What is Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia Areata, sometimes referred as Spot Baldness or Patchy Hair Loss is a very unpredictable autoimmune disease. The name Alopecia was derived from the Greek word 'ALOPEKIA' which means hair loss coupled with the Latin word 'AREATA' which refers to occurring in patches. Pronounced as 'al-oh-pee-sheah air-ee-ah-tah', physically, Alopecia Areata has a very distinctive appearance whereby a round patch on the scalp completely losses hair. The size of the patch varies from an inch (Alopecia Areata Monolocularis) to the whole scalp (Alopecia Areata Totalis) and sometimes even the whole body (Alopecia Areata Universalis). In many cases a single patch is noticed during the early stage and subsequently more patches develops (Alopecia Areata Multilocularis) in other areas. The patch will have a smooth surface that looks as though hair follicles had been completely destroyed. However the follicles still exist but have become dormant while remaining in tact. This is a result of our body's immune system surrounding the follicles and bringing all the hair productive system to a halt. In fact in many cases people affected by Alopecia Areata may notice these changes taking place within a period from as short as 2 to 3 days.

Alopecia Areata is highly unpredictable in nature, how it develops and progresses in a person still remains a mystery. The lack of knowledge about Alopecia Areata is the reason why we  still do not have a treatment or cure. As everything else, in order to find a solution the problem has to be well understood. This is why various researches are being carried out to gain knowledge on this medical condition. All these efforts have contributed immensely to understanding Hair Growth process and Alopecia Areata itself. However a full reasoning as to why and how this autoimmune disease affects people still remains unknown. Alopecia Areata has been classified as an autoimmune disease with observations made on microscopic images taken from a patient. Microscopic images taken clearly show how the hair follicles become surrounded by our T-cells. This benign medical condition is also found to be non-contagious. Medically benign refers that a person being perfectly healthy apart from having the strange looking bald patch or patches around the scalp or body. Alopecia Areata has also been observed as physically harmless. However psychologically it can cause serious problems causing very vulnerable mind set resulting to reduced social interactions and other psychological problems.

With more than 3 million people affected in Unites States and Canada, statistics shows that Alopecia Areata affects approximately 1.5% of the world population. Researchers have yet been able to develop any common patterns in terms of the cultural backgrounds, geographical locations, gender or age of the patients. However observations do show that 65% of people with Alopecia Areata experienced it before the age of 25 years old.

Quick Refference
  • Alopecia Areata or sometimes referred as Spot Baldness or Patchy Hair Loss is categorized as an autoimmunity disease.
  • Some of the findings which has left some positive remarks about this condition are AA is not contagious and is medically benign.
  • Although not contagious some unproven theories do link this condition with certain viruses.
  • Meanwhile the person affected is normally in perfect health condition apart from the unusual appearance on the scalp.
  • Being highly unpredictable in nature, causes of Alopecia Areata still remain mysterious.
  • The lack of understanding has made it difficult to explain how Alopecia Areata begins and how it progresses.
  • Pronounced as 'al-oh-pee-sheah air-ee-ah-tah', the word Alopecia Areata originated from the Greek word 'ALOPEKIA' which means hair loss was coupled with 'AREATA' which refers to occurring in patches.
  • Although numerous researches has been carried and is still on going, Alopecia Areata still remains one of the most capricious medical condition in planet earth.
  • However these researches have made tremendous contributions in understanding how our hair grows leading to advancement in hair care technology.
  • Even though it is unusual, Alopecia Areata is a common medical condition with more than 4 million people affected throughout the United States and Canada.
  • Some statistics reports that 17 out of 1000 people will experience Alopecia Areata by the age of 50.
  • Other reports shows that 60% of the sufferers experience AA by the age of 20
  • Physically Alopecia Areata has a very distinctive appearance whereby a round patch on the scalp completely losses hair.
  • The patch will have a smooth surface indicating the hair follicles being completely inactivated. However the follicles still exist but become dormant.
  • The size of the patch varies from an inch to the whole body. In many cases a single patch is noticed and subsequently Alopecia Areata develops in other areas.
  • People all around the world from all walks of life get affected by Alopecia Areata.
  • There has yet been any pattern in the demography of people having Alopecia Areata.
  • Cultural background has no significance in the profile of patients neither does the geographical origin.
  • The seriousness of Alopecia Areata is clearly noticed in the psychological and social trauma faced by the person.
  • Subsequently the person can be seen suppressing themselves from any sort of gathering or public gatherings resulting to isolation.
  • A number of variations had been recorded so far.
  • The most common is Alopecia Areata Monolocaluris,
  • This refers to a condition where a single spot developing on any part of the scalp.
  • Though physician prescribed patients with a few treatments, none of them have proven to be effective
  • In fact many have shown very disappointing results such as losing hair as soon as treatment is stopped.
  • Apart from low efficacy, some prescribed drugs have serious side effects.
  • There has been some breakthrough in treating Alopecia Areata effectively which has gained numerous recognitions from both patients and very conservative research organizations.
  • As the treatments are still in infant stage with research being constantly carried out, immediate action by the patient will demonstrate best results.

 

Further Reading

Different Types of Alopecia Areata                                                                                     What the different variants of Alopecia Areata?  How does it vary? Find out which type of Alopecia Areata you are looking for and fid out how best to manage your treatment.

Causes Of Alopecia Areata                                                                                                            Most important question that remains a mystery in Alopecia Areata is the cause.  Learn what some of the latest findings has shown together with microscopic  images of the affected follicle.

Alopecia Areata Treatments That Are Effective                                                          Get to know which of the treatments has shown best results. More importantly learn more about various side effects caused by the treatments and how to minimise it.