Types of Alopecia

February 7, 2023

2 min read

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease where the person’s white blood cells attack their hair follicles, causing hair loss. Alopecia can happen to anyone irrespective of age or gender. It can happen in patches or can cause complete hair loss.

Though hair loss typically happens on the scalp, alopecia can cause hair loss in eyebrows, eyelashes, and facial and body hair.

Although no one solution can treat all alopecia, some treatments can benefit certain alopecia types.

As alopecia is an autoimmune disease, it can be treated using immunosuppressant drugs. Other treatments provide medications to reverse hair loss or slow it down. Some other treatments include methods to promote new hair growth.

Patchy alopecia

If the disease causes a few patches of baldness, your dermatologist can prescribe medicines as follows:

Corticosteroid injections: The dermatologists can inject the medication directly into the bald patches to stimulate hair regrowth.
Minoxidil(Rogaine): Minoxidil is an over-the-counter medication found in the form of shampoo and liquid foam. When applied to the scalp, the medicine slows hair loss while stimulating hair growth in alopecia patients.
Finasteride(Propecia): It is a prescription drug for men and is available as a pill. The medicine can slow down hair loss and promote hair regrowth if taken for a long time.

Rapid or total alopecia

Where alopecia causes rapid hair loss in a large area, total hair loss on the scalp, or complete hair loss, your dermatologist can recommend:

Contact Immunotherapy: The treatment tries to change your immune system to stop attacking your hair follicles.
Methotrexate: The medicine is often prescribed with a corticosteroid to regrow hair in bald areas.
JAK Inhibitors: These are medicines that, when prescribed, blocks the activity of one or more family of enzymes reducing inflammation that can cause hair loss.

The U.S Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the medicine, Olumiant oral tablets, a JAK inhibitor that is used to treat severe alopecia in adults. It is the first systemic medicine to treat the entire body of people suffering from alopecia.

Patients experiencing total alopecia can also seek out:

Hair transplant surgery: The surgery can use the hair present on the scalp to cover areas of baldness due to alopecia.
Laser therapy: FDA-approved low-level laser device can be used to treat hereditary hair loss in adults.
Wigs or scalp prosthesis: Alopecia patients can suffer mental health issues after hair loss. They can wear wigs or scalp prosthesis that cover up the bald patches and helps restore confidence.

Lastly, there are natural treatment options that some alopecia choose to try. These include aromatherapy, essential oils, garlic extract, onion juice, and acupuncture.

Feel free to share your alopecia treatment experiences with other Healthread members.

General information, not medical advice

This article can't account for your health history or current treatment. Talk to a qualified clinician before you change anything about your care.

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Patchy alopecia

Rapid or total alopecia

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