First Signs That You Have Alopecia

There is probably no one in this world that didn't have hair problems at least once in a lifetime. The reasons for this are many - from changes in hormone levels to life style. The first sign is usually excessive hair loss. That can stop after a while without any other major problems, but sometimes it progresses to a severe condition, when first patches start appearing. People usually seek help when hair loss becomes obvious. The condition can initiate any time, often without warning. It can affect any surface on the body covered with hair, most often scalp.

If the condition progresses to larger bald surfaces, this condition evolves to alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis. Development begins slowly and it affects not only the place where the hair fell off but the hair around it, making it week and brittle. Anyone can be affected with this condition, it can develop at any age and it's not gender specific. While some people won't have any other problems besides hair loss, others can experience itching, pricking, pain or burning in the afflicted area.

Men are usually affected with patchy hair loss in the beard area. When the inflammation stops, hair starts growing again. The trickiest part of the condition is that no one can know whether this condition is going to repeat or not. People who didn't have hair problems might not think that is can cause any issues, but the condition alters the image a person has, affecting a person's self-esteem. It causes anxiety and insecurity to the people who have it.

Hair loss that progresses over time and causes bald spots is categorized as cicatricial alopecia, causing even scaling, redness, itching, burning and pain in some cases. There are two types: primary cicatricial alopecia and secondary cicatricial alopecia. The first one is caused by inflammation of hair follicles around the sebaceous gland. When this gland gets destroyed hair regrowth is impossible. The second type is caused by burns, radiation and skin infections. Biopsy is the only way to determine for sure that the condition is actually cicatricial alopecia. It will show the condition your scalp is in. Treatment for primary cicatricial alopecia depends on the classification: lymphocytic, neutrophils and mixed inflammatory cells.

Hair loss treatments are different, so lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia gets treated with anti-inflammatory medications which are used to irradiate or minimize the lymphocytic inflammatory cells that attack hair follicles. Neutrophils are treated in order to rid microbes that inflame the area. Oral or topical antibiotics are mostly used. Treatment for the mixed group of cicatricial alopecia consists of antimicrobials and anti-inflammatories. Some conditions get resolved without treatments but there are people who are not that lucky, so they need to be persistent. The result depends on the degree, the type of the condition and the reaction of the body. If you have problem with accepting the consequences of this condition, there are support groups that can make your situation much easier, since the conversation with the people that have the same problem as you do can bring you a completely new perspective.