Alopecia
What Are These Bald Spots On My Head?
When you first noted the bald spot in your scalp, you thought the hair would eventually grow back. After all, you thought you were too young to be losing hair. And you felt completely healthy. Back then, your bald spot was just about the size of a quarter. Now, it has enlarged to twice that, and you’re afraid it’s getting bigger. Is it time to consult a doctor?
What is Alopecia Areata?
You may have what is known as Alopecia Areata. Normally, your immune system produces antibodies to kill microorganisms that try to invade your body and cause illness. With Alopecia Areata, these antibodies mistakenly attack your own hair follicles. Your hair follicles are damaged, causing a decrease in hair production, and thus resulting to alopecia or hair loss. You may have a single smooth round patch or a confluence of round patches on your scalp. The bald spot is neither itchy nor painful, and it is well-delineated. Most of the time, you don’t feel other symptoms. In severe cases however, Alopecia Areata leads to complete baldness.
Who can have Alopecia Areata?
An estimated 4 million Americans are affected with Alopecia Areata. Males and females are equally affected. The age of onset is usually during childhood or early adulthood. Doctors still cannot fully explain why people get Alopecia Areata, although heredity is a likely culprit. If one twin has the disease, there’s a 55% chance that the identical twin will have it too. You also are more prone to have the illness if you have a relative who got his or her bald spot before 30 years old.
While Alopecia Areata is not life-threatening, it can be devastating to those afflicted with the disease. Your bald spot may cause you to lose self-confidence in your daily activities. Being insecure about your appearance also affects the way you interact with your family and colleagues. The psychosocial aspect is the main reason most patients seek treatment.
Is there a cure?
Your doctor may have to examine your hair and scalp before a diagnosis of Alopecia Areata is made. Once the diagnosis is clear, your treatment options will be explained to you. You should understand that at present, there is no definite cure for Alopecia Areata. Your alopecia may either recur or resolve with time.
But, there are medications that will help you grow back hair, at least temporarily. Among the treatment options for this condition are the following:
• Corticosteroids. These drugs decrease the inflammation that damages your hair follicles. Steroids are commonly injected in the affected areas of your scalp. You may be given topical (less effective) steroids if you don’t like injections or oral steroids if you have larger bald spots.
• Minoxidil. This is a topical solution that promotes hair growth, also used for other forms of baldness.
• Antrhalin. Also used for patients with psoriasis, anthralin similarly decreases inflammation and is often used in combination with corticosteroids and minoxidil.
• Photochemotherapy or PUVA. You are first given the drug psoralen, either oral or topical, and then you are exposed to ultraviolet light.
Many people have heard of a new treatment for Alopecia- known as Laser Hair Therapy. This treatment has been shown to help many cases of Alopecia, and is now widely recommended as a non-invasive option.
“It’s a very simple,easy treatment” Say Ronnie Talent, CEO of Legacy Hair Center, in North Carolina. “ You simply under this special light, several times a week. It doesn’t hurt, in fact most people don’t feel a thing- and we’ve seen some nice results.”
Hair Replacement is another technology that Talent offers in his center. Using the same technology used in Hollywood- the Hair Replacement center can actually make a second scalp that can fill the bald areas- leaving a full head of hair. Seek the services of your trusted hair specialist to find the hair loss option that will provide you aesthetically pleasing results.
Legacy Hair Center specializes in the best hair restoration and hair replacement options for both men and women. You don’t have to suffer from alopecia. Visit the center in Charlotte, North Carolina and be among the thousands of people that Legacy has helped reach their hair restoration goals.
Why People Lose Hair
Do you find strands of hair clinging to your comb, or collecting in your bathroom drain? Don’t be alarmed . Most of the time, it’s just your hair going through its normal stage of shedding. On the average, you lose 50 to 100 strands of hair each day. Shed hair is replaced by new hair, and the hair growth cycle starts over. However, if you notice your hair thinning or falling out excessively , you may need to seek professional help to avert baldness, or alopecia.
Alopecia can affect anyone. And- it’s not always determined by “the mothers genetics”. Truth is, there are several causes of alopecia. Let us take a look at a few reasons why people lose hair.
The most common cause of baldness in both men and women is androgenetic alopecia or pattern baldness. This is caused by increased levels of androgens or male hormones. It may be hereditary. You may notice an M-shaped thinning of hair in your temples and crown if you are a male, or thinning in the central and frontal scalp if you are a female.
On the other hand, a bald spot on your scalp may be due to alopecia areata. In this condition, your immune system produces antibodies that normally fight off harmful microorganisms, but instead damage your hair follicles, leading to hair loss that appears as smooth round patches.
If you underwent surgery or had a severe illness during the last 3 months, you may also notice hair loss that is more than what you’re used to. As a natural reaction of your body to a stressful life situation, about 50% of your hair enters the resting phase of hair growth. Because shed hair is not immediately replaced, thinning of your hair becomes apparent. This temporary hair loss is called telogen effluvium. Your hair will grow back once the underlying illness resolves.
Hormones also play a role in hair loss that is associated with thyroid diseases and pregnancy. An excess or a decrease in your thyroid hormones may lead to alopecia. After giving birth, the abrupt decrease in the level of the female hormone estrogen causes temporary yet massive hair shedding. Other medical conditions that may lead to hair loss include fungal infections, diabetes, lupus and intake of certain medications.
“You would think that most of of our hair loss clients would be men,” says Ronnie Talent, SEO of Legacy Hair Center in Charlotte. ” Roughly 70” of our new hair loss inquiries are women. Many people don’t realize that 25% of women will also suffer from thinning hair.”
Are you aware that even your hairstyling habits can cause hair loss? The constant pulling of your hair when you wear pigtails, cornrows or a tight ponytail damages your hair follicles, leading to traction alopecia. Improper and frequent use of hair treatments may also weaken your hair and cause breakage. Some people are unable to control the impulse to pull out their hair. In these cases of trichotillomania, psychological intervention is also necessary.
Finding the reason why you lose hair is important. It will guide your dermatologist or hair specialist in deciding which hair loss option is appropriate for you. You may have to receive oral and topical medications, or undergo procedures such as laser hair therapy, hair transplantation, or hair replacement. “The Hair Replacement technology that is used today is the same technology used in Hollywood, “says Talent . “Now- if you suffer from hair loss, you have the option to use that technology, and look the way you want to look.”
The important thing is that you seek consult from an expert, who can guide you to the right diagnosis and give you the best possible treatment.
Legacy Hair Center specializes in the latest hair restoration and hair replacement options for both men and women. You don’t have to suffer from hair loss. Visit the center in Charlotte, North Carolina and be among the thousands of people that Legacy has helped reach their hair restoration goals.