Alopecia Areata-Hair loss with small Oval patches on Scalp

You may have observed hair falling off causing small, oval patches on the scalp of your head. This is an illness and the general term used by doctors is Alopecia Areata indicating hair loss. People get scared by seeing the patches on the scalp and assume that they are affected by some disease. It usually begins as one or more small, round or oval, smooth patches and affects both males and females. Alopecia Areata is a type of hair loss that is caused by auto immune disease.It does not destroy the hair follicle, there is always a high chance for hair re-growth.

If you have an autoimmune disease such as type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease or vitiligo (white patches on the skin) there are chances you acquire this hair loss problem as the cells in your body that normally fight infection (white blood cells) attack some of your own cells by mistake.

According to Ayurveda, this is caused due to aggravation of Vata & pitta . In the patients affected by Alopecia Areata, they gather around hair follicles, causing inflammation / burning that makes your hair stop growing and fall out. The positive fact is that even though there is quick hair loss there are always chances for hair re-growth.

Some people have one or two small patches the size of a one rupee coin. For few people the spots are not seen due to thick hair or inside the scalp.

People try to cover up these patches by trying a different hairstyle or wearing a cap, scarf etc. The teenagers and youth are badly affected badly due to the embarrassment caused by the patches on the scalp. They tend to avoid gatherings due to lack of confidence.

If you observe such patches on your scalp you need to consult a doctor or a skin specialist immediately. There are numerable medicines  that activate hair growth and can counter such hair fall problems. This is a common problem as 1 in 10 people are facing this problem these days.

Symptoms of Alopecia Areata

Individuals will get patches of hair loss over a few weeks. The patches are usually coin-sized and round or oval. The scalp without hair is smooth and looks normal (no indication of redness or inflamed). There are reported cases of tingling and minor pain in those areas. There may be short hairs with length of around 3mm at the edges of these patches also called as exclamation mark hairs.

Alopecia areata can also affect any part of your body that has hair, including your eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, armpits and genitals. The individuals also suffer from nail pitting, your nails appear rough and slightly dented.

Treatments for Alopecia Areata

There are topical ointments prescribed by doctors based on the extent of hair loss. Depending on the size of the area being treated, you may need several injections. The regrowth usually starts after three months or so. If you have more than a couple of patches of hair loss, your doctor may suggest using steroid injections or medicines to apply on your skin.

Steroid injections are the best treatment for areas of patchy hair loss, with re-growth usually starting in one to two months. Steroids are drugs that reduce inflammation.

However, they don’t work for everyone, and they aren’t usually used for children.

Diet regulations for Alopecia Areata

Diet also plays an important part in this treatment. Iron deficiency leading to anaemic condition causes excessive hair loss. Iron and zinc supplements should be taken if the diet does not produce enough on its own.

Intake of fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs and cheese, chicken, fish will supply your hair follicles with the vitamins they need for optimal operations. Consuming water per day will help transport the needed nutrients to your hair and help keep your hair strands hydrated and strong

Home remedies for Alopecia Areata

• To a cup of coconut milk put in two tablespoons of gram flour. Apply on the scalp and massage softly. Wash the hair after five minutes. Use this practice one time in a week.
• Round patches of baldness appear on the scalp when hair fall off in bunches. Onion juice should be rubbed into such bald patches regularly for some time. It will help the hair to grow again.
• Application of neem oil regularly for two-three months at the bald spots helps the hair to grow again.
• Pure aloe vera gel can be applied liberally to the scalp, massage thoroughly and rinse.

Being alert and consulting the specialist on time will be the best solution. As they say a stitch in time is ideal to combat the hair loss. Reassurance by near and dear ones is the major factor that needs to be addressed in the treatment. The individual has to be explained that this is not a major disease and the hair will grow again after a small gap with proper care and medication.

If you know of any other home remedies, do reply in comments.

For further reading: Prevent Premature Hair Whitening

HOW TO CARE AFTER A MISSED ABORTION

Missed Abortion is a painful process and if you were longing to have a child, the aftermath process should be dealt with lots of care. The patient is physically as well as mentally shattered.

The common terms referred are miscarriage, missed abortion where the process is natural and not induced. Abortion is termed when removal of the foetus is by unnatural method or medicinally intervened.

