Alopecia Areata - In this type of hair loss, hair usually falls out, resulting in totally smooth, round patches about the size of a coin or larger. It can, though rare, result in complete loss of scalp and body hair. This disease may affect children or adults of any age.

Typical Example of Alopecia Areata (beard)		Typical Example of Alopecia Areata (scalp)
Typical Example of Alopecia Areata (scalp)
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The cause of alopecia areata is unknown, but some cases can be exacerbated by stress and, in case 2, above, by seborrheic dermatitis. Apart from the hair loss, affected persons are generally in excellent health. In most cases, the hair regrows by itself, but it can take a considerable amount of time without medical assistance.

Alopecia Areata Treatment
In alopecia areata, the hair usually grows back by itself, but very slowly. Sometimes the new hair is temporarily gray or white, but after a while, the original color usually returns. Cortisone injections often stimulate hair growth and will hasten the resolution of the process. This is the preferred method of treatment at Crutchfield Dermatology.

In the cortisone injection treatment, the medicine is injected into the area of hair loss. The medicine protects the hair roots and signals them to resume making hair. We generally perform injections once per month for a total of two to six injections to stimulate hair regrowth. The cortisone injections only act in the areas that have been injected. They do not prevent new areas of hair loss. However, if new areas of hair loss appear, regrowth may be helped by injecting cortisone in the new areas. Sometimes if the hair loss is profound, systemic medications may be considered. Dr. Crutchfield will carefully evaluate your situation and design a program that is appropriate for you. At Crutchfield Dermatology, we are confident in our ability to treat alopecia areata, as we did for the patient pictured above.

At Crutchfield Dermatology were are confident in our ability to treat this condition, as we did for the patients pictured above.

For additional helpful information on this topic Dr. Crutchfield recommends this helpful link:

American Academy of Dermatology: Hair Loss

Alopecia Areata Foundation

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