Everything you ever needed to know about CCCA ALopecia Hair Loss
1. What is CCCA Alopecia?
Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia commonly abbreviated as CCCA is a scarring form of hair loss that is characterized by symptoms of itching, burning, redness, tenderness, scaling/flaking, and tiny bumps, which originate from the crown and gradually grow outwards resulting in thinning and the eventual permanent hair loss.
Although it can be present in men, it is most commonly experienced in women over 30 years of age. However it has been seen in some cases as early as teenage years.
One of the biggest problems with CCCA is that it is commonly misdiagnosed as androgenic alopecia which showcases itself in similar ways.
A commonly used method to find the difference is by a biopsy in which androgenic alopecia is characterized by shrinking of the hair follicles making them thin, weak, and barely noticeable. A CCCA biopsy however, typically showcases inflammation and serious damage to the follicles are noticeable as well. Although, be aware that there are times where all of the above symptoms show up on the same biopsy!
Although it’s still being researched - we are starting to see a common occurrence of CCCA in women who have uterine fibroids as well.
How do you ‘catch’ CCCA?
You don’t catch it. The cause of CCCA is still being researched but some of the theories by scientists and researchers suggest that it is caused by a combination of genetics, autoimmune conditions, and hairstyling choices like the tension from tight braids, excessive use of heat and heat tools over extended periods, and the use of chemically altering of the hair structure and burning of the scalp from the chemicals like relaxers, dyes, or bleaches. Unfortunately, most people only notice that they have CCCA when it is too late making it challenging to treat it.
But Is CCCA treatable?
Yes it is. The good news is that there have been recent advances in stopping the spread of CCCA and regrowing hair in areas where scarring has not yet fully covered the scalp.
In conclusion
There is no clear reason why CCCA shows up on various regions of the scalp but once you notice any problems, they should be addressed immediately. Additionally, a lot of lifestyle changes like using CCCA Maintenance products, silk/satin bonnets, and eating anti-inflammatory foods are very important in keeping CCCA under control!
2. What does scarring alopecia look like?
Scarring Alopecia, also known as cicatricial alopecia. This refers to hair loss in the body in up to 3- 7% of the population. Scarring Alopecia looks a little different from other types, the scarring has a distinct look after the affliction has occurred. The skin appears to be very smooth, shiny, and thicker than the surrounding skin, with no visible pores. These signs indicate that the alopecia has progressed to scarring.
Causes of scarring alopecia
Given the wide variety of hair loss conditions that may be considered forms of scarring alopecia, there are several underlying reasons at work. But the common culprit among all the types of scarring alopecia is inflammation.
Damage due to inflammation is the main cause of permanent loss. Excessive inflammation leads to scarring, destroying the sebaceous gland on the scalp as well as the hair follicles and their stem cells. With this type of damage, the stem cells can no longer regrow hair.
Classifications of scarring alopecia
When it comes to Alopecia, in this case, cicatricial alopecia. The underlying tissue gets destroyed or scarred and substituted with fibrous tissue, preventing the regrowth of your tresses.
There are different classifications of cicatricial alopecia, depending on the underlying causes which may be primary or secondary. Both primary and secondary cicatricial alopecia, involve inflammatory disorders that damage hair follicles causing permanent hair loss, but there is a distinction between the two classifications:
Primary cicatricial alopecia (Primary scarring alopecia) refers to the disease affliction itself. According to the primary scarring alopecia category, it is characterized as folliculocentric (centered on the hair follicles) inflammation destroying hair follicles, and irreversible hair loss. Permanent scar tissue forms around the hair follicle, inhibiting any regrowth for good. The affliction usually presents itself during early adult life.
Secondary cicatricial alopecia (Secondary scarring alopecia) refers to scarring hair loss due to external physical factors. In this classification, factors such as infections, burns, radiation, allergens, trauma, harsh chemicals used on the scalp, and damaging hair styling practices can make this type of cicatricial alopecia occur.
In conclusion
Scarring alopecia refers to several types of permanent hair loss that include chronic inflammation of the scalp and hair follicles. This condition results in permanent hair loss, but the early signs are important to watch out for because early detection can slow the progress with early treatment.
If you are noticing you have lost hair or there is shedding, inflammation, or tenderness, be sure to take time to speak with a hair loss specialist such as a Dermatologist or Trichologist. Identifying the scarring alopecia early before it progresses is crucial to finding ways to prevent further loss of hair.
