Question: My daughter has Alopecia Areata - what can be done to help?
Name: Mina Peshawaria
Question: My daughter is 13 years old and I noticed a small bald patch on her scalp at the front in February this year. Her patches (she has about 10) have grown since then and she has suffered great hair loss.
She is having treatment privately and her Dermatologist started her on a steroid cream (Dermovat) which she is still using once a day. Because her patches had not stopped growing and I had noticed new ones last at the beginning of this month, the Doctor has now prescribed Steroids to be taken orally for one month. I am really concerned and desperate and want her problem treated. For about 3 weeks she was also using Minoxin, Topical Solution in spray form which contains Minoxidil 2%. The dermatologist has told me that this is no good and asked me to stop using this. Please can you suggest any treatment, especially on how to get her hair growing back. It is very difficult for her to cope at school with this problem as she cannot hide the bald patches and other children do tend to isolate her.
Please help.
Answer: Continue with your recommended treatment and if you do not get any results then it is time to try another form of treatment. Your Doctor may have said that Minoxin is not good because it has a very low dose of Minoxidil to be effective. Generally, some Doctors do not think highly of Minoxidil in treating Alopecia Areata while some use it extensively.
For treatment of mild Alopecia Areata Belgravia uses Minoxidil 12.5% + Azelaic acid very successfully, but the more severe the case the more unlikely it is that treatment will be effective. Minoxidil and steroids in any form are both used to treat Alopecia Areata. Your daughter can also use a hair replacement unit to hide the bald patches while waiting for her hair to grow back.
Always bear in mind that Alopecia Areata is a condition where there is a chance the hair can grow back on its own at any time due to the fact that the hair follicles are not dead, just dormant.
More information on ALOPECIA AREATA
Alopecia Areata is a condition that can affect anyone at any age.
There are effective treatments available to stop mild Alopecia but
success from treatment for more severe Alopecia is less likely.
