If you have an underlying health condition that's causing hair loss, your insurance may cover treatments as part of your care. For example, your hair loss may be caused by alopecia areata. In this case, your health plan would likely cover some female pattern hair loss treatment as part of your overall care plan.
The costs can range widely from $80 to $4,700, depending on factors like insurance coverage and dose requirements.
According to Mayo Clinic, if your hair loss is caused by a medical condition, the cost of some treatments might be covered by insurance but in most cases, insurance will not cover hair loss treatment because hair loss is not a medical condition itself.
Although alopecia is one of the most prevalent dermatologic conditions in the United States, it is typically viewed as a benign process with only cosmetic consequences. Androgenic alopecia has an especially strong perception as a cosmetic management issue.
Get support.
Many people with alopecia areata experience emotions such as loneliness, poor self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation offers support group programs throughout the world. You can find more information here. They also provide peer mentors and one-on-one phone support.
Causes of Alopecia Areata
In alopecia areata, the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing inflammation. Researchers do not fully understand what causes the immune attack on hair follicles, but they believe that both genetic and environmental (non-genetic) factors play a role.
How Long does Hair Loss Last? In half of patients with alopecia areata, individual episodes of hair loss last less than one year, and hair grows back without treatment. These patients may experience recurrent episodes of hair loss that spontaneously regrow or respond quickly to treatments.
Alopecia areata is not medically disabling; persons with alopecia areata are usually in excellent health. But emotionally, this disease can be challenging, especially for those with extensive hair loss.
Patchy alopecia areata
Injections of corticosteroids: To help your hair regrow, your dermatologist will inject this medication into the bald areas. These injections are usually given every 4 to 8 weeks as needed, so you will need to return to your dermatologist's office for treatment.
If you have a medical condition like alopecia areata, the dermatologist may prescribe medications or recommend an over-the-counter treatment. In-office procedures can also be effective for some patients. These treatments can include corticosteroid injections, laser therapy, and platelet-rich plasma therapy.
Steroid injections may promote hair growth for those with alopecia areata. These injections may be covered by insurance as part of treatment for this autoimmune disease.
INTRALESIONAL CORTICOSTEROID INJECTIONS
This method of treatment — the most common form of treatment for alopecia areata — uses corticosteroids that are injected into bare patches of skin with a tiny needle. These injections are repeated about every four to six weeks and are usually given by a dermatologist.
Traditional treatments for alopecia areata include steroid injections to the areas where the hair has been shed. Steroids suppress the immune cells that are attacking hair follicles, so hair can regrow.
In most people, new hair eventually grows back in the affected areas, although this process can take months. Approximately 50 percent of people with mild alopecia areata recover within a year; however, most people will experience more than one episode during their lifetime.
For 1/3 of people with alopecia areata with a single patch, the hair will grow back in 6 months even without treatment. For another 1/3 of people, it will grow back in 1 year without treatment. For 1/3 it does not grow back on its and hair loss worsens without treatment.
It may be progressive, meaning it gets worse over time, or it may not. For some people, small bare patches join together and turn into large patches. You're more likely to have extensive alopecia areata if: You have eczema.
On the AIP elimination diet, you will avoid grains, legumes, nightshades (such as potatoes and peppers), dairy, eggs, coffee, alcohol, sugar, oil and food additives. After a few months, you can work the excluded foods back in one at a time to figure out which foods trigger an inflammatory reaction.
Ketoconazole shampoos help treat Alopecia by cleaning the skin area around your hair follicle of sebum, or the skins natural oils that are produced. Getting rid of these oils can allow your hair follicles to receive more nutrition and release for your hair to regrow.
Ways to Stop Alopecia Areata from Spreading or Worsening
Avoiding unnecessary hair or scalp trauma, reducing stress and analyzing your diet are all worthwhile endeavors when attempting to prevent alopecia areata from spreading.
Anyone can develop alopecia; however, your chances of having alopecia areata are slightly greater if you have a relative with the condition. In addition, alopecia areata occurs more often among people who have family members with autoimmune disorders such as diabetes, lupus or thyroid disease.
The condition is not covered by any legislation designed to combat disability discrimination such as the Americans with Disabilities Act in the U.S. or the Equality Act in the U.K.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. This means that your immune system mistakenly attacks a part of your body. When you have alopecia areata, cells in your immune system surround and attack your hair follicles (the part of your body that makes hair).
Sometimes one or more bald patches develop a few weeks after the first one. Sometimes the first bald patch is regrowing hair whilst a new bald patch is developing. It can then appear as if small bald patches rotate around different areas of the scalp over time.
Alopecia areata: Alopecia is the medical term for bald. Areata means patchy. This patchy baldness can develop anywhere on the body, including the scalp, beard area, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, inside your nose, or ears. Alopecia totalis: The person loses all hair on the scalp, so the scalp is completely bald.
Alopecia areata often happens once and then there is regrowth of normal hair. Sometimes, recurrent episodes of hair loss may occur with periods of regrowth. This may occur over many years.