3. What are the stages of CCCA?
It is important to note the first signs, because CCCA may present itself as a scalp issue.
1st Stage
This stage is normally characterized by dryness and an itch on the affected area. The hair texture may be coarse, even after the application of oils or moisturizers to your hair. You may not develop these symptoms. However, some people who have CCCA develop one or more of the following symptoms on their scalp:
Tenderness
Pain
Burning
Stinging
Itching
Pins and needles sensation
The intensity of these symptoms varies from person to person. For some people, symptoms can become so extreme that they interfere with everyday life. Treatment for CCCA can ease the pain and other symptoms.
2nd Stage
At this stage, all oils added to your hair for relevant moisture is futile. Even after putting leave-in-conditioner, your hair seems to end up coarser and coarser by the day. Coarse hair requires more oil than the scalp can produce. The thickness of each strand also means that it takes longer for the oil to absorb into the hair shaft. As a result, coarse hair is more prone to; losing moisture faster, split ends, and feeling slightly rough.
3rd Stage
After having coarse hair, your hair will start thinning and shedding at this stage. Then the scalp will start to present some wet pustules and shortly after the skin will be very dry, and flaky. In addition, the color of the skin will start to change. At this stage of CCCA, it is quite difficult to do much, for the inflammation has taken a hold of the follicles and scarring will inevitably follow. Once scarring has begun, it is irreversible.
CCCA destroys the openings from which the hair grows, which then turns into scar tissue. This will end up looking shiny and smooth.
In Conclusion
It is always a good idea to make sure you see the signs early so that you can seek treatment. Delaying the affliction to persist only adds to your chances of something irreversible. Before you see noticeable hair loss, CCCA may cause some changes to your scalp. You may feel tiny bumps. Some women say their scalp feels scaly or crusty. Dermatologists think that inflammation in your scalp causes these signs.
4. Does CCCA Alopecia affect Black Women differently?
As if being a woman is not challenging on its own, can you imagine being a minority and experiencing hair loss right at the prime of your age and career? Not to say that all other types of alopecia are not as traumatizing, but there is something different about CCCA.
To begin with, CCCA affects us almost exclusively. Secondly, there are tons of research into other types of alopecia but there is just not enough for afro-textured women.
Think about it, it’s frustrating enough when you cant understand why this type of alopecia affects afro-textured women. Then, why does it start in the middle and work its way outwards? Why does it scar so much that no hair can grow? Is it too late to do something about it?
These questions are all ones that CCCA Hair Loss organization is working hard to answer.
Let’s talk trauma
This piece is not a history lesson but there is just so much history of trauma that overlooking this would be a great injustice. After many years of lacking identity, black women were forced to morph and merge into a society that could only relate to beauty if it looked a certain way.
This led to chemical relaxers, lots of heat, and very tight hairstyles to tame an already magnificent work of art. Problems like traction alopecia and CCCA were born in this chaos of self-discovery.
Hair loss as a black woman is especially traumatic
This mixed with years of being told that natural coil-y/curly hair is not attractive, it does not grow, and it should not be worn on formal occasions because “it is too much,” or “too distracting,” can cause stress and emotional unrest.
You see when it comes to the black community, a lot of shame and insecurity are expressed. Depression soon sets in because hair is a huge identifying factor. The worst part is that we were all taught to only know the relaxer is working when it ‘burns.’
Hairstyles should be as tight as possible for them to be neat and last longer. With misconceptions and misinformation like this, you can understand why alopecia can be more stressful as a black woman.
Why history is important
Before colonization, African hair was viewed as sacred since it was the topmost part of the anatomy being closest to the divine. Unfortunately, all their hair was cut off to erase their identities and conform to a new rule.
Up until this point, hair was a way to determine one’s social status, marital status, age, and gender. Due to all these reasons, the introduction of the Jheri curl, colorants, very tight hairstyles, heat, and other ways to tame our gravity-defying hair has led us deeper into a rabbit hole yet to be explained to us.
Summary
CCCA Hair Loss is a great foundation that wants to educate and investigate further into why this condition only affects black women, make the stigma around hair loss known, and validate all that have come to their wit’s end when it comes to this condition.
Until then, can we all just embrace our hair for what it is? Acceptance is the first and truest way for healing to start!