What is alopecia areata, and how is it treated?

In this article, highly revered and experienced London-based consultant dermatologist, Dr Aleksandar Godic, details what alopecia areata is, how it is currently treated nowadays.

What is alopecia areata?

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that characterised by patchy hair loss, mostly affecting the scalp or beard in men. It can progress to hair loss of the scalp (alopecia totalis) or of the entire body (alopecia universalis).

How is alopecia areata treated currently?

Thankfully, there are a whole host of treatment options that are available to patients nowadays when it comes to the treatment of alopecia areata. Current treatment options for alopecia areata include topical and systemic steroids, steroid injections, topical tacrolimus/pimecrolimus, contact immunotherapy, light treatment, and immunosuppressants.

The implantation of JAK inhibitors has been a recent breakthrough in the treatment of alopecia areata. They provide significant hair regrowth in patients with long-standing, therapy-resistant disease, and they have a substantial impact on the quality of life in affected patients. JAK inhibitors block cytokine 1 and 2 inflammatory signalling pathways, leading to a broad-based reduction of effector cells involved in disease etiopathogenesis.

What are the potential side effects of treating alopecia areata through JAK inhibitors?

Common side effects include various infections (especially chest and urinary), increased cholesterol, viral gastroenteritis, anaemia, neutropenia, and non-melanoma skin cancer.

If you are worried about potential hair loss, or if you would like to find out whether or not you are at high risk of suffering from alopecia areata, make sure you contact Dr Aleksandar Godic today to schedule in an appointment with him. You can do just that by heading on over to his Top Doctors profile.