Autoimmune and Alopecia Areata?

After numerous researches carried out throughout the world, Alopecia Areata has proved as part of Autoimmune diseases. Having been accepted as an Autoimmune Disease, Alopecia Areata still remains as a mysterious dis order since it progress trend still is unclear. Never the less through out those researches many discoveries were made into hair growth. During this process clear evidences has been obtained that indicates it as one of the autoimmune diseases.

This recent breakthrough has strengthened the fact that our own defensive system, which should protect us from harmful sickness, has become Alopecia Areata's cause. Not knowing why the system works adversely towards our hair follicles, microscope images show the body's lymphocytes covering the affected hair follicles. As a result the follicle comes to halt and the hair stops growing.

Autoimmune diseases are mainly medical disorders that are caused by our own body’s defensive mechanism becoming hyperactive and attacking our body’s tissues. As a result the body tissues fail or become inactive. Although the reason still remains unclear, scientists have made a remarkable step closer to finding a solution to this mysterious hair loss.

This intelligent protective mechanism functions as a defensive front to destroy and remove any unwanted external or unhealthy cells. A few of the immune systems’ building blocks are the T-cells, Lymphocytes, Antibodies and more. In Alopecia Areata the immune system fails to differentiate between the body’s own and external while attacking them. This can be clearly seen in the following diagrams that shows how our hair roots are engulfed by Lymphocytes.




 

In diagram labeled ‘a’ the hair roots are completely surrounded by what appears to be black dots. These black dots are lymphocytes. Meanwhile images labeled as ‘b’ and ‘c’ had shown how the follicles have became unnoticeable. Image labeled as ‘c’ however still shows signs of the hair root being contained by the immune function but is inactive. A closer observation on image labeled ‘c’ shows that the path through which the passage through which the hair should exit the skin is covered by a membrane.




 

The two images above are the similar image, the lower one being magnified to provide a clear image of the lymphocytes totally engulfing the hair follicle. As a result the function of the hair root is completely handicapped, leaving it inactive. Meanwhile the pore through which a hair will be guided out is covered by a membrane which in the beginning looks thin. As time passes this membrane becomes impenetrable resulting a smooth surface on the scalp. These two images above shows how the follicles of another person affected by Alopecia Areata is being surrounded by his Lymphocytes. Notice that the following image shows a follicle that has been exposed to Alopecia Areata for a long period of time.




 

In the two images above, due to a longer exposure to this autoimmune disease the membranes (at the top and bottom of the follicle) has not only closed but has became relatively thicker than the image above. In fact the follicle has become unnoticeable. The physical appearance of this scalp will definitely show a smooth surface. The thicker membrane would result in patient showing less response to any sort of treatment.

This condition where the membrane grows thicker is why any has treatment to be administered within a short period of time after experiencing Alopecia Areata. Most patients tend to wait and in a hopeful attempt that the hair loss would reverse on its own without realizing the condition might only worsen.

 

 

Further Reading

Different Types of Alopecia Areata                                                                                     What the different variants of Alopecia Areata?  How does it vary? Find out which type of Alopecia Areata you are looking for and fid out how best to manage your treatment.

Causes Of Alopecia Areata                                                                                                            Most important question that remains a mystery in Alopecia Areata is the cause.  Learn what some of the latest findings has shown together with microscopic  images of the affected follicle.

Available Treatments That Are Effective                                                                           Get to know which of the treatments has shown best results. More importantly learn more about various side effects caused by the treatments and how to minimise it.