Can Overuse of Steroid Affect Hair Loss?

Another hair treatment option that works on particular hair loss conditions is a steroid injection. It is a suitable hair restoration technique that helps treat hair loss brought about when antibodies or the immune system starts to fight hair follicles. The immune system is normally responsible for fighting infections brought about by pathogens. But in some rare cases, it will start attacking hair follicles, leading to some form of hair loss. When injected into the scalp, steroids can counterattack the immune system, salvaging the hair follicles. In that case, you can opt for the best hair transplant techniques or get steroid injections. 

Intralesional Steroid Injections Hair Loss Treatment?

Like we mentioned above, hair loss due to immune system attacks can be treated using steroids. Intralesional steroid injections are where steroids injections are administered into the scalp area that is suffering from hair loss. Injections are only done in areas suffering from hair loss to minimize the side effects of steroids on other parts of the body. The effects of steroids can also be reduced by injecting them into the muscles of the patient intravenously. This is done in large doses so that the steroid medication can circulate all over the body. 

Which Forms of Hair Loss are Treatable by Steroid Injections? 

Steroid injections are only used to treat particular forms of hair loss that can’t be treated with other best hair transplant technologies. Here are some of them:

  • Alopecia areata that have affected the beard
  • Lichen Plano pilaris
  • Frontal fibrosis alopecia
  • Alopecia areata, where only 50% of the scalp is affected by hair loss
  • Discoid lupus
  • Folliculitis de calvans
  • Alopecia areata that has affected the eyebrows

Steroid injections will not work on the following hair loss conditions:

  • Male pattern baldness 
  • Female pattern baldness 
  • Advanced traction alopecia 
  • Telogen effluvium and others 

What Type of Steroid Injection is Recommended in this Treatment? 

If you can’t afford the hair transplant cost, a hair specialist will recommend Triamcinolone acetonide steroid injections. Kenalog-10 and Adcortyl are their brand names. Hair Regrowth is brought about in hair loss conditions such as alopecia areata when the steroid is injected into the affected scalp area. Since 1958, steroid injections have been used to treat alopecia areata. However, one fact about steroid injections treatment is that it doesn’t cure alopecia areata. What the treatment does is resolve a patch temporarily or permanently. 

Alopecia can still occur either in the treated area of the scalp or another new area later on. Unfortunately, that is just how this form of hair loss works, and injecting steroids doesn’t seem to stop it. Although numerous hair loss patients have benefited from steroid injections, not everyone is guaranteed good results. In this case, you can divide to opt for the best hair transplant procedures to permanently resolve the problem. 

Benefits of Steroid Injections of Other Forms of Hair Loss 

Asteroid injection is used to control inflammation in other hair loss conditions such as Frontal fibrosis alopecia, Discoid lupus, and Plano pilaris. While using other treatments such as creams or tablets, a steroid injection can help slow down the effects of these types of loss conditions. 

Risks of Steroid Injection Hair Loss Treatment 

The patient may experience small pinpoint bleeding in areas that were injected with steroids. It is advisable not to disturb such spots and wait until the next day when it’s safe to shave or shampoo. 

The patient may also experience soreness or headache. However, with prescribed pain relievers, the headache and soreness will disappear. 

Steroid injections can also cause skin thinning. Thinning of fats under the skin is the most concerning side effect of steroid injection. This risk causes the skin to look wrinkled and paler, and in other cases, it will start showing thread veins. In addition, dimples may occur if there is thinning of the fat. The patient may also experience temporal indentations, which will subside with time. 

Other side effects include:

Pigmentation Disturbance 

Even though this side effect rarely occurs, if it does, it can lead to loss of pigmentation where steroid was injected. In addition, in rare cases, hyperpigmentation may also occur. 

Acne

In areas where steroid injections were administered, the patient may experience folliculitis-type spots (blemishes) and acne. 

Body Absorption of Steroid

If a small area of the scalp is treated with steroid injections, some may be deposited into the body. However, if the injected area is large, a significant amount of steroid will get absorbed into the body. 

Conclusion 

If you can’t afford the hair transplant cost, steroid injections treatment is quite effective when treating certain hair loss conditions. However, it needs to be administered within the first month of developing a patch of alopecia areata. Asteroid injection may also be used to stabilize inflammation early enough and tone down the risk of the immune system attacking hair follicles. However, the doctor can also recommend when the treatment should be done, which can be as late as one or two years after patch appearance.

About the Guest Author

Naman Modi is a Professional Blogger, SEO Expert & Guest blogger at beverlyhillshr.com. He is an
Award-Winning Freelancer & Web Entrepreneur helping new entrepreneurs launch their first successful
online business.


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