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Physiotherapy treatments for alopecia areata
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Electrotrichogenesis.
Electrostatic and electromagnetic fields have long been successfully used for healing soft tissue wounds and bone fusion. As a side effect, increased hair growth has been noted in areas of skin that have been subjected to electrophysiotherapy.
In a study of the effect of electrostatic field on hair growth, a positive effect was noted in more than 60% of patients, with 90% of them experiencing a stop in hair loss. Extending the course of treatment for these patients for another year resulted in a significant increase in hair density.
Therapeutic procedures are carried out once a week for 12 minutes. The duration of the course of treatment is 36-48 weeks. The method is easy to use and convenient for the patient. The device looks like a stationary hair dryer in a hairdresser. During the procedure, the patient sits in a comfortable chair, with a cap above his head (frontal-parietal region) inducing an electrostatic field. The treatment does not cause any unpleasant sensations, and no side effects have been noted. It has been proven that electrostatic action does not induce the occurrence of tumors.
The mechanism of hair growth stimulation remains unclear. The positive potential is used to prepare the hair for the negative potential, which causes the trichogenic effect.
Microcurrent therapy is a new safe method of treatment, which uses a weak pulsed current. The procedures are performed with the E-100 assist device in the "tissue restoration" program mode, observing the following parameters: current frequency 0.3-0.5 Hz (up to 30 Hz), current strength 4-80 μA, voltage 11-14 V, electrical pulse duration of about 500,000 μs. Since weak currents are used, subjective sensations are practically absent; some patients note a feeling of "needle tingling" or "mechanical pressure". Already after the 3-5th procedure, hair loss decreases or stops, general well-being improves, however, it should be noted that the best results are observed with 10 or more therapy sessions.
Microcurrents have a wide range of effects on the body; they are capable of:
- relieve pain by releasing enkephalin and endorphin, which are endogenous analgesics. This property is used in cosmetology practice for postoperative conditions, in particular, during hair transplantation.
- stimulate cellular metabolism processes by changing the membrane potential of cells and opening ion channels, including calcium channels, which leads to a 6-fold increase in the synthesis of ATP, the main energy potential of the cell. The accumulation of ATP promotes the acceleration of cell differentiation and tissue regeneration.
- improve microcirculation by stimulating muscle fibers to contract and relax in sequence, and also by affecting the smooth muscles of the arterioles themselves.
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