Hair Restoration Blog

Q:

I have been diagnosed with a thyroid problem called Hashimoto’s Disease.  I am 23 and I am losing hair on head, and also developing some bald spots on my beard area on the neck and scalp too.  My eyebrow hair is also falling out on the sides.  Doctors said that I have low function of thyroid and put me on thyroid pills.  Now that my thyroid is under control, I would like to know whether or not that my hair ever grows back.

A:

Hypothyroidism or low functioning thyroid can cause scalp and eyebrow hair loss.  However the balding spots that you are experiencing are not typical for hypothyroidism.  The patchy hair loss spots are usually due to a disorder called alopecia areata.  Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that could be seen in association with other autoimmune disorders like Grave’s disease or Hashimoto’s disease.  Thyroid disease is reported in almost 10% of the patients who have alopecia areata.

To confirm the diagnosis and start with a treatment plan, you need to see a dermatologist.  If the diagnosis of alopecia areata is confirmed then you can choose to wait for spontaneous recovery as it is in most of cases of alopecia areata or seek treatment methods that can facilitate the recovery and re-growth your hair.

Q:

I have 2 round spots of hair loss on my neck. I also have ridged fingernails with a history of thyroid disease that is now treated. The hair loss spots are shinny with no hair on them with the size of a quarter. I have read online a lot about alopecia areata, but I also heard that alopecia areata could be just general thinning of the hair. Is there any particular test that I can do to evaluate my condition and to make sure my hair loss condition is alopecia areata and nothing else?

Thank you.

A:

Your description matches alopecia areata (AA), but there are some other and generally rare conditions which can resemble alopecia areata. Hair loss spots caused by alopecia areata may be found in groups or individually. The other signs such as nail pitting and ridging are not universal, but if seen with hair loss patterns typical of alopecia areata can support the diagnosis.

Thyroid disorder can also be part of an autoimmune syndrome- along with alopecia areata. A physician can confirm the diagnosis by checking the appearances of the lesions at the site of the hairloss. No other tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis of alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata usually resolves spontaneously without any treatment. In severe cases, or in alopecia universalis, medical treatment might be needed. However, hair transplant is not the proper treatment for alopecia areata; patients may lose transplanted hair or transplanted hair may never grow.

Previously I published an article on the Hair Transplant Forum International titled Psychology of Hair Transplant. Our study evaluated the significance of hair loss on men’s psychology. We also discussed the improvements that men experienced after hair restoration surgery.

I just read another article that was just published on the International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis titled: Hypnotic approaches for alopecia areata. I initially thought they have been able to treat Alopecia Areata (AA) with hypnosis. What they studied though was managing the psychological effects of alopecia areata with hypnotherapy.

Patients with alopecia areata like androgenic alopecia experience increased levels of anxiety and have higher rates of depression. Here are the synapses of what was researched by Willemsen and Vanderlinden from Department of Dermatology of Academic Hospital in Brussel, Belgium and put together as an interesting article:

AA or Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease leading to loss of scalp hairs. The disease is generally triggered by stress. Data on the possibility of using hypnotherapy in the treatment of AA are very limited. In this study, twenty-eight patients with extensive AA, all refractory to previous conventional treatment, were treated with hypnosis at the Academic Hospital UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

The authors‚Äô hypnotherapeutic approach combining symptom-oriented suggestions was discussed in the article they also came up with suggestions to improve self-esteem. They are suggesting that twelve out of 21 patients, including 4 with total loss of scalp hair, presented a significant hair growth. All patients presented a significant decrease in scores for anxiety and depression. Although the exact mechanism of hypnotic interventions has not been elucidated, the authors’ results demonstrate that hypnotic interventions may ameliorate the clinical outcome of patients with AA and may improve their psychological well-being.

This article again is focusing on the significance of hair loss and hair loss treatment on patients psychology as we discussed before in our article titled: psychology of hair transplant that could be found on the website of US Hair Restoration, the Los Angeles hair transplant center.

Q:

I am a 30 year old white man. Today I noticed a balding spot on my neck where I used to have hair. I have had a few of them in the past in the size of a penny. They usually come and go in a few days maybe weeks. It does not bother me, but do I need to worry about it?

A:

Patchy areas of baldness at your neck in the area that you used to have hair could be a skin condition called alopecia areata (AA). Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes round patches of baldness and could happen to any part of the skin, including beard, scalp, eyebrow and even eyelashes. The outcome of alopecia areata is usually good and in most cases hair re-grows within several months. Occasionally the baldness could be permanent.

Alopecia areata usually recovers without any treatments. If the balding spots of alopecia (hair loss) don‚Äôt disappear in a few months the medical treatment might be necessary. See Dr. Mohebi’s article on treatment of alopecia areata.

Treatment of alopecia areata is different than medical treatment of patterned hair loss.  Local injection of steroids may help in some cases. Other medication are also recommended such as topical steroids in form of creams or lotions, but are not as effective as steroid injections. Local immuno-suppressive medications have also been tried with some success in more severe forms of alopecia areata. Minoxidil is proven to be effective in some cases and is the only over the counter medication for alopecia areata and could be sued in more extensive diseases. You need to see a doctor to confirm the diagnosis of alopecia areata (AA) and to get started on some sort of treatment if it is really bothering you.

Alopecia areata could be progressed and beyond its typical patchy characteristics. If hair loss involves whole scalp, it is called alopecia Capitis and if hair loss seen everywhere in the body; it is called alopecia universalis.