Alopecia areata, if it is not associated with infectious or tumor processes in the body, is more of a cosmetic defect than a serious pathology. Alopecia appears unexpectedly and affects both men and women with equal frequency. Less often, alopecia areata is observed in children. The course of the disease is not predictable, but with a competent approach to treatment, the hair almost always grows back.
Alopecia areata - what is it?
For every one hundred people in the world, there are two individuals, one way or another, faced with a focal form of hair loss. Regardless of the cause of the pathology, the essence of the problem is a disruption in the supply of necessary nutrition to the hair follicles, as a result of which they decrease in size, weaken and freely leave the root hole. Alopecia areata can affect not only the head, but also all hairy areas of the body, and the pattern of hair loss will be similar to the classic variant of baldness.
With all the variety of classification categories in assessing the nature of baldness, it is customary to adhere to the division of alopecia into benign and malignant. Any of them is split in turn into types pointing toexternal signs of the disease and the causes that provoked hair loss.
The following types of local alopecia are characteristic of benign alopecia areata:
- marginal - covers the edge of hair growth;
- shearing - the roots of the hair remain fixed in the nests, but the hair shaft (approximately 10 mm from the surface of the scalp) becomes thinner and breaks off, forming, as it were, a clipped area;
- exposing - the area of baldness spreading occupies at least two-thirds of the scalp.
The malignant form of alopecia areata includes types:
- subtotal - a gradual and invariably progressive form, in which multiple foci of baldness merge into extensive hairless zones;
- total - hair loss occurs in full and rapidly, covering not only the head, but also eyebrows, eyelashes;
- universal - characterized by loss of hair all over the body.
With a benign form of the disease, hair restoration is possible in full, in some cases even in the absence of any treatment. The malignant course of the disease is irreversible in 80% of cases. If the hair does begin to grow, the process can take many years, and the quality and thickness of the hairline will be much worse than before the disease.
Causes of baldness
To date, there is no consensus among experts about the truth, the original cause of alopecia areata, just as there is no answer to the question:"Why, under the same circumstances, do some people lose their hair and others don't?" Those internal and external factors that are associated with thinning hair, according to trichologists, are not the primary source of the problem.
Provoking circumstances leading to the development of alopecia areata on the head and body are:
- hereditary transmission of a damaged or altered gene;
- constant stress, lack of sufficient time for rest, nervous situation at work or at home;
- head injuries associated with soft tissue rupture;
- history of infectious diseases;
- fungal lesions;
- autoimmune processes;
- decrease in general immunity;
- dermatitis;
- prevalence of testosterone over estrogen (in women);
- an excess of carotenoids (vitamin A) in the body or an acute shortage of calciferol (vitamin D).
A much rarer cause of alopecia areata in women is the frequent use of low-quality hair styling products (varnishes, mousses), as well as frequent shampooing with aggressive shampoos.
Symptoms of disease
Alopecia areata is accompanied by signs, focusing on which, it is almost impossible to confuse the disease with other damage to the scalp and hair. The first symptom of the pathology is a small (from 1 to 3 cm) bald spot, which has a glossy surface and a regular rounded shape. At the borders of the bare area, the hair seems to be broken off and only a few millimeters rise above the skin. If alightly pull them with tweezers, the hairs will come out of the sockets almost painlessly.
With androgenetic alopecia areata in women, there is a wave development of the disease, alternating with periods of remission. After each pause without dynamics, the pathology will acquire more and more noticeable signs: the number of localized bare skin areas on the head will increase, eyebrows and eyelashes will noticeably thin out. Ten out of a hundred women will begin to deform their nails: their fragility will increase, a strong relief will appear.
The male type of focal alopecia manifests itself much more difficult and faster (photo below). The most common pattern of hair loss in the stronger sex is the growth of one large foci on the top of the head towards the forehead with a simultaneous expansion of the area of baldness to the temporal lobes. In parallel, alopecia areata in men can be found in the facial zone (at the site of beard growth). As a rule, the process cannot be reversed, and the only option to save the hair is a surgical hair transplant.
Conditions for competent treatment
Each individual case of alopecia areata in women, men or children is reviewed in terms of visual signs and laboratory test results. Be sure to take samples of hair growing next to the bald spot, scraping directly from the bald area, a detailed blood test. After receiving the results, options begin to be considered on how to treat alopecia areata in this manifestation.
