Alopecia areata
Overview
If you have noticed small patches of hair loss it could be caused by a condition known as alopecia areata. This develops when the immune system attacks the hair follicles, causing the hair to fall out.
Alopecia areata can be a distressing condition, but there are effective treatments that can often prevent further hair loss and, in many cases, help your hair grow back.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder. Usually, the immune system protects us from infections and other diseases. In people who have alopecia areata, their immune system mistakenly attacks healthy hair follicles causing them to shrink and eventually stop producing hair.
It is not understood exactly what triggers this autoimmune response in some people, although in around 1 in 5 cases, a genetic predisposition is believed to be a factor. Other triggers can include pregnancy, a stressful life event or a previous illness.
Symptoms
The risk of developing alopecia areata during your lifetime is around 2%. It can affect children and adults of all skin and hair colors. Most alopecia areata cases occur to people during their second or third decade. It occurs equally in men and women.
Diagnosis
Your dermatologist will obtain a detailed clinical history and will examine your skin and hair to reach a diagnosis. Alopecia areata is mostly diagnosed during this examination. Your dermatologist will thereafter discuss all available management options, to help you make the best choice.
Treatment
Although there is no cure, luckily there is a range of management options that can be effective. These include steroid creams and steroid injections, topical immunotherapy, and other topical agents. For patients with more advanced stages of alopecia areata, systemic treatments may be recommended.
Why GMI
At the GMI, a dedicated team of highly specialized and sub-specialized dermatologists will address your skin concerns, guiding you through your entire journey, from your consultation and diagnostic work-up to your treatment and post-treatment care.
The GMI team will never offer a simple “one size fits all” approach to any patient. We believe each patient’s case is as individual as they are, and strive to find the best treatment plan for each of our patients, taking their case and diagnosis, their lifestyle, and choices into account. To determine the best course of action, each patient’s case is discussed in a multidisciplinary board, where indicated, where several experts with different specialties come together to create your comprehensive treatment plan.
We have invested in advanced technology for the early diagnosis, monitoring, and management of your skin condition. Some of these include digital dermoscopy, artificial intelligence mole mapping, laser treatments as well as tools used in minimally invasive approaches. Any further investigation you may require can also be performed at the GMI, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scans and positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET / CT), , histopathology (for biopsies) or blood investigations done in our laboratory, and more.
Our specialized doctors offer a full spectrum of treatment options including minimally invasive procedures, skin surgery, laser treatments, but also radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and advanced systemic therapies, and new treatments such as immuno/chemo-therapy treatments for advanced cases.
We believe each of our patients is more than their diagnosis. We therefore offer dedicated teams supporting our patients by offering more than just expert medical care, through a wholistic approach. These services include psychological help, integrative medical services (including yoga classes, and acupuncture) physiotherapy, and rehabilitation services, as well as a GMI Patient Advocacy Program.
Adhering to our passion for innovation, and desire to progress the medical field, the GMI Department of Dermatology both initiates and participates in several clinical trials in which the most modern and advanced treatment concepts are tested.
