Is Hair Transplant An Effective Treatment For Alopecia Areata?

People might see too much hair on their pillows or strange spots on their heads when they look in the mirror. If this is the case, they probably have a condition called Alopecia Areata. It is one of the causes of hair loss in men.

What is Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune condition that causes hair loss that can happen at any time. Most hair loss happens in small patches that are about the size of a quarter. Even though there may be only a few patches, alopecia areata can affect larger areas of the scalp.

Alopecia Totalis is the name given by doctors to the loss of all hair on the scalp. The medical term for hair loss on the full body is Alopecia Universalis.

It can happen to anyone, no matter what age, gender, or race they are, but most people get it before they turn 30.

Can People With Alopecia Areata Get A Hair Transplant?

If the conditions are favorable, a hair transplant for Alopecia Areata may be a feasible therapy option. In this case, the hair loss needs to be stable for at least 2 to 3 years before the patient can get a hair transplant. 

The scalp biopsy is a procedure that can be performed to check for inflammation below the skin. If there is no inflammation going on, the patient can get a hair transplant. It’s different for each person, but in most cases of steady hair loss, the hair transplant has been proven to work. 

Most hair transplants for alopecia areata work between 75% and 80% of the time. So, it’s important, to be honest with the patient about the chance of success and let them know that there is a chance they could lose their hair under certain circumstances.

People with Alopecia Areata who are suitable candidates for a hair transplant have small, well-defined areas of hair loss that haven’t changed much over time. They also have had alopecia areata for at least a year, which makes it unlikely that hair will grow back on its own in the damaged area.

With the FUE method, hair follicles are taken from the donor site at the back of the scalp and moved to the area that needs grafts. The hairs grow in their new places slowly throughout 10 to 12 months, and the results of the transplantation are great.

BlueMagic Group’s hair transplant clinic in Turkey, a pioneer in the field of hair transplantation, is known for generating the greatest outcomes imaginable. We are setting the bar for how good hair transplant results should be.

Factors That Affect The Success Rate Of Hair Transplant For Alopecia Areata

Certain factors tend to reduce the hair transplant success rate for Alopecia Areata:

• Not having enough healthy hair follicles

In a hair transplant, healthy hair follicles from one part of the head are moved to sections of the head that are going bald. When a person has pattern baldness, the band of hair that goes across the back and sides of the head is called the “safe donor area.” 

Follicles in this area are not affected by the hormones that cause androgenetic alopecia, so they can be safely taken out and moved to areas where hair is thinning.

Whereas, patients with Alopecia Areata can’t find a safe donor area. The problem can quickly spread to other parts of your scalp and there is low hair density for hair transplant. So your transplanted hairs may fall out just like your original hairs did, making a hair transplant an ineffective treatment for alopecia areata.

• High rate of spontaneous recovery

Alopecia Areata is also very likely to go away on its own. Up to 80% of people who have it get better on their own within a year of the first signs. That means your hair might grow back on its own, so you might not need surgery. 

When FUE or FUT is done on these patients, it can cause unnecessary harm to their scalp and hair.

To Conclude

Most of the time, hair transplants are used to fix hair loss caused by female or male pattern baldness or hair loss. These are the most common causes of hair loss, and they affect a lot more people than Alopecia Areata. So, if you don’t already know why your hair is falling out, you should schedule a consultation with a hair loss specialist.

Even though Alopecia Areata is not contagious, it is very different from the hair-shedding phase that happens when hormones are out of balance. As such, it needs to be diagnosed correctly by specialized doctors. 

If you are worried about hair loss and want to go for a hair transplant for Alopecia Areata, you can visit BlueMagic Group, a renowned Istanbul Hair Transplant Clinic, which is a trusted Hair Transplant clinic. To make an appointment or find out more, visit us or call us.