Treatment of Alopecia Areata.

Dear Ask The Doctor: I have had alopecia for 2 months, i have a patch the size of a 50p coin at the top of my head and my scalp hurts a lot around the area, feels like its burning and hurts to touch and causes migraines, is there anything u could recommend or any home treatments or anything at all that i can use for alopecia and also that i can use to make it less painful. pls help

Dear Maria: The condition you posted about is called alopecia areata. Its cause is unclear but may be due to some genetic or autoimmmune factors. The hair follicles remain alive and are ready to resume normal hair production whenever they receive the appropriate signal. In all cases, hair regrowth may occur even without treatment and even after many years. You have a few treatment options like steroid topical injections or topical applications, minoxidil or anthralin ointment, so if you do not want to wait and observe for regrowth, you may consult a dermatologist for any of the above mentioned treatment options