Surgical treatment

Scalp reduction. This procedure decreases the area of bald skin on the head. The hairless skin is stretched and surgically removed and the space is closed with hair-covered scalp.

Your doctor may try to speed up regrowth by injecting your scalp with steroids or by advising minoxidil solution directly on the bald area. Alopecia areata can recur. Treatment is less likely to be effective in people with extensive alopecia areata (more than 50% scalp hair loss) or alopecia universalis.

Can baldness be prevented?

If you have inherited the genes responsible for male-pattern or female-pattern baldness there is not a lot you can do to prevent it happening. Treatment such as minoxidil, however, may slow down the hair loss.

Avoid non-prescription hair-growth products other than minoxidil. These products are generally not effective and could be harmful.