Unfortunately, relapses in alopecia are a stable phenomenon, predict orto warn which is unrealistic. You can only reduce the likelihood of the disease returning by taking into account some conditions for competent treatment:
- exposure to therapeutic agents only on foci of baldness will cause the bald spot to move from one place to another, so you need to treat the entire scalp;
- if there is a relapse, anti-allergic drugs should be included in the treatment of alopecia areata;
- required from the first days, as natural hair loss becomes noticeable, you need to start taking multivitamins;
- regular cosmetic shampoo should be replaced with a treatment shampoo containing natural oils and zinc;
- during the treatment (and for some time after) you will have to give up styling products and detangling sprays;
- often in the treatment of alopecia areata, the causes of pathology are found in a simple inability to eat right: in the daily menu of a person who wants to maintain hair volume, foods high in vitamin B7 and zinc should be present;
- daily it is necessary to massage the entire surface of the head, using burdock or castor oil;
- aggressive exposure to ultraviolet radiation can aggravate the situation, therefore, until the treatment is over, a visit to the solarium is unacceptable;
- treatment of alopecia areata in women over 45 should be accompanied by an examination by an endocrinologist;
- peace of mind and emotional stability should be monitored throughout therapy.
If the hair began to fall out during pregnancy or immediately after the birth of a child, treatment with cardinal methods is not required. It is enough to change the usual shampoo to a softer one, brush your hair more often from the roots and massage your head from time to time using burdock oil. Over time, the hormonal background stabilizes, there will be less stress and the hair will recover.
Medicated treatment
Depending on the nature of the disease and the clarified etiology that provoked alopecia, the trichologist prescribes a treatment that provides a versatile approach to the problem. This will definitely be the use of local irritating ointments, a drug for stimulating hair follicles in the form of oral tablets and 1-2 types of drugs aimed at eliminating the cause of the pathology.
Hair loss due to weak immunity, vitamin starvation or unbalanced diets is corrected by taking multivitamins, immunomodulators. An approximate menu is drawn up, including foods with zinc, B vitamins and vitamin C. In some cases, corticosteroid hormones and the drug Cyclosporine, a powerful polypeptide that includes more than ten amino acids, are prescribed.
Androgenetic alopecia involves the use of the drug "Minoxidil" - an external local remedy for long-term use, as well as hormonal contraceptives that regulate testosterone synthesis.
Stress leading to alopecia areata, not related to pregnancy and the postpartum period (ifbreastfeeding is carried out), are stopped by antidepressants, psychotropic drugs (anxiolytics) or, much less often, neuroleptics. Glucocorticosteroids are prescribed for accelerated hairline restoration.
Of the external agents applied directly to the lesion with the capture of nearby space, the most effective are:
- Fluorocort;
- Ultralan;
- Locacorten;
- Locoid;
- "Flucinar".
For men, the treatment of alopecia areata is most often associated with a difficult choice: either to start the situation to irreversibility and put up with hair loss, but at the same time maintain a high libido and sexual performance, or for some time to transfer their sexual energy to a gentle mode and save your hair. This is due to the need (in most therapy options) to reduce the level of testosterone in the body.
Medications for alopecia areata in men:
- "Finasteride";
- Carbamazepine;
- "Ketoconazole";
- Digoxin.
After treatment, normal sexual functions of a man are immediately restored.
Home remedies
Folk therapy in the treatment of alopecia has an unprecedented experience, so the authority of home decoctions, tinctures and ointments is recognized even by official medicine. Medicines prepared according to some recipes can be used immediately as external and internal remedies. These generic drugs include:
- Infusion on the root of burdock. Crushed dried burdock roots (1 tablespoon) are poured with a glass of hot water and boiled for 20 minutes in a water bath. The resulting broth insist 45 minutes, filter and take 2 tbsp. spoon three times a day half an hour before meals. By diluting the decoction with boiled water 1:1, a natural hair rinse is obtained.
