According to some estimates, two persons out of every hundred suffer with some form of alopecia hair loss. The condition can range in gravity from small bald patches, to complete hair loss on the scalp to total loss of body hair altogether.
This simple fact sheet answers the main questions people have regarding alopecia hair loss:
What’s a good definition of alopecia hair loss?
For a start, let’s make sure we can pronounce the word correctly. Al-oh-PEE-shah is how alopecia is pronounced, with the third syllable PEE getting most of the emphasis. Alopecia refers to “partial or complete hair loss.” Often you see it called by it’s proper title “Alopecia Areata” and additional words may be added to indicate the severity of the condition or the specific area that is affected.
Multilocularis: Bald spots on various parts of the head
Barbae: Bald patches only on the beard
Totalis: Hair loss affecting the head and scalp completely
Universalis: No body hair at all
How does a person develop Alopecia hair loss?
Alopecia hair loss affects men, women, old and young, from all races and cultures. Heredity can be a factor. Records show about 20% of sufferers have relatives who also have the same condition.
The records indicate however that the majority of children who suffer with alopecia did not have parents who had the condition and on the other side, most of the parents with alopecia did not have children who suffered with the condition.
Alopecia hair loss is not contagious. It is classified as an autoimmune diseases meaning the body’s natural defences can turn on itself. In this case, a virus or some other environmental factor, can trigger off the sequence of events which causes white blood cells to attack the cells in the hair follicle which cause hair to grow.
The main question for many is: Will hair grow back again?
Everyone is different. There are various ways in which a person might be affected:
The hair might regrow but it later falls out again
There are only a small number of patches, and hair eventually regrows never to fall out again
Hair is lost and then regrows with this sequence repeating itself over many years
For most people, they find the hair that comes back is the same color as the hair they lost in the first place
Occasionally, a person might find that the hair that regrows is whitish in color. Eventually however it returns to the color of the original hair
So how can alopecia hair loss be remedied?
A variety of drugs are currently used which can have a positive effect on hair growth, although there is no ideal solution at this time. These include:
Minoxidil, also known as Rogaine, is an FDA approved drug which helps combat pattern hair loss in men and women
Corticosteroids – strong drugs used to suppress the immune system
Depending on the extent of the alopecia hair loss, there are different avenues open to cope with the change in a person’s appearance. Some use scarves, hats, clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, and other accessories to hide or divert attention from the hair loss. A very useful resource is the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (alopeciaareata.com) which puts alopecia sufferers in touch with each other through a network and message board arrangement so ideas and thoughts can be shared.
