Diagnosis Of Alopecia Areata - What The Dermatologist Might Tell You

In medical terms there is no conclusive diagnostic test for alopecia areata. Scientists are not sure whether alopecia is a single disorder or a set of related but different disorders. A medical diagnosis usually proceeds by the doctor identifying a set of symptoms that constitute a specific disorder, for which there is (hopefully) are known and effective hair loss treatments. Unfortunately, alopecia does not fit this pattern, so doctors are faced with a very difficult task. There are a number of different causes of alopecia, and so while the main symptom - hair loss - is universal, different causes may require different treatments.

Your dermatologist will attempt to work out whether you have alopecia by eliminating other possibilities and by examining the lesion. Alopecia appears at different rates for different people, and has a greater or lesser effect - i.e. it might only be a small patch on the scalp, or it might cover the whole body. A typical case (though bearing in mind that nothing is 'typical' - which is why alopecia is so difficult to diagnose) might involve a bald patch appearing in a 24-hour period. This is usually (but not always) on the scalp. A dermatologist might try a hair pull test at the margins of the affected area. If your hair comes out easily, that indicates alopecia, and it is likely you will experience further hair loss.

Hair fiber taken from this point can be sent for analysis. Observing the hair under an electron microscope will show that the hair is unusual. The part of the hair furthest from the scalp (the older part) looks normal, but the shape becomes irregular nearer to the scalp. This includes deposits of keratin (the protein that makes up the hair), and also constrictions in the fiber of the hair. There are often cracks along the hair. The difference from a normal hair lies not in the amount of keratin present, but in the way it is assembled.

These hair fibers can have weak spots that lead to breakage. Sometimes the stump of the hair looks like an exclamation mark. This is very distinctive in alopecia, and the dermatologist might look for this as one of the signs of alopecia - noting, of course, that such hair can appear in other conditions as well!

A further sign of alopecia is problems with fingernails. It is difficult to work out how many people have this problem, and it does not always occur at the same time as the onset of alopecia, but somewhere between 10 per cent and 30 per cent of people with alopecia have such a problem - it depends which reports you read! Nails may become pitted, their growth may be affected, or they may be very soft.

Another diagnostic technique used by dermatologists involves carrying out a skin biopsy. This involves taking a small piece of skin (about 4 mm in diameter) and examining it under the microscope. The dermatologist can then see whether there is focal inflammation of the hair follicles, which is one of the clearest signs of alopecia.

There is a possibility that this could be done using blood samples instead, but as yet there is no accepted technique for doing so.

Finding the best hair loss treatment [http://www.hairlosstreatmentsguide.org] starts with understanding the main hair loss causes [http://www.hairlosstreatmentsguide.org/alopecia-areata-and-hair-loss-causes/] and why it has affected you. From there you will be in a far better position to start regrowing your hair again.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Diagnosis-Of-Alopecia-Areata---What-The-Dermatologist-Might-Tell-You&id=6406687] Diagnosis Of Alopecia Areata - What The Dermatologist Might Tell You