"The easiest solution is to choose a style that's going to keep hair over the spot that's balding. Try a side braid, low ponytail, or a top knot, whichever would best cover your thinning area."
Opting for protective hairstyles for traction alopecia can help. This means choosing styles that allow hair to be natural and loose and foregoing tight ponytails, buns, braids or hair extensions.
Certain hairstyles such as braids and weaves may increase the risk of a irreversible type of baldness called Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA) that starts at the central part of the scalp and spreads out toward the edge of the hairline.
Hair additions (pieces and wigs) can be attached to existing hair and blended to achieve the look of a full, natural head of hair. Accessories like scarves, hats, bandanas and turbans are also good at concealing bald spots when a less time-consuming option is needed.
If your alopecia areata is always patchy, you just never know when or where another bald spot will arise. Shaved head spots give you control. You take a pro-active approach to a neater look rather than waiting for hair to fall out randomly.
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.
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.
Feathered braids are thick at the roots and taper down to thin ends. This removes more weight from your braids, which means they'll be less likely to cause traction alopecia.
Dye doesn't reach the hair follicles which is the part of the hair we are most concerned with when looking at alopecia. However, dyeing hair can cause hair loss if the hair shaft is weakened with prolonged treatments (most commonly damage occurs when taking hair from a very dark colour to a very light colour).
There is currently no cure for alopecia areata, although there are some forms of treatment that can be suggested by doctors to help hair re-grow more quickly. The most common form of alopecia areata treatment is the use of corticosteroids, powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that can suppress the immune system.
Braids can be a great option when trying to avoid hair loss. This is mainly because they are low to the head and don't pull on the hair too much. They also often sit on the shoulders, which means they put less weight on the hair follicles. Out of all the hair loss-friendly hairstyles, they are also the most versatile.
Alopecia in its own right is not classed as a disability in legal or employment terms. For something to qualify as a disability, it means it has to have a substantial and adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities. Alopecia itself does not limit abilities but the mental health impact can.
If you are experiencing thinning or balding, our Bosley experts recommend washing no more than three times a week.
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.
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.
This is called scarring alopecia. Braids, wigs and extensions can be worn safely and are not the direct cause of hair loss. But when they put too much tension on the hair or are worn constantly, the follicles inflame and hair breaks.
A monofilament wig is a comfortable and natural-looking piece of headwear for alopecia sufferers. Monofilament wigs are great for protecting sensitive scalps, and they were actually created for women experiencing severe hair loss for reasons such as undergoing cancer treatment and suffering from alopecia.
Alopecia Areata
Hair from the scalp typically falls out in small patches and is not painful. Hair in other parts of the body, including the eyebrows and eyelashes, may also fall out. Over time, this disease may lead to alopecia totalis, or complete hair loss.
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.
Calcipotriol, a vitamin D analog, has been reported to be topically used in treating alopecia areata with promising results. Combination therapy of vitamin D analogs with corticosteroids might also be used in treating alopecia areata.
The first sign of alopecia areata is often a round or oval bald patch on the scalp.
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.
Baricitinib oral tablets — developed by Eli Lilly and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year — is the first systemic treatment for alopecia areata.
Prescription-strength corticosteroids in liquid form can be applied directly to the scalp. This is often an effective treatment for children affected by alopecia areata. Corticosteroid injections into areas of patchy hair loss on the scalp may help revive hair growth within several weeks in people with alopecia areata.
This kind of hair loss is called telogen effluvium. Hair tends to come out in handfuls when you shampoo, comb, or run your hands through your hair. You may not notice this for weeks to months after the episode of stress. Hair shedding decreases over 6 to 8 months.