Alopecia - is the lack of hair or thinning of the skin, in their normal growth (usually on the scalp).
50% of men by the age of 50 years are clearly signs of male pattern baldness. 37% of women in the same age say these or other signs of alopecia.
Predominant age of: frequency androgenic alopecia increases in proportion to age; ringworm of the scalp and traumatic alopecia often occur in children.
Types and causes of alopecia
1. Loss of mature hair - is scattered hair loss, leading to a decrease in the density of body hair, but not to complete baldness.
Causes:
- After birth, as a result of physiological changes in the body of a pregnant.
- Drugs (hormonal contraceptives, medications that slow blood clotting, retinoids, beta-blockers, anticancer drugs, interferon).
- Stress (physical or mental).
- Endocrine disorders (hypo- or hyperthyroidism, hypopituitarism).
- Nutritional factors (malnutrition, iron deficiencyZinc).
2. Loss of hair growth - this scattered loss of hair growth, with the possibility of complete baldness.
The reasons for hair loss include:
- Mushroom mycosis.
- Radiation therapy.
- Drugs (antineoplastic agents, allopurinol, bromocriptine).
- Poisoning (bismuth, arsenic, gold, boric acid, thallium).
3. Scar alopecia - is the presence of shiny smooth areas on the scalp, do not contain hair follicles. Causes of scarring alopecia:
- Abnormal development and congenital malformations of hair follicles.
- (infectionleprosy, syphilis, Herpes infection, cutaneous leishmaniasis.
- Basal cell carcinoma.
- Dark spots.
- Effects of physical factors: acids and alkalis, extreme temperatures (burns, frostbite), irradiation.
- Scars pemphigus.
- Lichen planus.
- sarcoidosis.
Photo: site of the Department of dermatology Tomsk Military Medical Institute
4. Androgenic alopecia - hair loss usually develops in both sexes due to the effects on the cells of hair follicles of male sex hormones. Causes:
- The growth of the adrenal cortex.
- polycystic ovaries.
- Hyperplasia of the ovaries.
- Carcinoid.
- Pituitary hyperplasia.
- Drugs (testosterone, danazol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, anabolic steroids, progesterone).
5. Alopecia areata - hair loss is acquired in the form of rounded pockets of various sizes in certain areas of the scalp, eyebrows, beard area, is not accompanied by scarring. When alopecia form suddenly appears on the scalp, face multiple round foci complete hair loss without any other changes; the hair on the edge of foci easily pull out; lesions may grow, coalesce and lead to complete baldness. Causative factors are not known precisely.
6. Traumatic alopecia - hair loss in certain areas of the skin due to chronic trauma, in the early stages is not accompanied by scarring.
Causes:
- Trichotillomania (irresistible attraction pull out their own hair).
- Damage due to splicing or tight braids tying bows.
7. Tinea capitis - presence of lesions limited to the lack of hair on the scalp may mix with an inflammatory response; caused by a fungus. In tinea capitis marked itching, scaling, inflammation.
Causes:
- Fungi of the genus mikrosporum.
- Fungi of the genus Trichophyton.
diagnosis of alopecia
The diagnosis includes a number of studies:
- Investigation of the thyroid gland.
- A complete blood count (to identify possible violations of the immune system).
- The level of male sex hormones in the blood serum.
- The concentration of ferritin in blood plasma.
- Von Wassermann reaction to eliminate syphilis.
- The number of T and B lymphocytes (sometimes decreased in patients with alopecia areata).
- Test with hair pulling on: gentle stretching (without force) of the hair shaft with a view to its disposal; positive (hair easily removed) as alopecia form.
- Microscopic examination of the hair shaft.
- Research foci peeling with potassium hydroxide; positive for ringworm of the scalp. Use of antifungal drugs may cause false positive results.
- The study centers of peeling the presence of fungi.
- A biopsy of the scalp with an ordinary microscope can diagnose ringworm of the scalp scalp gnozdnuyu diffuse alopecia and scarring alopecia, developed on the background of SLE, lichen planus, and sarcoidosis.
alopecia treatment
- Loss of mature hair:
hair loss maximum 3 months after the causal effects (drugs, stress, nutritional factors); After removing the cause of hirsutism is quickly restored.
Permanent baldness is rare. - Loss of hair growth:
Hair loss begins in a few days or weeks after the causal effects, body hair is restored after removing the cause.
Permanent baldness is rare. - Scar alopecia:
effective treatment for scar alopecia - surgery (transplantation of skin graft or excision of the scarring areas).
Hair follicles are constantly exposed to damage. - Androgenic alopecia:
after 12 months of topical minoxidil 2% solution of 40% of patients noted the growth of hair of varying severity. An alternative method of treatment - surgery.
Prognosis and treatment depend on the over. - Alopecia areata:
The disease usually resolves on its own within 3 years without treatment, but often relapse. Used sedatives, irritating rubbing alcohol (tincture of cayenne pepper), hormone preparations Topical drugs that increase sensitivity to light (beroksan) topically in combination with ultraviolet irradiation.
Ability to self-healing, but relapses are frequent, with a total form of hair is usually not reversed. - Traumatic alopecia:
healing can occur only after the termination of Unplugging hair. It may require intervention of a psychologist or psychiatrist. Successful treatment involves drug therapy, correction of behavioral and hypnosis.
Prognosis and course depend on the success of the patient's behavior correction. - Tinea capitis:
treatment is carried out for 6-8 weeks ketoconazole or other antifungals. Needed thorough hand washing and laundry hats and towels.
In this type of the disease is usually observed full recovery.