An In Depth Look at Alopecia Areata

Alopecia is the term given for the condition of losing hair in one or more areas of the scalp and body. It affects both male and female, having a preference towards children, teenagers and young adults more than the older generation.

Heredity does play a role in its development. Having a relative with Alopecia increases a person's risk of having it as well. It is also caused by an over active immune system where the body develops cells that act on the hair follicles making them stop hair production. The cause of this autoimmune dysfunction is still unknown. Association with other autoimmune disorders like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and vitiligo have been noted. It has also been linked to emotional stress.

According to surveys, 2% of the general population have Alopecia. However, it is not a disease that causes deterioration to the system. In fact most of those who have Alopecia are healthy individuals who can perform their daily activities just like everyone else. When Alopecia occurred at an early age that person may also become bald early. There are cases where one or more bald spots would appeared and then the hair re-grew normally again for sometime only to go bold again later causing more hair loss. For them, it is an on and off condition. For others, the bald spots remain and eventually progress to make them bald all over.

There are many types of Alopecia. By consulting a specialist for hair loss, they can determine the type by a close inspection of the scalp looking for exclamation point hairs. Sometimes a scalp biopsy is needed for diagnosis.

The most common type is Alopecia Areata. It is characterized by a round or an oval bald spot or spots on the scalp varying in sizes. Alopecia Areata usually occurring on one side of the head and may resolve itself within a year even without treatment. However, some people worry about their Alopecia Areata spots because the, spots to some, can look unsightly and stay for long periods of time. Alopecia Diffusa is when the round, bald spots are distributed evenly all over the scalp and not just on one side as occurs with Alopecia Areata.

It is called Alopecia Areata Monocularis if only one single bald spot is seen and Alopecia Areata Multicularis if there is more than one bald spots seen on the scalp.

Another common type of Alopecia is Alopecia Totalis. This is the loss of all hair on the scalp and face causing complete baldness. And then there is, Alopecia Universalis where there is loss of hair on all parts of the body including hairs in the axilla, groin and nose area.

Other types of Alopecia include Alopecia Barbae this is when the bald spot or spots appear on the beard. Alopecia Postpartum temporarily happens after a woman has given birth.

It is thought the same disease mechanism applies to all of these types of Alopecia. Most people affected with Alopecia have tried different treatments. Many of the treatments don't work and almost always have some kind of adverse side effects to the body.