Alopecia areata is a medical condition in which the hairs fall out in round or oval patches. Hair can fall out from the scalp and elsewhere on the body.  These patches can sometimes spread and combine further to involve larger areas, sometimes full scalp, involving eyebrows, beard and even the whole body.  Alopecia areata can cause different types of hair loss:

• Alopecia areata (hair loss in patches).

• Alopecia totalis (lose all hair on the scalp).

• Alopecia universalis (lose all hair on scalp, face and the body).

Hair often grow back on its own in many cases but others may require adequate medical treatment. Sometimes the hair loss lasts for many years and in some cases they may not grow back at all.

 Alopecia is not contagious. Nor is it caused by any worm, insect or fungus. It is an internal condition and one can NOT pick it up from others and NOR can get ‘infected’, even if living or playing in close proximity. In case of school children suffering from alopecia areata, they need not be forced to take off from school and nor do they or their friends require to take any special precautions in this regard. Not letting children play with their peers or not letting them attend classes due to alopecia can have a negative impact on their social well being. The best is to make aware the peers, parents and also the staff at school about the condition of the child.

 This condition most often occurs in otherwise healthy people. It means that Alopecia Aerata as such doesn’t cause any ill effects on the rest of the body. Though in some cases it may be associated with other autoimmune diseases as well. Stress might be one of the precipitating factors in occurrence of Alopecia areata and it is always advisable to keep a check on stress levels during the treatments as well.

 Single, slowly appearing, small patches of alopecia usually do not requirement treatment. Hair re-grow in a matter of few months. More number of patches or aggressively progressing alopecia requires aggressive approach in the treatment. The choice of treatment may depend upon various factors, and may include: Topical potent steroids, Intralesional steroid injections, Oral steroid regimen, PRP, bio photo-modulation, DPCP, Minoxidil etc.

Caution: The information shared here is only for awareness purpose. Actual treatment regimen for any individual may  vary from person to person, hence it is highly recommended to consult A qualified physician  for any alopecia conditions.

 In cases that are resistant to medical treatment or those that relapse, the other options could be: Cosmetic camouflage with Hair systems/ Wigs and Scalp micro-pigmentation, Microblading brow restoration  etc. These though are not a cure per se but help a lot by boosting the confidence of those who suffer more due to social impact of the alopecia condition.

 Cicatricial alopecia, also known as scarring alopecia is a group of alopecia conditions that cause permanent hair loss if not controlled well on time. These include DLE, LPP among some others. Due to the scarring in hair follicle, the hair can’t grow back. The hairloss usually happens in patches but can extend over larger areas on scalp thus causing a major psychological distress to the patients. Some of these conditions may be confused with alopecia areata, fungul infection of head etc. Hence a thorough evaluation by a qualified physician is required for proper diagnosis and hence treatment of the condition.

Hair is lost when chemotherapy drugs damage hair follicles, making hair fall out. Different individual react to same treatment variably. Some drugs cause only the loss of head hair and others may cause hair loss over other parts of the body as well. Radiation therapy to the head often causes scalp hair loss. Sometimes, depending on the dose of radiation to the head, the hair do not grow back the same as it was before. If hair loss is going to happen, it most often
starts within 2 weeks of treatment and gets worse 1 to 2 months after starting therapy. But hair often
start to grow back even before treatment ends.

 Alopecia Support groups provide an open and receptive platform for mutual sharing of the issues related to alopecia conditions. Through such interactions, people not only do get aware about their condition but also learn about how to live with alopecia and promote their positive well being. One such initiative is: Hellopecia. Hellopecia aims to regularly organize and facilitate Alopecia support groups at its Headquarter in Pune, India. Further details of such meetings and events may be seen in News and Events section on this website.

 If you may have some general queries about your Alopecia condition, please feel free to write to us either at our email address given below or fill in the contact form at the bottom. We will try to get back to you at the earliest with the information you seek. Also, if you may want to meet in person for consultation with our honorary physician, kindly ask for a suitable appointment well in advance.