Alopecia areata episode prevent further transplant?

[leindub]

This is my first post so obviously first thread started too.

I have been reading through this forum alot and others but cannot find an answer or a thread dealing with my issue. This isn't about transplanting hair into alopecia areata patches.

 

Basically about 18 months ago I got two alopecia patches at the back of my head, one large, one small. I received steroid injections into them and about four months later, my problem resolved. A year on and my donor hair is intact and strong.

 

My issue is that about ten years ago I got a bad hair transplant. The recipient area was my receding hairline. But I can no longer conceal the dodgy hairline as good as before. Can I use my donor hair (eventhough I got alopecia areata before) to top up my old transplant.

 

Recently I visited the most reputable hair transplant doctor in my country and he said my donor hair is excellent, he also said for me to return in six months for a review. The other thing I was thinking, worst case scenario, years down the road and I had another episode of alopecia areata, but this time in my transplant area, could I not just get steroid injections again, they worked perfectly for me 18 months ago.

 

Appreciate some feedback from anyone in my position or just anyone that might be able to help out.

[gillenator]

leindub,

 

Welcome to this community and trust you are finding valuable information as it relates to your own situation.

 

Not very much is known regarding alopecia aereata. It is unpredictable and can impede any area of the scalp. Sometimes it can be attributable to or triggered by prolonged and/or elevated periods of stress.

 

Some docs will prescribe a topical form of steroid to treat certain types of it and some call for steroid injections very similar to what you had. Either way, glad to hear that it resolved.

 

You will find varying opinions regarding the causal effects, treatment, and also differences in whether you are a candidate for HT surgery.

 

And I imagine some docs may feel that if you responded well to the steroid injections, that should you get a procedure and the alopecia aereata impacts the recipient area, that you can always get more injections.

 

There really is no guarantee so in your case it does become an additional risk for you IMHO. Alopecia aereata is a phenomenon that affects both women and men.