Alopecia cicatricialis (hair loss)
- Article
- 2021-01-29
Cicatricial alopecia, also called scarred alopecia, is a group of rare conditions that destroy hair follicles, the part of the skin from which hair grows. The follicles are replaced with scar tissue, causing permanent hair loss.
Symptoms
Hair loss can occur quickly. In this case, you would experience severe itching, pain and burning sensation. In other cases, hair loss is gradual and there are no other symptoms.
Causes
Not much is known about the cause of cicatricial alopecia. What researchers do know is that redness, heat, pain, or swelling occurs in the top part of the hair follicle. Here are stem cells and oil glands. Stem cells are cells that can develop into many different types of cells. If the stem cells and oil glands are destroyed, the hair follicle cannot grow back. This means that hair is permanently lost.
Treatments
Medication. Since hair does not grow back when you have scar alopecia, it is important to start treatment before too much hair is lost. Treatment depends on the type of immune cell destroying hair follicles. Medicines can be taken by mouth, applied to the top of the skin, or injected into affected areas.
While hair cannot regrow after a follicle has been destroyed, it may be possible to stimulate follicles in the affected area before permanent damage occurs. A drug used to treat high blood pressure can stimulate the follicles to promote hair growth.
The treatment usually takes a long time. It continues until the symptoms and signs are under control and the hair loss slows or stops. Unfortunately, hair loss can continue silently even after the symptoms and signs have been removed. After stabilizing cicatricial alopecia, it may reappear over a period of years and treatment may need to be restarted.
Surgery. After the disease has been inactive for 1 or 2 years, surgical hair restoration or scalp reduction can be helpful to restore bald hair. In hair restoration surgery, also called hair transplantation or follicular micro-transplant, the follicles from the back of the head are surgically removed and transplanted into bald areas of the scalp. In scalp reduction, a bald part of the scalp is removed and the part of the scalp next to it is contracted to close the gap. It is important to understand that cicatricial alopecia can return even after these surgeries.
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