Alopecia areata is a difficult to treat disease with complex and diverse etiology. At present, there is no unified clinical classification of alopecia areata, and the differences between Chinese and Western medicine are even greater due to different theoretical systems. But no matter how the classification is, the most critical thing is still the treatment, the efficacy is the hard truth, as the saying goes, “no matter if it is a white cat or a black cat, the one that catches the mouse is the good cat. In recent years, in the western medical treatment of hair loss, most doctors like to use steroid corticosteroids, often called “hormones”, such as prednisone, dexamethasone, betamethasone, tretinoin, etc., the use of these hormones, oral, local injection, topical application and other ways, in fact, these drugs for the treatment of hair loss has a fairly good effect. Most patients have new hair after treatment, and many patients can be cured after a period of time through hormone treatment, but there are also many patients who rebound after using hormone treatment, and hair loss is more serious after repeated, and a series of side effects appear after hormone treatment, the most common ones are false fat, edema, full moon face, buffalo back, irregular menstruation is common in women, and serious ones may appear fracture or femoral head Therefore, many patients have a fear of hormones and are scared when talking about hormones. More patients lose confidence in the treatment after the rebound of symptoms after hormone treatment. How to judge the effect of hormones on hair loss? Should hair loss patients absolutely reject hormones? It can be said that any drug has two effects, which are positive and negative, or “dialectical use of medicine” as Chinese medicine says. First of all, we have to understand one thing: medicine is poisonous in three ways. It is impossible to expect a drug without toxic side effects. If the drug has no side effects, it may have no positive effect, that is, no therapeutic effect, because everything is two-sided. Hormones are a common clinical drug and have a good effect on many diseases, but they must be used correctly, not blindly and indiscriminately, and it is absolutely wrong to use them when you see a disease. Dermatologists in Western medicine hospitals often use hormones, so many people say that dermatologists are “three vegetarian” doctors (hormones, antibiotics, vitamins) (some also call them “four vegetarians”, the other is countless in mind), and I am no exception. I am no exception, because I also practiced western dermatology in my early years. However, if the evidence is correct, hormones can be used in combination with hormone therapy to get twice the effect with half the effort. Under what circumstances can hormones be used? From personal experience in treatment for many years, the following cases can be considered: 1. People with good qi and blood. If used by people with deficiencies in both qi and blood, there may be great side effects and the rebound will be obvious after stopping the medication; 2. Baldness that is not very serious. In this case, a small amount of hormone can have a significant effect and no side effects will occur; 3.People with general qi and blood but no deficiency in spleen and kidney. People with this condition should be careful with the use of hormones, and must be combined with Chinese herbal medicine to supplement the deficiency. In the above three cases, there are no obvious side effects and good results can be achieved. The use of hormones is not recommended in several cases: 1. minors, especially small children; 2. elderly people; 3. pregnant women; 4. people with stomach problems; 5. people with obvious deficiency of qi and blood. In short, the treatment of hair loss should be dialectical medicine, try to avoid the use of some toxic and side effects of drugs, for hormones, if possible to avoid the use of avoid using.