Conditions:
Alopecia Areata
Related Terms
•
Baldness
Principal Proposed Treatments
•
Essential Oils (Combination of Thyme, Lavender, Rosemary, and Cedarwood)
Other Proposed Treatments
•
Khellin, Biotin, Zinc, Nickel Sulfate, Primula obconica
Baldness (alopecia) that occurs suddenly in a specific area is referred to as alopecia areata. It can strike both men and women at any age, but usually starts during childhood. Unlike male-pattern or female-pattern baldness, which cause hair to thin on the sides, front, and crown of the head, alopecia areata starts with one or more small, round, smooth patches in the scalp or beard area. Rarely, it causes total body hair loss, a condition called alopecia universalis.
Like most types of baldness, alopecia areata has no cure. However, in many cases, hair grows back on its own without treatment. Widespread hair loss is less likely to reverse itself. Corticosteroids injected under the skin may promote some hair growth, but the results usually don’t last.
An interesting approach to the treatment of alopecia involves inducing mild allergic reactions using either nickel sulfate or the leaves of the plant Primula obconica.1,2 It appears that when these substances irritate the skin they trigger new hair growth, but larger studies are needed to confirm the findings.
Principal Proposed Treatments for Alopecia Areata
Essential Oils
One study suggests that a combination of essential oils applied topically may stimulate hair growth in people with alopecia areata.
What Is the Scientific Evidence for Essential Oils?
A double-blind placebo-controlled trial enrolled 84 individuals who massaged either essential oils or a non-treatment oil into their scalps each night for 7 months.3 The results showed that 44% of those in the treatment group experienced new hair growth compared to only 15% of the control group. The treatment oil contained essential oils of thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood.
Dosage
In this study, 2 to 3 drops of each essential oil were added to a mixture of grape seed and jojoba oil.
Safety Issues
Although there are no reported side effects associated with using thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood oils topically, essential oils can be toxic if taken internally. They can also cause allergic reactions, which may be severe, when applied topically.
Other Proposed Treatments for Alopecia Areata
Very preliminary evidence suggests that topical khellin, an extract of the fruit of the Mediterranean plant khella (Ammi visnaga), may promote new hair growth when combined with ultraviolet light (UVA) therapy. Khellin selectively sensitizes the skin to UVA and is related to drugs used to treat psoriasis.4
The supplements zinc aspartate and biotin, taken together in high (and possibly dangerous) doses, have been tried for alopecia areata in children.5
Hypnotherapy has also been proposed as a treatment for alopecia areata, but a very small study found it had no effect.6
View References
Last reviewed March 2002 by Medical Review Board
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