Hair loss can be an extremely daunting experience to go through, especially for women. Hair is an integral part of our appearance, which plays a crucial part in one’s self-esteem. Alopecia is a form of hair loss that happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks an individual’s hair follicles. Thankfully, the damage this causes is not usually permanent. This is an Auto-immune disorder, and for most patients, it goes away in less than a year.
Even after countless studies, experts still have no idea why the immune system starts to attack the follicles. It can affect anyone, woman or man, at any age but most commonly occurs in people younger than 20 years old. It is also said that stress and an unhealthy lifestyle aggravates the skin causing alopecia.
Its starts with thickets of hair falling out, which results in hairless patches of skin on the scalp or anywhere else on the body. It can also cause the hair to thin, and even when it grows back, it may break, forming short patches of hair. The worse case scenario is when there is complete hair loss, but this is rare and can be avoided with the right supplements There have been some cases in the past where because of Alopecia, the individual has never been able to grow their hair back, but that only occurs in 10% of people with this baffling condition.
Signs & Symptoms of Alopecia:
The main symptom of Alopecia is hair loss obviously, but if you do have it, you’ll start to notice clumps of hair (more so than usual) in the shower or on your pillow.
There are three main types of Alopecia:
- Areata (patchy hair loss in certain places)
- Totalis (Entire hair loss on the scalp)
- Universalis (Entire hair loss on the whole body)
It is important to remember that the hair loss connected to Alopecia Areata is completely random and unpredictable. Hair could grow back but then fall out again and the effects are unique, case by case. It’s an elusive disorder, to say the least.
Diagnosis of Alopecia:
A doctor will review your symptoms and gauge whether or not you have it. This can be done in several ways:
- Through microscopic inspection of your hair
- A scalp biopsy – this is done by a doctor removing a tiny piece of skin from your scalp and analysing it.
- Blood tests – for the sole purpose of detecting antibodies. If one is traced, this will most like relate to an Auto Immune disorder.
How to prevent it:
Unfortunately, there is no official cure for Alopecia Areata, but there are varying types of treatment.
Medical treatments for Alopecia include:
- Minoxidil (rubbing ointment on to the scalp)
- Steroid dosage
- Application of corticosteroid ointment
- In some serious cases, Photochemotherapy
Alternative/organic therapy:
- Aromatherapy sessions
- Vitamins
- Acupuncture sessions
Herbal supplements for Alopecia:
Herbal supplements are an organic way of treating any symptom, and the great thing about going herbal is that side effects are minimal, and most supplements contain a wide array of extra ingredients that can benefit you in the long term and combat or help prevent certain illnesses and disorders. Take a supplement like Inofem for example. It contains the bioactive form of Myo-Inositol which is a pseudo-vitamin compound that assists in averting Alopecia by stimulating hair growth but also has an extensive list of other benefits:
- It helps regulate the activity of enzymes
- It participates in the transmission of neurotransmitters
- It may regulate cholesterol levels
- Participates in the process of semen production
- Participates in glucose metabolism and may have a favourable effect on the course of Diabetes
- Supports the nervous system and may assist in combating stress and anxiety
- Helps regulate the menstrual cycle
- Plays a crucial role in ovulation and improves oocyte quality
- Has a beneficial effect on ovarian function
- May reduce Insulin Resistance due to its Insulin sensitising properties
- Improves hormonal and metabolic parameters including lipid profile
- It reduces hyperandrogenism (androgen excess) – hirsutism and acne
- Improves cardiovascular parameters in menopausal women with PCOS
- It May prevent and treat eczema and psoriasis
Inofem is a multi-effective supplement that comes in sachet form. If you have been experiencing the first signs of hair loss, or you’re at an advanced stage of any of the forms of Alopecia, it’s definitely worth trying and comes highly recommended.
