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Alopecia Areata
In this condition, the body's immune system attacks the hair and destroys it slowly. You must have seen hair loss in the shape of coin-sized patches. That is alopecia areata. Sometimes it covers the whole scalp, and in extreme cases, some people lose hair from all over the body. This problem may not remain permanent and hair normally grows back after few years.
How It Develops?
This disease can affect anybody at any age. It can begin from any hair bearing area such as scalp, beard, eyebrows, etc. Sometimes, it stops after some patches are formed while at times all the hair is lost. The disease is unpredictable and every individual shows a different pattern. A person may suffer some hair loss and hair may regrow after some months and then again fall after some months. For another person, the regrowth may occur after many years. This is a disease of the immune system and somebody from the family may have had another autoimmune disease such as asthma, atopic dermatitis or hay fever.
Treatment:
There is no permanent cure for alopecia areata and treatment is directed towards regrowth of hair, whenever hair loss occurs. Steroid injections at the site of hair loss are of help. In certain circumstances, your doctor may use oral steroids or topical steroids, but use of steroids in topical or oral form is not preferred. Minoxidil application helps in regrowing the hair, and so does application of anthralin. You should discuss all these alternatives with your doctor.
Article created on: June 28, 2006
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