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Batten Down the Lashes: Dr. Oz Speaks About Hair Loss
by Alexandra Kilpatrick
Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz recently answered a hair loss sufferer’s query about losing her eyelashes in the Denver Post! Dear Abbey or Dear Doc?
Dear Oz and Roizen,
“I am losing my eyelashes! It’s not like I’ve got thinning hair or any skin conditions that I know of. What could be causing this?”
Sincerely, Lashless in Denver
Dear Lashless,
“What you’re describing – if you haven’t been super-gluing on false eyelashes or using hard-to-remove mascara – could be an autoimmune condition of the hair follicles called alopecia areata. Have your doc test you for the antibodies.
For most of the 4.5 to 6.5 million folks in North America with the condition, hair loss happens in just one or two small spots – could be the eyelashes or on your arms, legs or in a half-dollar-size spot on your scalp. Most people who develop it are adolescents or young adults; only 20 percent are 40 or older. Unlike other autoimmune conditions, it affects males and females about equally.
Fortunately, the hair usually grows back, although it may temporarily or permanently lose its pigmentation. This is the same condition that can cause a person’s hair to turn gray overnight and occasionally it leads to loss of all scalp or body hair and can affect the fingernails, causing pitting. There’s no cure, so you may lose and regrow hair in different areas throughout your lifetime.
It’s also a good idea to get tested for thyroid disease. It often piggybacks with alopecia areata – which also runs in families – as do lupus, vitiligo and rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers have set up a registry of folks with the condition – AlopeciaAreataRegistry.org – to collect information and gene samples to figure out causes and find a cure.
For this first instance, you may choose not to treat the condition. But injections of glucocorticoids induce regrowth in up to 67 percent of folks and when applied topically the success rate is 25 percent. Unfortunately, relapse often happens when treatment is discontinued. Discuss benefits and risks with your doctor. And on the horizon: Epithelial stem-cell treatments that may regenerate healthy hair follicles.”
If you or someone you know would like to learn more about hair loss and how to treat it, please feel free to schedule a consultation or contact one of our representatives today!
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