Following are the symptoms observed and the precaution to be taken is also mentioned.

CRAMPING:

Cramping is not always a sign of a problem. At times cramping indicates that there are blood clots in your uterus, you have a strained muscle near your uterus, or your uterus is contracting to its normal size.

Remedial methods to relieve cramping are:

• Massage your abdomen. Push down starting from below your belly button towards your pubic hair. You can lie down or sit on the toilet. Massaging will help you to pass blood clots that might be causing your cramping.
• You can lie down on the side that hurts and pull the bottom knee up towards your chest, or put your leg on a chair and lean into the direction of the pain. If you get relief from this, the pain is most likely due to muscle strain and can be treated by resting.

FEVER:

If you feel hot or have cramping, take your temperature. If your temperature is over  100.4 degrees, you need to consult your doctor. Fever can be a sign of infection. Most infections can be treated with medication and do not require hospitalization. Recommended to go for early treatment . Intense cramping that is not alleviated by medication recommended by Doctor or tenderness of the abdomen can also be signs of infection.

BLEEDING:

If the amount of bleeding increases to soaking more than one maxi pad in one hour or if you begin to pass blood clots larger than a golf ball, inform the doctor and take medical advise. Do not waste time as the patient will have heavy blood loss, become anemic and have further health problems.

BREAST TENDERNESS:

Following your abortion, your breasts may remain tender for as long as two weeks. It is also possible for milk to come into your breasts. This is more likely to occur if you were more than 12 weeks in the pregnancy, measuring from your last menstrual period.

Remedial methods to relieve breast tenderness are:

• Place cabbage leaves on your breasts and cover with a supportive bra. Cabbage leaves should be changed every 2 hours until tenderness is relieved.
• Wear a tight fitting bra (even while you sleep).
• Do not stimulate your breasts.
• Do not squeeze or express the milky fluid.
• Take medication as per Doctors advise to minimize pain and discomfort.
• Ice compresses on your breasts for ten minutes every 2 hours may also provide relief.

Precautionary measures to protect your uterus and tubes from infection are:

• You should not have sexual intercourse for 2 weeks. However, when you do resume having intercourse, have your partner wear a condom and/or be certain that you are using some type of birth control. You may be more fertile after an abortion.
• Use sanitary napkins only, Do not use tampons for 2 weeks.
• You may take a shower and wash your hair, but no tub baths for 2 weeks.
• No swimming for 2 weeks.

To make sure you recover completely:

• You may go to work or school on the day following the procedure. However, REMEMBER no strenuous exercise or heavy lifting over 20 kgs because this can cause you to bleed more.
• Be sure to take all of the medications given to you according to the directions on the label.
• We do not advise douching in general, but especially refrain from douching until after your follow-up exam.
• All of your pregnancy signs and symptoms (except breast tenderness) should decrease within 48-72 hours.
• Your next period should start four to eight weeks after your abortion. In case you do not get your periods after 8 weeks, consult your Doctor .
• It is possible to get pregnant right after your abortion, so if pregnancy is not desired, a method of birth control is recommended.

General Tips to avoid a Miscarriage:

• In the initial stages of pregnancy there will be lots of hormonal changes , the dwarf characters  in body constitution will become dominant and therefore you may come across few heredity problems like wheezing, allergies , skin rash like pimples all over face, vomiting, morning sickness , diabetes,  thyroid etc. The mentioned factors will vary from person to person.
• No antibiotics must be taken during  pregnancy.  Antibiotics increase the heat of the body.
• Opt for natural remedies only or based on advise of the Gynecologists – Doctor you are consulting.
• In Ayurveda – arishtam and churna powders are prescribed. You need to take the advise of the Ayurveda doctor as most recommend pathyam meaning diet restrictions. This will complement the medicine.

Natural remedies to avoid a miscarriage:

• Take some amount  of asafetida (Hing) and dissolve in water. This must be consumed once daily during the months of pregnancy. In case you have had a miscarriage earlier  then asafetida water must be given in that month. This is considered very effective after an abortion.
• Have a spoonful of fresh juice of vitamin C mixed with honey every morning.
• In order to lower the heat in the groin area, a towel must be dipped in cold water and compressed in that area. This must be done once a day.