What is Alopecia Areata ? |
Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disease that results in the hair loss on the scalp and any other parts of the body. It usually starts with one or more small, round, non-scarring smooth patches. |
|
|
Age groups |
It occurs in males and females of all ages but onset most often occurs in childhood. |
|
|
Pathology |
Scientists believe that in alopecia areata, the affected hair follicles are mistakenly attacked in groups by a person's own immune system (white blood cells), resulting in the arrest of the hair growth stage. These affected follicles become very small, drastically slow down production, and grow no hair visible above the surface for months or years. The scalp is the most commonly affected area, but the beard or any hair-bearing site can be affected alone or together with the scalp.
Some people develop only a few bare patches that regrow hair within a year. In others, extensive patchy loss occurs, and in a few, all scalp hair is lost (alopecia totalis) or, hair is lost from the entire scalp and body ZZ(alopecia universalis). |
|
|
Symptoms |
The typical pattern is for one or more bald patches to appear on the scalp or any other part of the body. These tend to be round in shape, and about the size of a large coin. They may develop quite quickly. A relative, friend, or hairdresser may be the first person to notice the bald patch or patches. Apart from the bald patch or patches, the scalp usually looks healthy and there is no scarring. Occasionally, there is some mild redness, mild scaling, mild burning, or a slight itchy feeling on the bald patches. When a bald patch first develops, it is difficult to predict how it will progress. Alopecia areata behaves in a different way in each individual. |
|
|
|
Triggers |
It's not yet perfectly known what causes alopecia areata. For some reason, follicles stop producing visible hair, resulting in smooth bald patches that can appear overnight. Researchers are trying to determine what triggers the disease, and whether it's within the body or from environmental factors. There are no symptoms before bald patches appear, and no diagnostic tests. below are few common factors which are known as a triggers for Alopecia areata. |
• |
Extreme Stress |
• |
Genetic tendencies |
• |
Long illness |
• |
Pregnancy |
• |
Thyroid imbalance |
• |
Hormonal changes |
|
• |
Medicines |
• |
Local skin disease |
• |
Nutritional deficiency |
• |
Environmental triggers |
• |
Vaccines |
• |
Exposure to chemicals |
|
|
|
|
The following are the main ways it may progress. |
Quite often the bald patch or patches re-grow hair within a few months. If hair grows back it may not have its usual colour at first and looks grey or white for a while. The usual colour eventually returns after several months.
Sometimes one or more bald patches develop a few weeks after the first one. Sometimes the first bald patch is re-growing hair whilst a new bald patch is developing. It can then appear as if small bald patches rotate around different areas of the scalp over time. Sometimes several small bald patches develop and merge into a larger bald area.
Patches of body hair, beard, eyebrows, or eyelashes may be affected in some cases.
Large bald patches develop in some people. Some people lose all their scalp hair. This is called alopecia totalis. In a small number of cases, all scalp hair, body hair, beard, eyebrows, and eyelashes are lost. This is called alopecia universalis. The nails are affected in about 1 in 5 cases and can become pitted or ridged. |
|
|
|
Limitations of conventional treatments |
 |
Medical professionals are treating alopecia areata with conventional treatments like, Cortisone (steroids) Injections & Pills, minoxidil & Topical Immunotherapy etc. However all those treatments have limitations Unfavorable side effects of the steroid do not permit prolonged use and once they are discontinued, a relapse of the disease occurs. Relapse ratio is very high. Minoxidil has been proved less effective and it has some adverse reactions like burning of the scalp, erythema, scaling, pruritis, dermatitis, tissue damage etc. Temporary depression of the skin. Topical Immunotherapy (Chemicals such as diphencyprone - DPCP, dinitrochlorobenzene - DNCB, or squaric acid dibutyl ester-SADBE) is proved very uncomfortable treatment and not a permanent cure for alopecia patients. |
|
|
>
Advantages of Aurveda treatments |
 |
Ayurveda is the traditional medicine of India, which originated there over 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda has described alopecia areata as Indralupt and there are so many herbal treatment options given in the ancient books of Ayurveda. One of the Sanskrit Shloka from Sushrut Sanhitaisasunder: |
 |
In recent time traditional Ayurveda treatment has become most popular in advanced countries like USA, UK, Europe etc.. |
 |
|
|