Alopecia Treatment

Types of Alopecia

• Alopecia Areata: Let's start with alopecia areata. Previously, we discussed scarring and non-scarring alopecia. Scarring alopecia occurs when the hair follicle has been destroyed completely. This type of alopecia has no treatment. It can be caused due to many skin-related problems like lichen planus. Since this type of alopecia doesn't have a treatment, you have to stay alert all the time. As soon as you suspect a skin condition that causes reactions like butterfly rashes on the face, visit your skin specialist immediately as it will eventually attack your hair follicles and can cause scarring alopecia.
  
  On the other hand, non-scarring alopecia occurs when only a hair graft from the hair follicle has been removed. This means that the hair follicle will still be present, making this condition treatable. How does non-scaring alopecia begin? It is an autoimmune condition. This condition will occur when your immune system starts attacking the hair follicles. As a result, when it starts attacking your hair follicles, the hair will start to fall and shed. This can cause alopecia areata. In this condition, you will experience hair shedding and hair loss in just a specific area on the scalp, usually in a circular shape. The affected area will have no hair at all.
  
  However, alopecia areata doesn’t occur on scalps only. It is seen on people’s beards as well. Usually, this occurs in young boys and men. It is a genetic condition amongst families that have a medical history of conditions like asthma, anemia, etc. The good news is that you can treat alopecia areata and restore hair on the head. However, you must get the right treatment immediately after suspecting a small patch on your scalp as the hair follicle will start getting destroyed if left untreated.
• Alopecia Totalis: Previously, we discussed that someone experiences hair loss in small circular patches on the scalp it is known as alopecia areata. Similarly, alopecia totalis also causes hair loss. However, it does not cause round patches of hair loss, instead, it causes complete baldness on the head. This type of alopecia can start as alopecia areata. You can expect to experience small patches of hair loss on your scalp. However, these patches will start to spread all over your scalp over time until your entire head has no hair. Fortunately, since this is a nonscarring alopecia, it can be treated. You can expect to restore hair on your head sometime after getting the treatment. However, it is vital to get the treatment right after the diagnosis of the condition as hair follicles can slowly get destroyed if left untreated.
• Alopecia Universalis: Unlike alopecia areata and alopecia totalis, alopecia universalis does not just affect the scalp or head. This condition affects your entire body. This means that if you have alopecia universalis, you will experience hair loss on your body and scalp. You can expect to experience hair loss on your arms, legs, eyebrows, and even the inside of your nose. But there is no need to worry. Alopecia universalis can also be treated like alopecia areata and totalis. You just have to make sure to get the treatment right after the condition gets diagnosed to prevent the hair follicles from getting damaged.

Clinical Treatments to Treat Alopecia

Even though many patients have reported mild improvements after using the home remedies, it will only work if the condition is at its earliest stage, which is alopecia areata. Therefore, people experiencing severe forms of alopecia like alopecia totalis or alopecia universalis are recommended to look for the right medicines or clinical treatment options.

• Medicines: There are many medicines available to treat alopecia. Minoxidil is an over-the-counter medicine that can be used to treat alopecia. However, it’s a mild medicine so it works best for alopecia areata only. If you are experiencing alopecia totalis or alopecia universalis, this medicine might not work effectively for you.  Similarly, the skin specialist will recommend medical creams and moisturizers like corticosteroid creams, lotions, and ointments to reduce the inflammation in your hair follicles.
• Oral Treatments: The skin specialist can also prescribe oral treatments like cortisone tablets to treat alopecia totalis or universalis. Even though these tablets are clinically approved as a safe treatment for alopecia, you can expect to experience some side effects like swelling, nausea, vomiting, etc. after eating these tablets. Therefore, make sure to discuss this with your skin specialist if they prescribe you these tablets.
• PRP Injections: Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections have shown promising results in the treatment of alopecia, particularly in cases of androgenetic alopecia (pattern hair loss) and alopecia areata. PRP contains growth factors and cytokines that promote hair growth by stimulating the hair follicles, improving blood supply to the scalp, and reducing inflammation.

Home Remedies to Treat Alopecia

Before jumping to medicines and clinical treatments, it is advisable to try home remedies to treat your alopecia. Here are some effective home remedies you can try to restore hair growth.
Honey and lemon contain anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It can allow you to clean the scalp, removing all the dirt and bacteria that might be blocking the hair follicles. Therefore, take a decent amount of honey mix it with a few drops of lemon, and apply it to your scalp directly. You can clean the mixture by washing your head with shampoo.

Unions do a lot more than just add flavor to the food. It includes high levels of sulfur that can eliminate toxic chemicals from your body and improve blood circulation. It can also save your body from autoimmune diseases. Hence, you can cut small pieces of onion, squeeze them, and apply the liquid to your head.
Oats contain beneficial nutrients like zinc, fiber, iron, and fatty acids. They also contain proteins and other important nutrients. As a result, it can play a major role in promoting hair growth on your scalp. Therefore, add oats to your diet to restore hair on your head quickly.

Cost of Alopecia Hair Fall Treatment

Alopecia Treatment cost depends on the treatment module, if we talk about treatment using hair prp then it costs around Rs. 8000 for a single session.