Have you often seen a person who has round patches on his head or beard? All the hair has suddenly fallen out from one place. Actually, it could be ‘Alopecia Areata’. This is a type of autoimmune hair loss condition, in which the body’s immune system mistakenly considers the hair follicles as the enemy and starts damaging them. Due to this condition, hair starts falling from the head in round patches. It also affects the eyebrows, beard and hair on all parts of the body.
According to researchers from the National Institutes of Health, about 2% of people worldwide are affected by alopecia at some point in their life. In America itself, about 68 lakh people are facing this condition. Let us tell you about this in detail.
What is alopecia?
Actually, alopecia is a condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own hair follicles (hair roots). Due to this, hair starts falling suddenly and round or patchy baldness starts appearing. Let us tell you that this problem is not a cosmetic problem, but an autoimmune condition. Not only this, in this condition the hair root is not permanently destroyed, but becomes temporarily inactive.
What are the early symptoms of alopecia?
– Alopecia causes sudden hair loss, especially in coin-sized patches. Hair falls in clumps while combing or bathing.
– Itching, slight burning or tingling sensation in the scalp.
– Pits, roughness or white spots may also appear on the nails. There is no pain in the beginning. Therefore, people should not ignore this normal hair fall at all. However, timely identification of the disease can make treatment more effective.
– Hair fall while bathing, hair fall of eyebrows, eyelashes, beard and formation of patches in the scalp.
Possible causes of alopecia
However, the main cause of alopecia is the imbalance of the immune system. Genetic reasons, stress, viral infection, hormonal changes and other autoimmune diseases can be responsible for this.
Alopecia can occur due to lack of nutrition.
Apart from this, chronic stress and chronic infection, or any chronic disease and side effects of medicines can also occur.
What is the treatment for alopecia?
The treatment of alopecia is decided according to its condition and severity. Doctors usually prescribe medications that control the body’s immune response, such as steroid creams, injections, or other medications, to help hair regrowth. In some serious cases, immunotherapy or oral medicines are also resorted to. Additionally, a balanced diet, reducing stress, and getting adequate sleep are also important parts of the treatment process, as all these factors affect the health of the hair.
Do home or natural remedies help in treating alopecia?
Although home or natural remedies are not a cure for alopecia, however they can play a supporting role-
– You need a balanced diet, adequate amount of protein, iron, zinc and vitamin D.
– Apart from this, you can do daily yoga, meditation and stress management to help in immune balance.
Onion juice, aloe vera or coconut oil can improve scalp health, but they do not stop immune attacks.
– These should be adopted as support rather than as an alternative to medical treatment.
