Alopecia Areata and Treatment

One of the most shocking and terrifying findings is to know that you are suffering from alopecia areata. And the worst part is explaining to people how and why you are losing hair rapidly.

Today, at Febron, we want to talk about some facts regarding this condition. We will also talk about how you can treat this condition.

Having alopecia areata doesn’t mean you should stop living your life to the fullest. This is a condition is rare, but it can be treated.

What is Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia is a scientific term that simply refers to hair loss. Having alopecia areata means the patient is suffering from hair loss in the form of round patches.

It is an autoimmune skin disease which leads to loss of hair from the body, mainly from the scalp. When a person’s immune system fails to differentiate between foreign bodies and its own body, it’s called auto-immune disease. In this case, the target is the hair follicles. The damage is not permanent, but it causes hair loss. Experts are yet to find out how hair follicles become the target because of this auto-immune disease.

Alopecia is categorized into three classes: areata, totalis, and universalis. Alopecia areata causes the hair to fall out in patches. It can happen to men and women, irrespective of their age. However, early symptoms can be seen as early as in childhood.

Alopecia totalis, as the name suggests, is a condition in which hair loss occurs to the complete scalp. If a person suffers hair loss all over his or her body, it is known as alopecia universalis.

Sadly, it’s hard to predict this disease and measure its severity. You can never know for sure when will you start losing your hair, and how much. What worsens the scenario is that you don’t even know when your hair will grow back. The severity and duration also vary from person to person.

Causes

As we discussed above, hair fall in this disease is due to the immune system erroneously attacking the hair follicles on the scalp.

The root cause has not been figured out yet. However, it is possible to identify individuals who are more prone to develop this condition.

Having someone in your family with this disease increases our chances of having it too. Ironically, it is not a hereditary condition. According to scientists, this is probably because of a particular combination of genes. This combination makes someone more susceptible to alopecia areata.

If a family member experiences hair loss before the age of thirty, your chances of getting this disease increase. One out of every five people suffering from this condition has someone in his/her family already suffering from it.

Having a family history of autoimmune diseases like type-1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or thyroid disease increases the chances of alopecia areata.

Other such diseases are systemic lupus erythematosus, pernicious anemia, and Addison’s disease. Alopecia areata patients are also more prone to develop conditions such as thyroid, asthma, nasal allergies, and atopic eczema.

All in all, alopecia areata has an effect on roughly 2% of all Americans, irrespective of their age, sex and/or ethnic background.

Treatment

Since its root cause hasn’t been found out yet, alopecia areata cannot be cured. The good news is: it is still possible to treat it.

It takes around one year for the hair to re-grow, but that does not sound comforting at all. Fortunately, many options are available to treat, cover, and hide the thinning hair.

Injections of corticosteroids are known to be the most effective treatment. The routine involves getting these injections in the scalp after four to six weeks. Corticosteroids are known to restrain the immune system.

This is the most common treatment for alopecia areata. After you’ve got the last shot, you will notice hair growing back on the bald patch in the next four weeks. This treatment is recommended for adults.

Another method of treatment is the use of minoxidil. However, if taken topically, it can only be used with corticosteroids. Adults and kids can take this treatment twice a day. It can be used on the scalp, brows and/or facial hair. The effects of minoxidil treatment are visible in around three months.

How can Febron help you?

People who are looking for a method to hide their thinning hair while the treatment takes effect, you are in luck! Now you can say goodbye to wearing unnatural wigs.

Febron concealing fibers are an amazing answer and alternative to wearing a wig. Febron hair fibers are made of lightweight. And this is exactly why they don’t look weird on the scalp. They blend perfectly with your natural hair.

Because of high static charge, they can withstand the harsh daily routine. And removing them at the end of the day is also easy. You just need to use your normal mild shampoo and rinse it completely.

Febron hair fibers make your scalp look full of thick and healthy hair, instantly! They are also great for men with patchy beards.