Doctor for sudden circular baldness on the head: “Ghost shave”: Do not use ginger and garlic for hair care. Try these 5 tips at once

Mr. Chen, a 32-year-old project manager in the technology industry, has been working overtime and staying up late for long periods of time and is under great pressure due to his busy work in the past six months. One day, a hairless cavity the size of a copper plate appeared on the back of his head. He became so frightened that he ran to the doctor. After diagnosis, he was diagnosed with alopecia areata, commonly known as “ghost shaved head”. Fortunately, after receiving Chinese medicine treatment and adjusting my daily routine, after 4 months of conditioning, good black hair has come back in the hair loss area, and I have regained my confidence.

Song Wanzhen, a Chinese medicine practitioner at Taiwan Ming Tang Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, said alopecia areata is a common non-lesional hair loss disease that can occur at any age. Clinical manifestations are round or oval hair loss patches with clear boundaries, and no obvious inflammation, redness, swelling, or peeling of the scalp. Alopecia areata is caused by an imbalance of the immune system in the body. The normal immune system is responsible for resisting foreign pathogens, but when the immune system is disorganized, it will mistake your own hair follicle tissue for a foreign enemy and begin attacking.

Song Wanzhen said that this immune attack will cause hair follicles to quickly enter the resting phase and fall out. Furthermore, high-pressure environment, mental trauma, irregular work and rest for long periods of time, genetic inheritance and history of autoimmune diseases, such as thyroid disease, vitiligo, etc., are all important factors in inducing alopecia areata.

In the treatment of alopecia areata, the main goals of Western medicine are to suppress abnormal immune responses, protect hair follicles from damage, and promote hair follicles to re-enter the growth phase. The primary treatment is local steroid scalp injections. Inject a low-concentration steroid directly into the area of ​​hair loss to immediately suppress the local inflammatory response, and follow it with a steroid ointment or minoxidil (hair growth lotion) to stimulate scalp blood circulation and recovery of hair follicles.

Song Wanzhen pointed out that in traditional Chinese medicine, alopecia areata is classified as oily wind. The ancient books say: “Hair is the abundance of blood,” “The liver stores blood, and hair is the sea of ​​blood,” and “The kidneys are the source of hair.” Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the causes of alopecia areata are mostly physical deficiency and emotional imbalance, causing liver and kidney deficiency, essence and blood deficiency, or mental stress, causing liver qi stagnation, qi stagnation and blood stasis, which prevents qi and blood from rising to the scalp, causing hair follicles to lose nutrition and fall out.

TCM treatment of alopecia areata focuses on “holistic maintenance” and “improving scalp microcirculation”, which focuses on replenishing the liver and kidneys, nourishing and activating the blood, eliminating wind, and nourishing the hair. It uses nourishing and energizing drugs to promote scalp capillary circulation, and complements it with soothing and liver-soothing drugs to relieve stress and radically improve the internal environment for hair follicle growth.

In addition to taking Chinese medicine orally, acupuncture treatment can also stimulate the nerves and blood vessels of the scalp. Commonly used acupuncture points include Baihui, Touwei, Shugu and Fengchi. Acupuncture can directly stimulate local hair follicles, promote the metabolism of inflammatory substances and increase local blood circulation. It is an effective external treatment method to promote hair follicle recovery in clinical practice.

In addition to actively cooperating with the doctor’s instructions to receive treatment, daily care of the patient is also important. Song Wanzhen offers 5 suggestions:

1. Keep a regular schedule and avoid staying up late: Adequate sleep is the key to self-repair of the immune system. It is recommended to go to bed before 11 pm every night to avoid staying up late, which can aggravate endocrine and immune disorders.

2. Learn to relieve stress and relax your body and mind: Stress is the most common cause of alopecia areata. It is advisable to relieve emotional stress and maintain a stable mood through regular exercise like meditation, yoga and jogging.

3. Eat a balanced diet and replenish key nutrients: Eat more high-quality proteins, such as chicken, fish, beans, and foods rich in zinc, iron, vitamin D and B complex, such as nuts, dark green vegetables and egg yolks, to provide adequate growth material for hair follicles.

4. Gentle cleansing of the scalp: Choose a shampoo with mild ingredients and no fragrance. Massage your hair gently with your fingers while washing your hair. Don’t scratch your head with your nails; The air temperature should not be too high when blowing your hair.

5. Be patient and avoid worrying: Hair growth has its own natural cycle. Despite traditional Chinese and Western medical treatments, it usually takes 1 to 3 months for new fine hair to appear. Patients should maintain confidence and avoid secondary concern as no significant results are seen in the short term.

Song Wanzhen said that although alopecia areata affects the appearance and easily brings psychological burden, the hair follicles themselves are not necrotic. As long as they seek medical treatment in time and receive treatment, most patients can get their dark and thick hair back. If people find unusual spots of hair loss on their head, they should go to a dermatology or traditional Chinese medicine department as soon as possible. To avoid scalp contact dermatitis, do not follow folk remedies and do not apply irritants such as ginger and garlic, which are counterproductive.