At The Belgravia Centre, we often see patients who are experiencing alopecia areata. This condition, generally accepted to be an auto-immune disorder but which also appears to have external triggers, appears as sudden patchy hair loss, something which can be a cause of much worry and distress. Unlike genetic hair loss (androgenic alopecia) alopecia areata will often fix itself within a few months. Below, we explore the condition in greater detail and offer some comfort to those who are not seeing any regrowth by explaining the clinically proven treatments that we offer.
An auto-immune disease is one that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues. In this case, the auto-immune response causes hairs to prematurely enter the resting (telogen) stage of their cycle very quickly. This causes the hairs to shed faster than usual, either in certain areas on the scalp, or, in some cases, over the entire scalp, which is known as alopecia totalis. Even more serious cases of shedding can affect the entire body (alopecia universalis).
However, there are several external factors that appear to trigger alopecia areata. The correlation between stress and the condition is widely accepted, but with no scientific proof of the mechanism at work yet, we can only treat the condition rather than prevent it. That said, those who experience a stressful event or one-off shock usually find that their hair grows back to how it was before a few months down the line. However, if you suffer from chronic (persisting) stress as well as alopecia areata, the link is less clear, with studies often lacking control groups. We would always advise that anyone suffering from chronic stress visit their GP and attempt to deal with the cause as well as addressing the hair loss.
Other proposed external causes of alopecia areata are hormonal changes (for instance from fertility drugs or the contraceptive pill), pregnancy, allergies and viral or bacterial infections. Other factors such as seasonal changes and genetic pre-disposition may be harder to realise. In terms of genetic pres-disposition, it has been found that some genes are much more common in people with alopecia areata compared to the general population. However, it is also widely believed that an environmental trigger is also needed to bring about the onset of this type of alopecia areata.
For those dealing with alopecia areata, who are not seeing any regrowth, clinically proven treatment is available. During our many years of treating alopecia areata, we have established that our unique high strength minoxidil 10% and 12.5% + azealic acid cream formulations are the most effective means of treating the condition, when self-applied twice a day. The minoxidil works by activating potassium channels in the scalp and stopping follicle damage and encouraging regrowth, whilst the azelaic acid inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which joins with testosterone to create DHT, the reduction of which in the scalp encourages hair growth.
Take a look at our vast collection of alopecia success stories for an idea of the results you can expect should you begin a personal treatment programme with The Belgravia Centre. For a free consultation to establish how we can help you, just call 0800 077 6666 or message us online, or for those who cant make it to our central London location, you can complete an online diagnostic form and we will diagnose over the internet.
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