- Linden blossom. 3 art. tablespoons of dry matter are brewed with a glass of boiling water and kept on low heat for 15 minutes, after which they are cooled and filtered. One third of the resulting decoction should be divided into 3 servings and drunk during the day, and the remaining liquid should be rubbed into the scalp with intense massage movements before going to bed.
- Nettle greens. 3 art. spoons of fresh nettle leaves crushed to a mushy state are poured with 0.5 liters of hot water, brought to a boil, and then simmered for another 10 minutes over low heat under a lid. They drink a cooled and filtered broth, a third of a glass in the morning and evening, and rinse the hair every other day, accompanying washing the head with a massage.
According to numerous reviews, the treatment of alopecia areata is more effective if substances with a strong irritating effect are used for external application. These include onion, mustard, red pepper, garlic, horseradish. Some of these components, such as onion and garlic, simply grate and rub vigorously with massage movements into dry hair until a slight burning sensation is felt. You need to “wear” such aggressive masks under a warming cap for at least half an hour, and then wash it off with a small amount of neutralshampoo.
Twice a month for oily hair and once for dry hair it is useful to dilute in 2 liters of warm water 1.5 full tbsp. spoons of mustard powder, distribute the resulting liquid from the roots along the entire length of the hair. After 15 minutes, you need to wash off the mustard solution with plenty of water, using 1-2 egg yolks instead of shampoo.
If there are no wounds and rashes on the surface of the head, hot pepper tincture will become a life-saving remedy for baldness, effective from the first application. Alcoholic pungent-smelling composition is best purchased at the pharmacy in finished form. Apply the liquid without fail on a dry scalp, trying to distribute the tincture quickly to prevent it from running down the hair. Almost immediately after the start of rubbing, the head will begin to bake. You will have to endure discomfort for at least 25 minutes, during which the head should warm up under a plastic cap. The product is then washed off with a mild shampoo and dried without a hair dryer.
Masks for hair loss
Masks with Dimexide pharmaceutical agent have a very strong effect, therefore they are often included in treatment by women who do not want to part with long hair that makes local therapy difficult. This remedy has a huge range of advantages over most external preparations, but no less contraindications. So, "Dimexide" is not used during pregnancy and lactation, with some eye diseases and with any cardiovascular pathologies. It also does not apply to alopecia areata in children under 14-16 years old.
The best masks with Dimexidefor hair growth in alopecia:
- Mix in one glass container 1 ampoule of vitamins A and E, 1 teaspoon of sea buckthorn oil, 2-3 drops of lemongrass essential oil. The mixture should be heated in a water bath to 35 0С, immediately after that pour in 1 teaspoon of Dimexide. A warm mask is applied to the entire surface of the head and kept for 40 minutes, then washed off.
- 3 teaspoons of onion gruel together with juice are combined with vitamins B6 and 12 taken in 1 ampoule, add 1 teaspoon of Dimexide, castor and burdock oil. The composition is mixed and distributed over the scalp, and washed off after 40 minutes.
- One and a half tablespoons of good brandy is combined with 1 teaspoon of tocopherol and liquid vitamin B6. "Dimexide" is poured into the mixture and the mixture is applied, as usual, for 35-45 minutes.
A distinctive feature of masks with this drug is that after their application, the head cannot be insulated and, in general, free ventilation of the air should be prevented in every possible way. The frequency of use of the product is also limited: on average, 1 time in 7-10 days, and the full course of treatment will be 6-8 masks.
Alopecia in children under 6
Alopecia areata in children, if it is not associated with mechanical damage to the scalp and hairline, this is a rather rare case, considered by several specialists at once. It happens that multilevel diagnostics does not reveal he alth disorders, so the question of the etiology of the disease remains open. In this case, specialists take a wait-and-see attitude, characterized byplacing the child under special examination and laboratory control.
Specific hair loss at the back of the head in infants is not a pathological symptom, since it is a natural reaction of the baby's weak hairline to contact with the pillow. If the pediatrician, during regular examination of the child, does not find signs of rickets, then no treatment is required.
Kindergarten-aged children who spend most of their time in a group of peers can become infected with microsporosis (ringworm), which requires immediate elimination. Otherwise, at the site of the formation of the focus, atrophy of the follicle will begin, and it will be much more difficult to restore hair growth.
