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Perhaps the most famous sufferer of alopecia areata, Gail Porter, recently appeared on British TV sporting a full head of her own hair. This is despite having spent five years with no hair whatsoever, to the extent that at one point, she lost her eyebrows and eyelashes.

This goes to show that it is quite possible that alopecia areata sufferers will recover. Although the effects of the disorder are devastating, all that is actually happening is that the hairs are entering the rest phase of their growth cycle, something which all hairs enter intermittently anyway. The effect is created by the fact that all hairs enter this phase simultaneously and remain in it, meaning no new hair grows.

However, as the hair follicles remain undamaged, it is quite possible that they can grow hairs again. Porter initially started seeing new hair growth as long ago as 2006, but it has taken until now for her to fully recover as the progress of alopecia areata is unpredictable. She believes that recent improvements have been down to a reduction in stress through finding love.

If you experience hair loss, do not assume that is alopecia areata. Pay a visit to your doctor or a dermatologist who can correctly diagnose you.

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Alopecia causes hair loss in different parts of the body and it does so in different ways. Here we explain the difference between alopecia androgenetic and alopecia areata.

Alopecia androgenetic
This is a relatively common condition in both men and women, often referred to as ‘pattern baldness’. It can lead to complete baldness in men, but this is much less likely in women who will ordinarily experience general hair thinning over their entire head.

Alopecia androgenetic in men can be caused by coronary heart disease or enlargement of the prostate, while in women, a hormonal imbalance known as polycystic ovary syndrome is often the cause.

Alopecia areata
This condition tends to manifest itself in patches of hair loss. They are generally round and ordinarily on the head, although they can appear in other parts of the body.

Alopecia areata is an auto-immune disorder, which means that your body’s immune system is treating your hair follicles as if they are foreign bodies, attacking them. It does not kill the hair follicles however, merely hampering hair growth, so hair can grow back eventually.

There are many different ploys you can use to camouflage lost or thinning hair. What you choose depends on the degree of hair loss and how it is manifesting.

Scalp make-up
This is a common way of camouflaging bald patches. It involves spraying the scalp the colour to suit a person’s hair. This is only really suitable for mild, patchy hair loss and is unsuitable for masking greater hair loss for obvious reasons.

Medi connect
This is another way of covering patches of scalp where hair loss has taken place, but it is a bit more sophisticated than scalp make-up. It is similar to hair extensions and thickens up patches where hair is thinning.

Synthetic hair
Another option is synthetic hair which can be woven into real hair for added thickness. It is actually a fibrous plastic that is often used in wigs and also for hair extensions. Human hair extensions are also available for a similar purpose.

The above treatments are unsuitable for greater hair loss for which more comprehensive options are also available. Hair loss consultants will be able to advise you as to what would be best for you.

Trichotillomania is the compulsion to pull out the hairs on one’s body. The Daily Mail recently interviewed Laura Forbes who highlights a problem that many people who suffer with the disorder experience; that it can take years before they eventually seek help:

“I had been pulling my hair for about a year by the time my parents realised that I needed help.”

Laura took the right first step by going to see her GP, although he seemed unaware of trichotillomania. If you experience a similar thing, you can arrange to see a qualified dermatologist privately.

The doctor had simply advised Laura to stop pulling out her hair. She points out:

“Now, 14 years later, I know it’s not that simple. It was an unconscious habit – my hand would wander up to my hair, my brain would zone out and, before I knew it, there would be huge bunches of hair around me.”

Laura pulled her hair out to such an extent that she created bald patches. Styling her hair hid the problem initially, but she moved from hairbands to headscarves as the problem developed.

“My head was always covered in clips. Getting ready to leave the house took longer and longer and became more and more stressful.”

Laura intitially used the Intralace system to hide the effects of hair loss, but has since treated the cause through hypnotherapy and habit reversal training and has seen considerable improvement.

Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is also sometimes referred to as androgenetic alopecia. Ordinarily, the human head will shed between 100 and 150 hairs a day. Beyond this and the hair loss may become noticeable.

In FPHL, after a hair is shed, the hair that grows back is not as strong. This process continues until there is merely vellus hair, which is fine hair which is barely noticeable. FPHL can occur any time after puberty, but generally affects women who have gone through the menopause.

FPHL can be divided into mild and severe cases. Mild FPHL is not uncommon and is inherited through a person’s genes. As the hair loss is relatively minor, it can usually be addressed using only scalp make-up and hair style. You can get help and advice with this.

Severe FPHL is usually insufficient to warrant a wig, but as it is more noticeable, there are significant psychological effects for the sufferer. Alternatives to a wig are the Intralace and Medi Connections systems. These offer a greatly effective means of treating effects of this level of hair loss.

Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is a genetically inherited condition where either naturally shed hairs grow back weaker or hairs are shed with greater frequency than normal. It can be either mild or severe.

There are a number of treatment options available for FPHL and what is best for you will most likely depend on the severity of the condition. Mild cases can be treated with nothing more than scalp make-up and hair styling. For more severe cases, there are hair replacement options as well as medical treatments.

Minoxidil is a popular treatment. It is a lotion that is applied to the scalp which promotes the growth of hair. Weaker versions can be bought over the counter, but if you decide to go for this option, it is recommended that you get a stronger five per cent solution that is only available on prescription.

Spironolactone is another option. This is medication that can be taken orally and has shown good results in terms of hair growth improvement for many people.

Other treatments that have been used but about which not much is know include propecia and anti-androgens, including dianette, which has shown signs of slowing FPHL.