Dermatologists Advocate Proactive Treatment for Alopecia Areata

In a report into ‘skin directed therapy’ for treating Alopecia Areata , two dermatologists have said that more treatments should be used for the condition.

Dr Jerry Shapiro, from New York University, wrote in the online journal ModernMedicine.com: “Some dermatologists still believe nothing works [for Alopecia].” Referring to a US study, which concluded that there were no effective treatments for alopecia areata hair loss, he commented: “The review says to tell your patients, ‘Go home, get a wig and join a support group.’ That could hardly be more wrong,” clarifying “I always tell people, the follicle is not dead. There’s something still there with which we can reinitiate growth. Even if you biopsy these patients and see almost no follicles, I still believe these people can grow hair.”

Amongst treatments which can be effective, Dr Elise Olsen of Duke University Medical Centre says that topically applied Minoxidil can be particularly useful in the treatment of Alopecia. She also refers to topical steroid use, but notes that with steroids there is the risk of side effects, such as acne. High strength minoxidil has been seen to effectively combat mild to moderate cases of patchy alopecia areata and has produced significant regrowth for many Belgravia clients.

Alopecia Areata

Alopecia Areata is a hair loss condition which can affect both men and women, often relatively early in life, even in childhood. The exact causes of it are unknown, but it is thought to be triggered by periods of stress, trauma or illness. It is an auto-immune disorder, in which the body’s own natural defences mistakenly attack healthy hair follicles, causing hair to stop growing.

The condition generally begins with patchy hair loss on the scalp, but this can spread to result in the loss of all hair on the scalp (Alopecia Totalis) or even the entire body, including eyebrows (Alopecia Universalis).

People suffering from Alopecia may re-grow their hair at any time, though this is not the case for everyone. As Dr. Shapiro says, the hair follicles are not dead or gone, they are merely ‘paused’. Alopecia sufferers may also remain prone to a reoccurrence of the condition even after hair has grown back. This was the case for TV presenter Gail Porter. In the case of another famous face, Little Britain star Matt Lucas, his hair has never re-grown since he suffered from the loss of all his hair following a car accident as a young child.

Treating Alopecia Areata

At The Belgravia Centre our hair loss experts have a vast amount of experience in treating individuals who are suffering from Alopecia Areata. As a core part of the treatment we offer, we utilise Minoxidil - the topical treatment mentioned by Dr Olsen.

If you’d like to talk to one of our hair loss experts about your specific hair loss condition, contact us direct for a free consultation. Alternatively, fill in our online diagnostic form for a home-use treatment programme that we can post anywhere in the world.

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