If tests for the presence of filamentous fungus - the causative agent of the disease - are confirmed, the child can be admitted to an inpatient department or prescribed home therapy. Once the cause is established, treatment for children with alopecia areata may include the following drugs:
- Ointment "Oxolinic 3%" is applied to the site of the lesion with the capture of the edge of hair growth 2-3 times a day (course from 10 to 21 days);
- Ointment "Sulfur-tar" is applied as an application on the painful focus every evening before going to bed, until the child is completely cured;
- Ointment "Lamisil" is used from 2 years of age in the morning and evening for 7-10 days.
In some particularly difficult cases, when several foci are found on the baby’s head at once and the disease continues to progress, the doctor has the right to prescribe oral preparations - a suspension or tablets. Among the drugscorresponding to children's age and the required effectiveness, "Terbinafine" and "Griseofulvin" are isolated.
Alopecia in schoolchildren
The most common cause of alopecia areata in children of primary school age, doctors say the child's neurological reaction to the need to attend school, change daily schedules and related stress. Therefore, from the first days of serious changes in a child's life, it is very important to provide him with all kinds of moral support, considering not academic success, but a comfortable psychological state of the student as the main priority.
The second reason for the development of pathology is the deterioration of the child's diet with the beginning of school attendance and the decrease in the quality of the food he eats during the day. These are mostly low-nutrient snacks, and if the child also attends extracurricular activities, then often the intervals between meals are six hours or more. All these factors cause serious digestive problems, sometimes manifested by partial hair loss. The situation is corrected by following a special diet, which includes foods rich in zinc, calcium, selenium, as well as vitamins A, F, E and almost all B vitamins (except B4 and B11, which are successfully synthesized in the body).
Last of all, if superficial diagnostics did not bring results, the child is prescribed to take tests showing the level of hormones. You should be aware that therapy using elements that suppress the synthesis of testosterone in the blood of a child is an extreme measure, used only when there is a risk of irreversible and totalhair loss.
Do's and Don'ts for Alopecia Areata in Children
A diagnosis of alopecia areata in a child means only the localization of one or more areas of bare skin where hair should grow. There can be many reasons for such a pathology, most of them are temporary and self-removing, but many parents, having heard a frightening term from doctors, begin to go to extremes, expressed in excessive attention to the problem.
Here are clear examples of how not to act if a child has alopecia areata on the head:
- Cut hair to zero. A child under three years of age may not pay attention to the result of such a procedure, but a child of senior kindergarten or school age will most likely receive the deepest emotional stress associated with rejection of his changed image.
- Use oily substances and home remedies based on birch or other tar for massages. Rubbing saturated oils or viscous substances on a baby's scalp can lead to even more serious problems, such as dermatitis, which appears due to clogged follicles with vegetable fat.
- Give your child medicines that are labeled as child-friendly or have too many possible side effects. Exceed the dosage prescribed by the doctor or indicated in the annotation.
- Trying to mask unaesthetic bald patches with lush synthetic bows, bulkyclips or other decorative items that may irritate or injure the scalp.
- Wash your preschooler's hair with adult shampoos or use these products more than twice a week. This should also include the use of specialized (purchased) therapeutic detergent compositions for dandruff, dryness or increased oiliness of the scalp.
- Give a child who has a deficiency of some vitamins and minerals, several active drugs at once, designed to make up for the deficiency. An overabundance of certain substances (such as vitamin A) can backfire and increase hair loss.
- Make complex, tight hairstyles on the girl's head or constantly collect hair in a ponytail using cutting, thin elastic bands.
And what to do is not only possible, but also actively recommended by doctors? Judging by the reviews, alopecia areata in children stops developing, and the hair begins to grow back better, with regular and frequent combing with a brush with wooden rounded tips. This method is not suitable for fungal or infectious skin lesions, but in all other cases, stimulation of the hair with massage smooth movements, first from the roots to the tips, and then vice versa, gives a good result.
If a child's hair is weakened from birth, this is a physiological feature of the body. It is better to give up washing your hair with chemical products altogether, and remember “grandmother's” recipes, replacing “chemistry” with egg yolk, rye bread soaked in water, sourdough, weakmustard powder solution. Such recommendations can be addressed to any child who has had a scalp disease and is in the rehabilitation period.
