What is it?

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that can result in sudden hair loss, often starting with a circular balding area. It commonly impacts hair on the scalp or beard but can affect hair on any part of your body. Hair loss from alopecia is caused when your immune system mistakenly identifies hair follicles as foreign to your body. This causes your immune system to attack hair follicles. The resulting damage causes smooth patches of partial or complete hair loss.

Some alopecia patients experience hair loss in isolated areas. For others, hair loss can become widespread across the scalp, eyebrows, beard and body hair. The good news for alopecia patients is that damage to hair follicles is not permanent. This means, with the right treatment, you can regrow hair.

The Center for Medical Dermatology + Immunology specializes in treating immune-mediated skin conditions. Our combination of research + treatment gives us the best ability to help patients who have not found success with other hair regrowth treatments. Our office in Chicago, Illinois is one of a kind and is purpose-built to help patients with the most complex, chronic skin conditions like alopecia areata.

How is it treated?

While there is no known outright cure for alopecia areata, dermatologists have helped develop treatments to reduce or eliminate hair loss. For some patients, steroid injections and topical treatments are effective. Other patients are finding rapid success with newly formulated JAK inhibitor prescription medications, which target the inflammation contributing to hair loss. 

Our founder, Dr. Raj Chovatiya has been at the forefront of researching skin conditions caused by immune system issues. He opened the Center for Medical Dermatology + Immunology Research to make clinical trials and cutting-edge care accessible to more patients. His expertise and training are helping patients regrow hair, even when past treatments have been unsuccessful.

If you are struggling with alopecia areata, we are here to help. Our mission is to change minds about what is possible by delivering results through advanced science and compassionate care. Schedule a consult today to begin your journey to hair regrowth.