions of the scalp may also provoke AA

Diagnosis and tests for alopecia areata:

Your doctor can diagnose alopecia areata by performing a thorough physical examination and taking a medical history, including questions about the pattern of hair loss. Your doctor may advise to do a skin biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of Alopecia areata.


Conventional treatment for Alopecia areata

Patient needs to consult a dermatologist for the treatment of alopecia areata. The dermatologists usually prescribe oral steroids in tablet form, or they suggest taking steroid injections on the area where there are patches. This helps in controlling the damage to the hair follicle and helps to regrow hair in the patches. As alopecia is a relapsing condition, the patches that have recovered after the treatment may reoccur at any point of time.


Homeopathic treatment for alopecia areata:

  • The homeopathic treatment for alopecia areata is based on healing the immune system which is the main cause of alopecia.
  • Oral homeopathic medicines prepared from plants or minerals are prescribed.
  • The patient needs to continue medicines till all the patches have recovered completely.
  • In some cases, doctor may suggest continuing medicines even after the patches have recovered. This is done typically in cases where there is a history of recurrence after stopping the treatment.
  • As per the research percentage of relapse is less with homeopathic treatment as compared to conventional treatment.
  • The most important benefit of homeopathic treatment is, it cures the disease from the roots, and it has no side effects.