Hair Has Grown Back White After Scalp and Beard Alopecia Areata'

Name: Jemma

Question: My husband had a bald patch, (the size of a small fingernail) in he’s beard area for at least a year, we ignored it as was only visible if he wasn’t clean shaven and it didn’t really bother him. However after a very stressful time at work he noticed a bald patch appear on the back of he’s head, then another. Within 4 weeks he lost all he’s head hair, followed by body hair, then his facial hair.


This was 18 months ago. My husbands hair has started to grow back, in fact it started to grow back soon after his loss, it started off as peach fuzz but is now fairly thick, however his scalp and facial hair have grown back white.

Of course we are delighted that his hair has grown back at all, but I was wondering if you could advise if anything could be done to promote the return in pigment? It seems a bit odd as quite a bit of his body hair has returned to normal colour.

Answer: Hi, Jemma. That is great news that your husband's hair loss has remedied itself.

In cases of Alopecia Areata, it is often the case that the hair will grow back naturally although when or if this will happen is frustratingly impossible to predict. The same is true of Alopecia Barbae - the name given to this form of the autoimmune disorder when it affects the beard. It can also occur in cases of Alopecia Universalis - which is when the condition causes hairloss from head to toe, though this tends to be a rarer occurrence.

The issue of hair growing back white is well established and nothing to worry about. Sometimes the pigmentation may take a while to restore itself to the hair's original colour but in the majority of cases this will happen in around two hair growth cycles or less. Occasionally the pigmentation does not return to the same colour as before the hair loss occurred - it may be lighter or stay white - but this is not usual. Due to differences in the length of time this cycle is in its active growth phase for, for the head and body hair - which is the reason body hair does not grow as long as scalp hair - it is normal for body hair to return to its normal colour quicker than head hair.

We are not aware of any clinically-proven medical treatment to restore the pigmentation quicker, assuming you are not looking for cosmetic solutions such as dyes. However, ensuring everything is done to maximise healthy hair growth on the scalp - and avoiding stress, which is a well known trigger for autoimmune alopecia, as well as other hair loss conditions, and can prompt its return even once it has cleared up - should be helpful.

Belgravia offers a range of hair growth boosters and, following a consultation with one of our specialists, appropriate products could be recommended to your husband, based on his medical profile. This assessment is a free service and can take place either in person, at one of Belgravia's City of London or Central London hair loss clinics, or - if you are based elsewhere in the country or abroad - then you may find an online consultation is more convenient.