iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical Contributor
Approximately 6.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from alopecia areata, an auto-immune condition in which the immune system attacks a person’s own hair follicles, causing them to lose big patches of hair or even go completely bald.
But now, new research is showing an arthritis drug called XELJANZ may help some people with alopecia regrow hair. The theory is that the drug blocks inflammation that destroys the hair follicle.
A few words of caution: The drug is expensive and can cause side effects such as a weakened immune system or tears in the lining of the intestinal tract.
Other causes of thinning hair can be helped by shampoos, platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections into the scalp, supplements or light caps.
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