Folliculitis Decalvans
Folliculitis decalvans is a disease that causes your hair to fall out in chunks, leaving behind round or oval bald spots. While there’s no cure for it, the symptoms can be controlled to the point that you experience folliculitis decalvans hair regrowth. Seek out the best hair loss specialist for treatment. You can find Dr. Gary Linkov in Manhattan at Linkov Hair Surgery. He the acknowledged expert for addressing this disease and providing folliculitis decalvans hair regrowth. Call today for an assessment.
What Is Folliculitis Decalvans?
Folliculitis decalvans is one of the rarest types of hair loss. It attacks your scalp’s skin and hair follicles. The disease causes an extreme form of scarring alopecia that leads to sporadic bald patches and generalized hair loss. Only about 11 percent of hair loss sufferers actively seek hair loss treatment to foster folliculitis decalvans hair regrowth.
Early detection helps ensure effective treatment, especially since your hair loss may be caused by a number of other medical conditions that cause variants of scarring alopecia. Dr. Gary Linkov, a prominent hair specialist in New York City, has vast experience in the field of hair loss and hair transplants. At his practice Linkov Hair Surgery, you can get personalized hair loss treatments for men and for women, based on your symptoms and prognosis.
What Causes Folliculitis Decalvans?
The exact nature of the folliculitis decalvans is yet to be discovered. It may be that a type of bacteria called Staphlococcus aureus, which occurs naturally in your body, may play a role. Somehow, the bacteria compromise the immune system in people suffering from folliculitis decalvans. The link between the bacteria and folliculitis decalvans isn’t conclusive, however.
Adults are the most likely candidates for the condition, although there have been rare cases in children. The onset is usually during the teen years or early adulthood. Men also seem to get the condition more frequently than women. Other aspects of folliculitis decalvans include:
- People identified as male at birth, even if they’ve changed their gender, are susceptible to the disease
- While no race or age dominates, studies do show that African American women are more likely to need folliculitis decalvans hair regrowth treatments like hair transplants for African Americans
- The condition isn’t contagious, so you can’t catch it from another person
- There is a genetic component, but research is still ongoing on how and why the disease affects only certain people with similar genetic makeup
- Poor health doesn’t directly cause folliculitis decalvans, but let your hair loss specialist know if you have health issues, such as diabetes, a hormonal imbalance, polycystic ovary syndrome, COVID-19 or a vitamin D deficiency
What Are the Symptoms of Folliculitis Decalvans?
Some people with folliculitis decalvans show no physical symptoms of the disease up until their hair starts to fall out. Others may experience such symptoms as:
- Clusters of pimple-like pustules around the bald patches
- Bleeding or a yellow pustular discharge
- White dots
Most people may feel the effects of the condition around the crown. Since the condition is chronic, the continuous rampage on your scalp skin causes scarring that destroys hair follicles and prevents new hair from growing. This leads to permanent hair loss with observable oval or round bald spots.
There are also some extremely rare cases where folliculitis decalvans is observed in a beard or in eyebrows. In such cases, the best folliculitis decalvans hair regrowth treatment is a body hair transplant. You can get a beard transplant or an eyebrow transplant at Linkov Hair Surgery, with the use of the innovative robotic hair restoration technique.
How Is Folliculitis Decalvans Diagnosed?
A physical examination is necessary for a folliculitis decalvans diagnosis. Your hair loss specialist may use a handheld magnifying device with a light to look at your hair and bald patches. Your doctor looks for a scalp condition like redness or noticeable pustules, along with any discharge.
You need an experienced doctor to recognize folliculitis decalvans because bald patches may also be caused by other conditions, such as lichen planopilaris, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, frontal fibrosing alopecia or traction alopecia. Your condition may warrant further tests, such as:
- A swab of pustule discharge to check if Staphlococcus aureus is present
- A few hair strands plucked along with scalp skin scrapings to ensure you don’t have tinea capitis, which is caused by fungus and not bacteria
- A skin biopsy to confirm the diagnosis
What Treatments Are Available for Folliculitis Decalvans?
There is no cure for folliculitis decalvans, which makes early detection and treatment your best course of action. Minimize the damage done by scarring and to prevent further hair loss by seeking medical attention. Strictly maintain the folliculitis decalvans hair regrowth treatment plan to ensure the condition stays in check. Your hair specialist may suggest a combination of treatments, including:
Oral antibiotics Minocycline, clindamycin and rifampin combat the bacterial infection
Topical antiseptics Apply antibiotic creams and solutions directly on the problem area
Isotrentinoin This is a form of vitamin A to ease your pustules
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections PRP from your own blood is inserted in your scalp to heal the hair follicles. When combined with microneedling, the procedure shows promising results addressing male and female pattern hair loss
Corticosteroids injections Injected directly into your scalp, corticosteroids reduce inflammation and provide relief from itchiness
Laser therapies These advanced treatments deliver better results, ensuring long-term remission
Hair replacement systems Wigs come in different styles and sizes, or you may opt for a hair piece to cover up your bald spots
Scalp micropigmentation Also called scalp tattooing, this uses pigmentation that matches your hair color to camouflage your bald spots
Hair transplants Hair transplants for men and for women are only recommended after you’ve fully recovered. Depending on your condition, your hair loss doctor may suggest a follicular unit extraction or a follicular unit transplantation. Alternatively, you may opt for a minimally invasive Neograft hair transplant
Your doctor may prescribe antiseptic shampoos with tar as an ingredient. These types of shampoos are effective in minimizing and preventing infections in your scalp, especially bacterial infections. At Linkov Hair Surgery, the staff takes every precaution to ensure you receive effective treatment toward folliculitis decalvans hair regrowth.
