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Alopecia Areata

 
I.  Definition:
 
Alopecia areata is the name for a condition in which round patches of hair loss appear suddenly.  The hair-growing tissue is attacked by the patient's own immune cells for unknown reasons.  There are three stages: first, there is sudden hair loss, then the patches of hair loss enlarge, and last, new hair grows back.  This process takes months, sometimes more than a year, but rarely does the hair never grow back.
 
 
II.  Causes:

  • We do not know why the immune cells attack the hair-growing tissue.
 
  • Alopecia areata is not contagious, not caused by foods, and is not the result of nervousness.
 
  • Alopecia areata sometimes runs in families.
 
 
III.  Treatment:

  • Cortisone injections often stimulate hair regrowth.  Twenty to thirty injections per patch are required once a month.  The injections are uncomfortable.  Cortisone injections only work in the areas that have been injected; the injections do not prevent new areas of hair loss.  It generally takes one to two months after the injection before hair growth is visible.
 
  • Some patients do not respond to any treatment.  We cannot predict which patients will respond to treatment.
 
  • Cortisone creams are also sometimes beneficial in the treatment of alopecia areata.
 
  • For more information click the link below:
 
The National Alopecia Areata Foundation
(415) 456-4644
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