What is alopecia areata, and who is affected?
Alopecia areata affects one in every 170 people in India. In an autoimmune disorder, white blood cells attack hair follicles, which leads to hair loss. Alopecia areata causes small, circular bald patches that might merge to form more significant patches.
Alopecia areata can affect anyone, although non-White people and persons between the ages of 25 and 40 have a higher chance of developing it. Two more severe hair loss conditions that can occasionally develop from it include alopecia total (total loss of scalp hair) and universalis (complete loss of body hair).
Why don’t hair transplants work for alopecia areata?
Lack of healthy hair follicles
Hair transplants take healthy hair follicles from one head region to balding areas. The safe donor place is the band that spans the back and sides of the head in patients with pattern baldness. Follicles in this area are unaffected by the hormones that cause androgenetic alopecia, so they can be safely removed and moved to the thinning areas.
High spontaneous remission rate
Alopecia areata also has a high spontaneous remission rate. In up to 80% of patients, it clears up without intervention within a year of developing symptoms. That means your hair may regrow without surgery. Completing FUE or FUT on these patients can cause excessive trauma.
Are alopecia areata hair transplants successful?
Rarely some medical professionals have successfully treated alopecia areata with hair transplants. Usually, this is only true if your hair loss has stayed the same for a while. One alopecia universalis sufferer, except his eyebrows, saw his body hair grow back. After two years, 80% of his eyebrows returned, but only his natural eyebrow hair had done so. His scalp and brow hair began to emerge again when the transplanted hairs had to be removed. The hair transplant was successful, but it is often inappropriate for people with alopecia areata because it is a volatile disorder that can emerge and disappear anytime.
What treatments work for Alopecia Areata?
Because alopecia areata is so erratic, it isn’t easy to treat. But several treatments have succeeded, including:
- Corticosteroid injections
- Steroid creams for hair loss
- Minoxidil
- Anthralin cream
- Contact immunotherapy
- Olumiant, a JAK inhibitor
- Pfizer’s alopecia drug ritlecitinib (still in FDA/EMA approval phase)
- Immunosuppressant drugs
- Antihistamines
See Minoxidil before and after photos to see the significance of this treatment for Alopecia Areata.
What kinds of hair loss can a hair transplant treat?
Hair transplants are commonly used to restore hair loss following male or female pattern baldness. These are the most typical hair loss, involving far more people than Alopecia areata. So if you still need a secured diagnosis, book an appointment with a hair loss expert. This will help you to find out about FUE hair transplants in Vizag. You will get answers to your hair transplant questions.
We diagnose and treat all hair loss disorders. We’ll design a personalized treatment plan to restore your hair quickly. Book a free consultation for at best hair clinic in Vizag.