Alopecia Areata

If you have hair loss, there could be a chance that you have alopecia areata. What is alopecia areata, you might wonder? Alopecia areata is a disease that affects the autoimmune system. Alopecia areata causes hair loss, mostly on the scalp but it can happen anywhere on the body. Hair loss is gradual with a few small patches of hair loss.

Learning More About Alopecia Areata

With this alopecia areata disease, it can happen to anyone regardless of race, age or gender. There is a higher propensity of childhood cases however. Plus this hair loss disease is not limited to humans either. There are plenty of cases of feline alopecia areata as well as alopecia areata in dachshunds. For some reason, these two animals manifest this disease.

In this disease, the hair follicles are attacked by your own white blood cells, effectively halting the growth of hair in its tracts. The hair follicles start to shrink, causing new hair growth to become almost impossible. If you read some of the alopecia areata information out there, you will discover that for some people, those bare patches start to regrow hair on their own. For others, the hair loss continues until there is no hair left. What is interesting is that the hair follicles are still alive and are capable of regrowing hair. Your body’s immune system just has to kick back in with the green light to grow. There is sometimes no rhyme or reason as to why this can simply just restart on its own.

Alopecia Areata Treatment

There is no one thing that can bring on reversal effects on alopecia areata. Your own body is primarily responsible for that. However, there are a few things you can do to help recovery along. Alopecia areata cortisone pills are often prescribed for those people with severe hair loss and also for diffuse alopecia areata. This treatment though is not often prescribed because cortisone can be harmful in the long-term.

Causes and treatment for alopecia are often researched. You will discover that there are different types of topical ointments and even injections that are prescribed in the hopes of triggering new hair growth. If doesn’t matter if you are male or female, alopecia areata treatments are for everyone.

If you are experiencing hair loss and are unsure if you even have this hair disease, look up some alopecia areata pictures of hair loss to see if your loss is similar. And of course, look to your doctor for new alopecia areata info as well as national resources such as the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.