Cortisone Injections
This steroid injection treatment with triamcinolone is highly effective and appropriate for people who need to treat hair loss conditions such as alopecia areata, scarring alopecias and some types of traction alopecia. In a study of 84 patients, 92% of participants with patchy alopecia areata and 61% of participants with alopecia totalis (total baldness) experienced regrowth on treated areas. The treatment can be given on the scalp, eyebrows and beard area.
When performed properly, with the right concentration and amount, injection treatments are very safe. Our hair loss specialists can use steroid injections to stop or reduce inflammation under the scalp in many hair loss conditions.
Steroid injections work for hair loss that occurs when the body’s own immune system attacks the hair follicles. Normally the immune system fights infections, but in some hair loss disorders it attacks the hair follicle, which causes hair loss. Steroids stop the immune system from harming the follicles, so they can function normally and hair can regrow.
Used for
- Alopecia areata of the scalp, where less than 50% of the scalp is affected
- Alopecia areata of the eyebrows
- Alopecia areata of the beard
- Frontal fibrosing alopecia
The treatment
The skin is first cleaned with an antiseptic. Treatment uses a micro-droplet technique: a very fine needle places a small drop at multiple points in the area, to spread the medication evenly and reduce the chance of side effects. Each treatment takes no more than 5 to 10 minutes. An eyebrow may need about 6 to 8 injections; a 5 × 5 cm patch of hair loss may need about 10 to 15 small injections. There is slight, short-lived discomfort at the time of injection, and no anaesthetic is needed.
Treatment is given every 4 weeks, for up to 6 months. Some people need only one or two treatments, while others need the full six; the average is 3 to 4. Treatment is not extended beyond six sessions.
Repeated high-dose injections can cause skin atrophy. For this reason, injections are not repeated in the same area within 4 weeks. The treatment may need to be repeated every few months.
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