Most forms of alopecia and other hair loss conditions are temporary, although there is never any guarantee that the hair will grow back. In some cases it takes months and grows back on its own, whilst in others it takes years and a whole heap of different treatments. Only your doctor or trichologist can advise you on how your particular hair loss condition will affect you, and for how long.
In one rare and fairly aggressive condition, however, the hair will never grow back. This is a very difficult fact for sufferers to deal with.
The condition is called cicatricial alopecia, a term referring to a group of rare hair loss disorders in which the hair follicles are destroyed and replaced with scar tissue. For some people, the hair loss will be gradual. For others, it will be rapid, as well as itchy and painful.
There are two main types of cicatricial alopecia – primary conditions in which follicles are destroyed by an inflammatory process, and secondary disorders in which the destruction is caused by an infection, burn, tumour or other injury.
Diagnosis and treatment
Cicatricial alopecia can be identified by a trichologist following a scalp biopsy and evaluation, which may include a hair pull test. This should lead to a formal diagnosis. Treatment of the condition, depending on the variety, is complex and varies from case to case. However, the hair is not likely to grow back.
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