ALOPECIA AREATA( A Simple Guide to Alopecia) is a condition where the hair of the scalp would drop leaving a patch of bald area like a coin on the scalp.
The size and occurrence of alopecia areata are more common than females than in males.
The cause is unknown although some believe it to be
1.due to excessive male hormones( like male baldness)
2.auto immune (where the cells of the body attack the cells in the scalp causing the hair to drop)
3.chemicals and dye affecting the roots of the hair
4.stress and nervous tension which was the definite cause in one of my patient.
I have a few cases of this conditions.
Treatment was usually an injection of steroids into the scalp -a rather painful procedure because the scalp have a lot of nerves - and an application of a steroid cream into the scalp.
One patient was a teenage girl who had her first bald patch after her O Level examination.
She had the injections and cream to help her hair to grow.
After this incidence she had a recurrence every year after a major examination.
Each time she had an injection of steroid and cream.
She did well enough in her examinations to enter medical school in the University of London.
After her yearly examination she would return to Singapore to have her bald patch injected by me with steroid and application of steroid cream.
After her graduation as a doctor, the condition disappeared.
It would appear that her stress over her examinations was the triggering factor in production of the bald spots in her hair.
I had a few other young patients male and female who also had this condition each time after a stressful experience.
They were all treated with the steroid injection with improvement.
Recently I had an elderly patient who also developed 2 holes in the hair of the scalp. Growth of hair was slower than the younger patient. The new hair was white compared to his other hairs which were dyed.
I told him not to dye his hair because it could be a contributing factor. In the end he was persuaded by his wife to remove the dye. Since then his hair grew faster until it was normal. I guess that he had to live without dying his hairs.
The cause of this condition is still unknown but definitely stress and chemical dye are 2 factors to consider.
During the procedure of treating this condition, I found that somehow steroid creams do help in the growth with hairs.
I have asked a few patients with male baldness to try massaging their scalp with steroid creams with some success.
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