Treatment for Alopecia Areata In Children Without Side-Effects

“People who meet my child for the first time wonder if she has cancer,” said Neeta who came to our clinic with her 7-year-old daughter Ameesha. Neeta was extremely concerned about her daughter’s hair loss as well as the emotional turbulence her little child went through because of it. She almost cried when she narrated an incidence to us when recently some students in Ameesha’s school teased her as ‘Taklu’ and encouraged few others to stay away from her. Most of the school students and sadly, even their parents thought that Ameesha had cancer and by playing with her or sitting next to her even they will be affected with it. People literally avoided talking to little Ameesha.

Ameesha was diagnosed with Alopecia areata, or hair loss in patches. Alopecia areata is one of the most common forms of hair loss, where hair falls out in round patches. Hair can fall out from the scalp or anywhere else from the body. These patches may appear suddenly, or in a relatively short span of time. It is not contagious. About 5% of children with alopecia areata will go on to develop alopecia totalis -- the loss of all the hair on the scalp. Some of these will develop alopecia universalis -- the complete loss of body hair.        

Like Neeta, there are many parents who are going through this difficult phase in life where they have to see their little angels go through the emotional and mental turmoil associated with hair loss. In children, alopecia areata can often be intense and emotionally devastating. Some children tend to isolate themselves from their family, friends and others, or appear withdrawn, shy, and reserved. They go through different stages of awareness and acceptance of their disease as they grow and change. Sadly, because many people do not know about this condition, they think and also spread rumors like patchy hair loss in the affected child is due to cancer. This makes their life more difficult.

However, the good news is that this condition often responds well to treatment, especially during the early stages. Homeopathy is one of the best hair fall treatments to treat this kind of patchy hair loss and works wonderfully in children. Before talking about the benefits of homeopathic treatment for hair loss, let us know the causes of alopecia areata, as knowing the cause helps to find an appropriate treatment.      

Alopecia areata is a form of an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing the hair to fall off. The exact reason for this immune response is not known. However, there can be certain contributory factors and underlying medical conditions that may cause alopecia areata like genetics (one fifth individuals with patchy hair loss may have a family history of the hair loss), hormonal changes, and emotional/physical stress. Alopecia areata can accompany other medical conditions like thyroditis (inflammation of the thyroid gland), or atopic dermatitis (more commonly called eczema).

The most common treatment of alopecia areata is local, steroid injections with/without oral steroids. However, studies have indicated that the relapse rate of patchy hair loss after steroids — not to speak of the side effects — is as high as 50%, as compared to a rate of just 9.1% after homeopathic treatment. It is also imperative for triggers, such as thyroid disorders, to be controlled for tangible results to emerge.

Homeopathic medicines for hair loss offer excellent relief for such disorders that are triggered by an abnormal immune response of the body. These medications are good for enhancing the immunity, thereby preventing the immune system from attacking the hair follicles.

Homeopathic medicines for hair loss also promote re-growth of hair, and control the progress and spread of bald spots to other regions. Homeopathy is an excellent solution for hair problems related to the mind, such as stress-related patchy hair loss.

A study conducted in Scotland revealed that 90% patients with patchy hair loss opted for homeopathy as their first choice of treatment. Homeopathic hair loss treatment actually helps to slow down the progression of bald patches and fills them up with new hair. Not only do homeopathic remedies reduce hair loss, they also protect the body from harmful effects, which are common with conventional drugs used for hair loss.

So if your child is suffering from hair loss problem, you can think about treating him/her with safe and natural homeopathic remedies, as homeopathy can effectively treat hair loss in children and also address the associated emotional turbulence it causes in them.