Alopecia Areata in Women: Is it more common? Is there treatment?

Sometimes, when we are diagnosed with an ailment or illness, we desperately search for information and sometimes reach unfortunate conclusions. One of them is that alopecia areata in women is more common and that the effects are irreversible, that the causes are different, or that the treatment does not work in women.

In this article, we will analyze various studies and data on the incidence of alopecia areata in women as well as its symptoms and consequences.

The Data

According to the bibliography consulted and added in the references section of this document, the data obtained shows a wide variety of cases of alopecia areata in both sexes, without being able to define a prevalence for some of them. For example, in Spain, in the city of Cádiz, there is a higher prevalence of men between 20 and 40 years old who suffer from it, while in Huelva, the data is reversed.

It is true that there are other studies, such as the case of Safavi, which indicate that the cases are 49% men compared to 52% women. But it is also true that Sharma in India produced a sample of results where 64.6% were male.

It is because of these studies that it cannot be affirmed or denied that women with alopecia areata are a higher number. In any case, one must refer to specific areas, but even a detailed study to define whether this is ultimately true could be very difficult. One would have to consider the sexes but also the genetic patterns since in a certain area there may coexist more individuals with inherited genetic lines. If there is a greater probability of suffering from this disease, the data could tip the balance towards one of the sexes.

Are the Symptoms of Alopecia Areata in Women Different?

Just as with the percentage of cases detected in both sexes, the symptoms in women are similar. These are characterized by hair loss in localized areas, also called plaques, and the presence of healthy hair in the rest of the head. Alopecia areata in women appears suddenly and can show a single bald spot or multiple ones. It can also be localized on the scalp or extend to other areas of the body where there is hair. The types of female alopecia areata are multiple, and some notable ones are universal, total, diffuse, etc. You can see a complete description of alopecia areata, treatments, and causes in this article.

Alopecia Areata in Young Women

Most cases are detected before the age of 35. In females, there can be underage and adult patients, although it is true that the prevalence is from the age of 20. Before that, it is most often caused by illnesses or as side effects of medication against these.

The difference in alopecia areata in young women is that the earlier it appears, the more severe the symptoms can be. As it is a chronic condition, there is a greater propensity to notice its effects as the years go by.

Alopecia Areata, Treatment in Women

The treatments currently used depend largely on the diagnosis. Since the causes can be diverse: genes, allergies, stress, etc., the treatment will be associated with its causes. Thus, in some cases, the dermatologist will recommend the administration of medication to alleviate associated diseases, but in most cases, when no diseases or other types of problems are found, the administration of topical Minoxidil and oral Finasteride is proceeded with. However, as these are medications, they should always be recommended by a specialist doctor and never self-medicated based on received information or advice from acquaintances.

Is There a Cure? Does the Hair Grow Back?

Despite being a chronic disease, in most cases, there is real recovery. Almost all women recover from the effects of hair loss. In more than half of the cases, the cure for alopecia areata is natural, and nearly the remaining 90% show great improvements. It is true that there are certain cases where it is difficult to control the symptoms or counteract them completely, but these are a minimal part of the cases. In any case, with new therapies and treatments, there are hopeful data to think that a remedy is on the way.

References
Woscoff A.; Kaminsky A.; Marini M.; Allevato M. Dermatology in Internal Medicine. Alopecias. Lago R.; Gurfinkiel A. Buenos Aires – Alfaomega 2010.
Safavi KH., Muller SA., Moshell AN., Melton RJ. Incidence of alopecias areata in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1975 through 1989.
Sharma VK., Dawn G., Kumar B. Profile of alopecias in northern India. 1996.
Szu-Ying Chu, Yi-Ju Chen, Wei-Cheng Tseng, et.al Comorbidity profiles among patients with AA: The importance of onset age, a nationwide.