Alopecia areata is a sudden, limited patchy hair loss that can occur anywhere on the body, such as total hair loss (alopecia totalis) or generalized hair loss (alopecia universalis).
Causes: The causes of alopecia are not fully understood, but it is thought that they may be related to genetics, mental stress, emotional stress, endocrine disorders, and autoimmunity.
Clinical manifestations: The disease can occur at any age, but is more common in young adults. The lesions appear as a sudden occurrence of round or oval-shaped, 1-250px in diameter, varying in number, clearly defined areas of hair loss on the scalp. “If the lesions continue to expand and increase in number, they may fuse with each other to form irregular patches; the hair at the edge of the hair loss patch is no longer loose in the resting phase. Most patients enter the recovery phase after 3 to 4 months of onset, with local growth of new hairs, initially appearing as fine, soft and light-colored vellus hairs, gradually thickening and darkening, and finally returning to normal. Most patients can heal spontaneously, but about 50% of patients have recurrence.
Treatment: Remove the possible triggering factors and pay attention to the combination of work and rest. For patients with widespread baldness or general baldness, consider wearing a wig to reduce the psychological burden.
1, external drug treatment: 2% to 5% minoxidil tincture, nitrogen mustard hydrochloride solution, etc. for external use, or external tincture or lotion of traditional Chinese medicine to invigorate the blood and regenerate hair with skin needling treatment; isolated, stubborn lesions can be prednisolone suspension mixed with 1% procaine in equal amounts for intradermal injection.
2, internal drug therapy: for rapid and widespread progressive hair loss can be oral small and medium doses of prednisone, a few weeks after the gradual reduction and maintenance for several months, generally within 2 months hair growth, but may relapse after discontinuation; cystine, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B6, etc. to help hair growth; mental tension, anxiety, insomnia patients can be given bromine or other sedatives (such as diazepam, endorphin, etc.)
3, physical therapy: including skin needling, local massage, freezing, laser, ultraviolet radiation, photochemotherapy (PUVA), etc. have certain effects.
Prevention: 1. Mental factors such as trauma, emotional stress and neurasthenia are the causes of the onset or aggravation of baldness, so it is important to keep your spirit happy and psychologically healthy, and exercise to regulate your nervous function, strengthen and improve your skin’s metabolism, and enhance your resistance to disease.
2.Eat less stimulating food, eat more fresh vegetables, fruits and vitamin-rich foods, control fat and sugar diet, and improve digestive function.
3, improve local blood circulation, except for drug treatment, can do more scalp exercise, hot compress, acupressure, so that the skin congestion, promote hair growth.
4, pay attention to rest, work and rest, pay attention to strengthen exercise, to ensure that the regularity of life, improve the body’s resistance. If it is not cured for a long time, you can wear a wig first to reduce the psychological burden to facilitate treatment.