Alopecia is a medical term used to define hair loss from a persons head or body. This disease has several causes and variations. For instance...

Alopecia Areata manifests as individual spots of hair loss, most often on the scalp. It is often the result of an autoimmune disease. Alopecia areata may initially be recognized by the appearance of smooth, round areas of hair loss in varying sizes. While hair follicles technically remain alive, they stop growing hair. They may remain dormant or they may start regrowing hair at any time in a persons life.

Androgenic or androgenetic alopecia is the medical term for common balding that we experience as we get older.

Alopecia universalis causes the loss of all hair on the head and body including eyebrows and eyelashes.

Causes of alopecia may include:

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): Testosterone is converted to DHT by an enzyme known as 5 alpha reductase. DHT is a primary cause of male pattern baldness and most hair loss remedies concentrate on DHT reduction.

Trichotillomania is the compulsion to pull out one's own hair which causes the formation of bald spots. Pulling hair out in this fashion may cause scarring of the scalp and damage to the tissue which could prevent future hair growth.

Traction alopecia is the loss of hair caused by higher than normal tension due to hair styling. Hair styles such as ponytails or cornrows can create abnormal tension and literally pull your hair out. With constant styling in this fashion you can risk permanent damage by creating a type of scar tissue where your follicles should be. This scarring will prevent future hair growth and may leave you with receding hair lines. In this case you wouldn't need an alopecia areata cure but rather a more relaxed hair style. Watch the video below to see an example of the tensile forces applied when creating cornrows.

Autoimmune disease is a condition where the body's own defense mechanisms falsely identify healthy cells as a threat and attack them. This type of condition may also cause hair loss.

It is also possible that medications used to treat other illnesses have the undesired side effect of hair loss. In these cases your doctor may be able to prescribe another treatment that avoids this unfortunate situation. Chemotherapy is almost always accompanied with hair loss however if you are suffering from something requiring chemo, you have more important things to be concerned about than hair loss! Most of the time, once chemotherapy treatments have finished, a patient's hair will grow back and sometimes it will have changed color or texture as a result.

Alopecia Treatment Options

Cortisone, a steroid hormone, is sometimes injected into the affected area as a treatment to combat alopecia areata. If effective, new hair may become visible within 4 weeks.

A 5 percent topical Minoxidil solution may help regrow hair in the bald spots of alopecia sufferers. Chances of regrowth may increase if cortisone cream is applied to the affected areas 30 minutes after the Minoxidil is applied. If hair growth does occur, it may be possible to cease using Minoxidil and let the hair regrow naturally however this may not prevent new spots from appearing.

Emu Oil is a natural treatment option which may help stimulate hair follicles to resume their growth cycle. Emu oil is safe with no reported negative side effects.

The application of anthralin cream or ointment is another possible treatment option. Anthralin is applied to the bare patches once a day and then rinsed off after approximately 30 to 60 minutes. New hair growth may be seen within 8 to 12 weeks of beginning treatment. Anthralin can be a skin irritant and can cause temporary discoloration of the skin. Using short treatment times, skin irritation and skin staining are reduced without decreasing effectiveness. Take care not to get anthralin in your eyes.

Although there is no sure thing when it comes to an alopecia areata cure, there are several things that may help hide or treat the condition.

Your first step should always be a visit to your health care professional for a diagnosis and a treatment plan. Your doctor should be able to identify the cause of your alopecia and the best way to combat it. Treatment will be determined by the type of alopecia you are experiencing. Alopecia may have multiple causes such as hormone changes, illness, medication or even your hairstyle.

If your balding is due to your body's production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) you may be prescribed a commercial hair loss treatment such as Rogaine, Minoxidil or Finasteride. These products have been used for years to stop continuous hair loss and promote healthy new growth.

Not everyone has success with these products but the good news is that there are many similar products available including some natural hair loss treatments. Nutrient supplementation is always a good place to start since it usually consists of vitamins and minerals that your body needs anyways. Beyond this you may want to seek herbal solutions such as saw palmetto or green tea extract. Many hair restoration products consist of all natural herbal, vitamin and mineral ingredients. They are often helpful in reducing DHT and enhancing the health of your scalp which improves your chances of stopping hair loss and encouraging new growth.

Some illnesses or conditions such as psoriasis, folliculitis or tinea (ringworm) may be the cause of your hair loss. Again, your health care professional will be able to identify the problem and prescribe the correct treatment option. Many times the solution is simply the application of a topical ointment. There are also natural herbal treatments that are said to have healing properties for these conditions so your options are plentiful.

Here's a short video about a woman struggling with alopecia areata to show you some of what this condition entails.

The next best thing to an alopecia areata cure is prevention. Keep healthy by eating right, ensure the proper levels of vitamin and mineral supplementation and be kind to your hair when it comes to styling.