Is Cicatricial Alopecia permanent?

Hair is an important part that grows almost everywhere on the skin. Keratin is a protein that hair is made up of and its production takes place in the outer layer of the skin in hair follicles.

These follicles produce new hair cells and they push out the old cells through the surface of the skin. The hair which we see on the scalp is, in reality, dead keratin cells in the form of a string.

The human head has about an average of 100,000 to 150,000 hairs. The normal count of hair a human head loses every day is 100, so do not panic if you find some strands of hair on your hairbrush every day.

If this number increases and there is no hair growth in the place of that fallen hair then it is a cause of concern. At one time, about 90% of the hair on the scalp is growing.

The hair follicle can get influenced by many factors such as age, disease and many more but each one has its own life cycle. As people age, the rate of the growth of the hair slows down.

To every problem, there is a solution. Depending upon the stage of Cicatricial Alopecia, medication and other treatments can be given to the affected person as a hair loss solution.

What is Cicatricial Alopecia?

People experience hair loss at some point in time in their life. There are many types of hair loss and one of them is Cicatricial Alopecia. Cicatricial Alopecia also called Scarring Alopecia is a rare kind of disorder that destroys hair follicles.

In this particular hair loss condition, the hair follicles are replaced by scar tissue and cause permanent hair loss. Before turning into permanent or irreversible baldness Cicatricial Alopecia starts as non-scarring in most of the cases.

This condition can be seen in both healthy men and women all over the world. The scarring alopecia is found between 3 and 7 percent in men wherein women are otherwise healthier. It is not a communicable disease. It can happen slowly over years or rapidly within a few months.

People have to go through a lot of shame and distress as the hair loss is permanent and there is no way to rejuvenate them so cicatricial hair loss treatment is a must.

Types of Cicatricial Alopecia

Cicatricial Alopecia is categorized into three types. They are primary, secondary and developmental/hereditary alopecia.

1. Primary Cicatricial Alopecia

In Primary Cicatricial Alopecia the destruction begins from hair follicles. The fibrous tissue replaces the hair follicles affected by inflammatory cells; these follicles are destroyed causing permanent damages and so the hair cannot be regrown.

The inflammatory cells such as lymphocytes, neutrophils, or combination of these are the root cause and based on the type of cells primary scarring alopecia is further classified as lymphocytic, neutrophilic or mixed alopecia.

2. Secondary Cicatricial Alopecia

This is another type of Cicatricial Alopecia which is irreversible. However, due to the destructive process to the skin caused by inflammation, the hair follicles are damaged. When the follicle is destroyed due to burns, cancers, trauma or radiation therapy this type of alopecia occurs.

3. Developmental/Hereditary Alopecia

This is caused by factors such as genetics, hormone imbalances or the natural aging process. They are commonly known as Male / Female pattern baldness.

Who falls prey to Cicatricial Alopecia?

Cicatricial Alopecia can affect any healthy man or woman at any age. It is not communicable as it does not get transferred from one affected person to another. It is not necessarily important that it may have a genetic link up.

There are some types of alopecia that affect women more than men. Pseudopelade is the one that mainly affects adult women. Generally, Cicatricial Alopecia is not seen in children. But some specific types of Cicatricial Alopecia can affect adolescent men.

What are the Symptoms of Cicatricial Alopecia?

In most cases, Cicatricial Alopecia occurs in small permanent bald patches that may expand with time nearing total alopecia. While in other cases, the symptoms can go unnoticed for a long period as it is gradual. The bald patches look smooth and shiny and no skin pores can be seen due to the complete loss of follicular openings.

People may sometimes experience severe itching, pain and burning on the scalp that may progress speedily. The affected areas can have redness, pigmentation or blisters that may or may not have pus in them.

They may also show little signs of inflammation that destroys the follicle. As the follicle is below the skin surface so there is usually no “scar” seen on the scalp.

What causes Cicatricial Alopecia?

The causes of Cicatricial Alopecia are not fully understood but inflammation due to multiple reasons appears to be the main contributing factor. Sometimes it is caused by the destruction of hair follicles, deposition of collagen, and is also associated with loss of sebaceous glands.

They can be summarized as:

• Destruction of hair follicle embryonic cells
• Impairment in self-maintenance of HFSCs
• Alteration in lipid metabolism
• Inflammation
• Factors such as injuries, burns, tumors
• Genetic factors

How is Cicatricial Alopecia treated?

Treatment of the Cicatricial Alopecias for achieving hair regrowth in men and women involves the use of anti-inflammatory medications.

The treatment is given to decrease or eliminate the inflammatory cells that are attacking and destroying the hair follicle. The treatment is continued until the signs of scalp inflammation are decreased, and the progression comes under control.

Hair cannot regrow once the follicle is destroyed so surgical treatment for cosmetic benefit is another option that can be considered after the disease gets inactive.

The treatments that can be considered are hair restoration surgery or scalp reduction. Relatively few patients can also opt for non-surgical treatments such as hair systems, hair wigs or hair patches as they are considered safe and may be used freely.

EndNote

If you are looking for the best hair loss treatment then you do not need to look for options as Advanced Hair Studio is the destination you are looking for.

All these various types of solutions and hair treatments are not beyond your reach as we have the best team of experts who look into your problem from the very core and treat you with the best options available to give you back your lost confidence.