Can Acupuncture Really Treat Alopecia?

August 8th, 2008

I’d almost given up hope of ever successfully treating my Alopecia Universalis, however recently my mum was speaking to a young lady who had a similar form of Alopecia and was able to successfully treat it by having Acupuncture. It seems that she also had no hair, eyelashes or eyebrows and had no success trying localised steroid (Hydrocortisone) injections to the scalp. However she now has complete regrowth after using twice monthly Acupuncture sessions over several months.

Interestingly, I had read that Acupuncture had been used to treat Alopecia in previous studies. In fact, in the text “Acupuncture in Medical Practice” by Louise Oft Wensel, M. D.,published in 1980 by Reston Publishing Company, Inc., the authors speak of the use of acupuncture to treat alopecia areata. However, only a 30% success rate was reported for this specific treatment.

It was probably this low success rate that put me off even trying it however having heard of someone that has actually had success (and with an acupuncturist in my home town) I think its time to go ahead and give it a shot. It’s not a cheap therapy by any means and requires ongoing twice monthly sessions but I feel compelled to give it a try. I’ll be tracking my progress in the coming months and I’ll be sure to post some photos to let you know how I get on.

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