Alopecia Areata: An Attack From Within

Alopecia areata (AA) is a type of hair loss that comes in several varieties. Unlike ordinary male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia), AA is an actual disease, one that will strike about 4.5 million Americans at some point in their lives. This article is designed to provide information about this condition, and to help identify treatment options.

An Unexpected Internal Assault

AA comes in several forms. Alopecia totalis occurs when all the scalp hair is lost to the disease. Alopecia universalis affects every follicle on the body. Fortunately, most patients simply experience a few bare patches on their heads, which quickly disappear. All varieties of AA are caused by an autoimmune reaction in which the body's white blood cells attack scalp follicles (and all others in the case of universalis), shrinking them and causing the hairs to fall out. Both males and females are affected, and for some reason, most of the victims are children.

Will The Hair Come Back?

It does for most AA patients. Although the disease temporarily affects the hair growth cycle, the follicles remain alive and ready to perform; they just don't. So if an alopecia condition strikes you, don't despair; there's plenty you can do about it.

Treatment Options

Alopecia treatment options focus on forcing your hair follicles to get back to work. Minoxidil (Rogaine) works well, as do cortisone shots and pills. The psoriasis drug anthralin works too, though it may irritate the skin and causes brown discolorations. If the attack is especially nasty, immunotherapy drugs like diphencyprone or squaric acid dibutyl ester can be applied to the affected scalp areas. They cause a poison-ivy like rash, but trigger regrowth in about 40 percent of cases.

If you need more information to help you battle alopecia conditions, the National AA Foundation is a great source.