No fully effective treatments are available. Typical treatment of alopecia areata includes:
Steroid injection under the skin surface treatment of alopecia areata
This is a slightly painful treatment for alopecia areata. Injections of Corticosteroids will be injected into the scalp on a monthly basis and this will result in hair growth. In cases of extensive alopecia areata, dermatologists will prescribe Corticosteroids pills to work along with the injections. Though there are creams and ointments of Corticosteroids available, they are not as effective as the injection.
Topical corticosteroids treatment of alopecia areata
Corticosteroids are probably the most popular form of treatment for patchy alopecia areata. Steroids can be administered in four different ways; topically as a cream or lotion, intralesionally as local injections into the bald patches, and systemically either as injections into a muscle or taken orally. These different methods of application vary in their potency. Note that the corticosteroids used are not anabolic steroids! Synthetic corticosteroids are mimics of hormones made by the adrenal glands and these steroidal hormones have a very different set of actions compared to anabolic steroids.
Topical creams are available with several different commercial trade names and with different concentrations of steroids from 0.05 to 0.2%. They are applied only to the regions of hair loss and they are the mildest form of steroid treatment. Typically, dermatologists will try a milder form of treatment before attempting to use stronger forms with their greater potential for side effects.
Ultraviolet light therapy treatment of alopecia areata
Many studies have been performed regarding the efficacy of psoralen plus UV-A (PUVA) in the treatment of alopecia areata, and the initial response rate varies from 20-73%. The relapse rate, unfortunately, is high (50-88%). Most patients relapse within a few months (mean 4-8 mo) after treatment is stopped.
Irritating drugs may be applied to hairless areas to cause the hair to regrow.
Surgery treatment of alopecia areata
surgery is an option for those for whom medications haven’t worked. These surgeries are normally hair transplants or in some cases scalp reduction surgery. The hair transplant surgery is simpler but will require repeated sessions till sufficient hair plugs have been put in. scalp reduction surgery is painful, expensive and complicated and it needs to be combined with hair transplant surgery to give it a natural look.
