Q: I am 28 years old & have severe alopecia-areata. This problem started 6-7 years back with a small patch of about 1 rupee coin size in the centre of my head. At present, I have lost majority of my hair. It has become a routine for me to answer questions everywhere - workplace, new people I meet, relatives, friends etc. Although this doesn't bother me much, but when people make fun of it by saying that I should get married soon otherwise no girl will marry me, it hurts me. I have consulted various doctors & all of them are of the same opinion that I have lost hair from my roots. I have been taking medicines and lotions from a doctor for about 2 months. I have boils at various places across my head, which makes the matters worse. Do these boils denote any other problem? I have normal hair growth across my body like moustache, beard, on hand, legs, eyebrows etc. I am a fit person. What is the solution for this, as doctors have ruled out hair transplantation. I don't think that I will be comfortable with wigs. Another doctor has recommended fibre hair transplantation, which I was not comfortable as few portion of my hair will be original & others will be artificial. Is it advisable that I go for complete hair transplantation?

A:Unfortunately, this is a disorder with no medical treatment can cure definitely, and options of management are limited. It is due to an immunological problem, and the hair roots are lost for good. In case alopecia areata has stabilised, as in your case for a number of years, the only options available to the patient are hair transplant, or artificial hair, which may be a wig or a weave, or hair implants. But I am not fully sure about hair implants, and more so in alopecia areata. I have never used them, and am wary of their longetivity. Hair transplantation can be done in alopecia areata, if it has stabilised. I have done more than 700 cases of HT, and done around 10 cases of alopecia areata successfully, provided there is sufficient donor hair.