|  | Conditions Treatments | Hair Loss

Hair & Alopecia

Alopecia affects about 2 percent of the total population, with 4.7 million people affected in the United States alone. Researchers from the National Alopecia Areata Foundation are dedicated to finding a cure or a 100% effective treatment for patients with alopecia.

  1. Hair

    • Hair is made up of a chemical in the body called keratin. Fingernails and toenails are also made from the same chemical. The papilla is a structure under the skin that produces hair. A sac-like structure called the follicle or hair follicle surrounds the papilla.

    Hair Structure and Growth

    • The shaft of the hair follicle is the hair you see on the outside of the body. It has three different layers. The cuticle is the most outer portion of the follicle; next comes the cortex, the middle of the follicle; and the final layer is the medulla, located at the center of the hair follicle.

      A person has approximately 120,000 hairs on his scalp. Each day, a person can shed up to 100 hair strands. Hair strands can grow up to five years before falling out, then a new strand begins to grow. Normal hair growth depends on how healthy your body is and the amount of blood flow to the papilla.

    Alopecia Areata

    • There are various types of alopecia, which is caused by an autoimmune skin deficiency. The immune system attacks hair follicles because it mistakes them for a foreign substance. Alopecia areata is when hair falls out in many small patches. This can happen solely on the scalp or it can affect the entire body.

    Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis

    • Alopecia totalis is when a person has complete hair loss on the scalp. Alopecia universalis is complete body hair loss. The disease affects each person differently. In some cases, hair can grow back.

    Treatment

    • Alopecia can be treated in some cases. Alopecia areata can be treated with cortisone injections or topical ointments such as Minoxidil or Anthrolin that are applied to the affected areas. Alopecia totalis and universalis can be treated by cortisone pills or topical immunotherapy.

      Cortisone injections or pills are steroids used to help stimulate the hair growth; the pills are stronger than the injections. If effective, patients will start to see results in approximately four weeks.

      Topical immunotherapy is medication used to provoke allergic rashes or allergic contact dermatitis to stimluate hair growth. Topical ointments such as diphencyprone (DPCP), dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) or squaric acid dibutyl ester (SADBE) that are applied to the scalp. Experts say the resulting rash may resemble poison ivy or poison oak. About 40% of those who undergo this treatment see results in about six months.

Hair Loss - Related Articles