Can Hair Grow Back After Alopecia? Alopecia is a very common issue that could occur due to numerous factors, and it may appear in multiple types. Once anyone finds out that he or she has this problem, he immediately wonders: can hair grow back after alopecia? Are there any effective therapies to get rid of this issue or it is incurable? This article will underline these frequently asked questions, so in case this topic sparks your interest, keep reading.
Before knowing whether hair can grow back after alopecia or not, it is necessary to define the alopecia itself, and to underscore its multiple types.
could be simply defined as hair loss or baldness, it shows up differently, and we can classify it as following:
- Alopecia Totalis: this type of alopecia leads to total hair loss which means total baldness in the whole scalp area.
- Alopecia Universalis: unlike the alopecia totalis, this type of alopecia causes hair loss from the whole body: from the scalp, the head, the eyebrows, the moustache, the beard, the armpits, and even the pubic hair.
- Traction Alopecia: this type of alopecia occurs in a specific area of the head especially in the crown, the sides and the temples due to numerous hairstyles that put traction and stress on the head and causes hair pulling such as the braids, the dreadlocks, the tight ponytails, weaves, cornrow hairstyles….etc.
- Cicatricial Alopecia: This type of alopecia is quite rare, and it is a kind of inflammation that attacks the hair follicles (hair roots), it turns those damaged hair grafts into scar tissues which results eventually into hair loss.
- Alopecia Areata: this is one of the common types of alopecia. It is referred to as the patchy alopecia, because it shows up in the form of oval patches all around the head and sometimes the eyebrows as well. According to the International Society Of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS),”The cause of alopecia areata is unknown but commonly thought to be an autoimmune disorder (the body does not recognize the hair follicles and attacks them”).
- The Androgenetic Alopecia: this is the most common type of alopecia that millions of people worldwide suffer from, and mostly males. It is also known as the male pattern baldness or the female pattern baldness. For males on one hand, this type of hair loss affects primarily the sides of the head and the vertex area (the crown), then it may result in total baldness. For females on the other hand, this type of genetic and hereditary alopecia occurs in the form of hair thinning on the top of the head, then it leads to hair loss.
Can Hair Grow Back After Alopecia?
So now , we know that there are mainly around six types of alopecia, each one of them has its own characteristics and symptoms, so can hair grow back after alopecia? In fact, the answer is fortunately yes, but the treatment differs from one type to another. That is why, when any one of you recognizes that his hair is falling to a large degree, you have to directly consult a competent and experienced specialist. The first thing that the doctor will check is the type of hair loss that you have, then he can easily recommend for you the best treatment that efficiently and successfully suits your case. So how can hair grow back after alopecia?
The above-mentioned types of Alopecia could be actually classified into two different categories:
- The temporary Alopecia: which includes the Alopecia Areata, the Traction Alopecia, the Cicatricial Alopecia, the Alopecia Totalis and the Alopecia Universalis. These types are temporary, and they result in temporary hair loss by partially damaging the hair, and they do not lead to the total death of the hair follicles.
- The Chronic Alopecia: this type of alopecia includes the Androgenetic Alopecia. Unfortunately, unlike the temporary alopecia, this common type of hair loss which is generally caused by genetic and hereditary factors, does not only damage the hair, but it causes the total death of the hair roots (the hair grafts).
LLT PRP Hair Products
For the temporary types, hair can grow back after alopecia using multiple non-surgical treatments such as the Low-Laser Therapy, the Platelet-rich Plasma, the mesotherapy, hair products…etc. However, when you have a chronic alopecia which is the Androgenetic Alopecia, your hair can not grow back again unless you undergo a hair transplant procedure. Because, once the hair graft dies, nothing could revive it again, but new hair grafts should be transplanted in its place.
To conclude, hair can grow back after temporary alopecia which encompasses the traction alopecia, the Cicatrical alopecia, the alopecia totalis, the alopecia universalis and the alopecia areata. However, the hair can not grow back in case you have a chronic or an Androgenetic Alopecia, but you will necessarily need a hair transplant process in the empty or bald areas of your head or your face.