Treating female alopecia areata and the causes of alopecia areata are discussed by Dr Martin Wade, Hair Expert from The London Skin and Hair Clinic, in this weeks article.

A recent article in The Telegraph “The bald facts about female hair loss” (14th December 2009) outlined the writer’s experience in suffering from alopecia areata from the age of 19. Unfortunately the author had not had a good experience with her GP who had told her there was no treatment and that her condition was trivial. Most of the patients that see me for treatment for alopecia areata certainly would not agree that this condition is trivial at all. Hair loss, particularly at a young age, can be highly traumatic and emotional.

In this week’s post I wanted to describe just what alopecia areata is, the signs and symptoms, and the treatments that are available.

Alopecia areata affects 1% of the population at any time in their lives and usually presents as patchy hair loss, although this condition sometimes can be diffuse (which makes it more difficult to diagnose) or can result in dramatic total hair loss. Hair loss can occur from the head or the body, wherever hair is present. Alopecia areata actually affects men and women in equal numbers.

When most people say alopecia they are referring to alopecia areata by default, as the word alopecia really only means hair loss.  There are many other causes of hair loss (including androgenetic alopecia and scarring alopecia) and so an accurate diagnosis is vital to allow the best treatment to be selected targeted at the specific condition.

The natural history of alopecia areata can be unpredictable, but tends to be a chronic and relapsing one.  Some people are lucky though, and only ever have one or two patches or episodes of hair loss with this condition.

Alopecia areata is an auto-immune condition where the body’s own immune system is attacking the hair follicles.  The reason for this is not known but it is thought that there is a slight error in the immune system which perceives the affected follicles as abnormal.  This does not mean that the rest of the immune system is faulty or under-performing.  The good news is the hair follicles have not been destroyed and can re-grow a normal hair at some stage in the future.

Often the patients I have seen feel that they have not been taken seriously by their general practitioners and this is a reflection of how difficult an area of medicine this is as well as the fact that many dermatological conditions are often thought trivial as they are not life threatening.

Treatments include topical formulations, injections to the scalp, topical immunotherapy in the form of DCP and sometimes systemic immunosuppressive medications. Unfortunately there is a proportion of the population who do not respond to treatment.

Many people do not realise that a Dermatologist is a qualified medical practitioner (Doctor) who is trained to deal with all hair, skin and nail conditions. A few Dermatologists (like me) have a special interest in hair loss and hair conditions.

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Find out more about female alopecia areata, hair loss and general dermatology by visiting the websites of Dr Martin Wade and The London Skin and Hair Clinic.

This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to be used for self-diagnosis and treatment. An accurate diagnosis can only be determined through a face to face consultation with a qualified Dermatologist.

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