Alopecia areata is a condition that causes your hair to fall out. It causes bald patches on the scalp, but it can also cause hair loss on other parts of the body.
Hair loss (alopecia) can affect just your scalp or your entire body, and it can be temporary or permanent. It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men.
In many cases, bald patches regrow by themselves without treatment. In particular, if there are just one or two small bald patches then many doctors would advise that you simply leave it alone at first. If the hair loss is not too bad then there is a good chance that your hair will regrow after several months.
Causes of Alopecia Areata
In alopecia areata, the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing inflammation. Researchers do not fully understand what causes the immune attack on hair follicles, but they believe that both genetic and environmental (non-genetic) factors play a role.
When does alopecia areata begin? You can get alopecia areata at any age; however, most people develop it by 30 years of age. For many, the disease begins during childhood or the teenage years.
Only riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiencies have been associated with hair loss.
You have a receding hairline
A receding hairline is a classic early sign of balding. You'll notice the signs of a receding hairline if your hair begins to thin at the temples, creating a more prominent widow's peak and a hairline that resembles the letter M or a horseshoe.
The visibility of your scalp through your hair can be influenced by several factors, including hair density, color, and thickness. Fine, light-colored hair makes the scalp more visible, while thick, dark hair tends to conceal it better. Hair loss or thinning can also contribute to increased scalp visibility.
Yes, stress and hair loss can be related. Three types of hair loss can be associated with high stress levels: Telogen effluvium. In telogen effluvium (TEL-o-jun uh-FLOO-vee-um), significant stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles into a resting phase.
A bald area on the back of the head may indicate that you have male pattern baldness, the leading cause of hair loss in men. Also called androgenic alopecia, the condition is often hereditary and is due to changes in levels of sex hormones that occur with age.
Diagnosis of Alopecia Areata
Doctors usually diagnose alopecia areata by: Examining the areas where the hair has been lost and looking at your nails. Examining your hair and hair follicle openings using a handheld magnifying device. Asking about your medical and family history.
Most bald spots are treatable by using hair products for bald spots, using medication, by making changes to your lifestyle or by undergoing surgery to transplant hair to the area that's affected by hair loss.
Female pattern baldness is largely thought to occur due to genetics. However, it may also develop due to an underlying condition that affects the production of the hormone androgen. Androgen is a hormone that plays a role in pattern baldness.
Stage 1. Stage 1 of the Norwood scale is the control stage. People in stage 1 of male pattern baldness still have a full head of hair, with little to no signs of baldness or a receding hairline.
The typical pattern of male baldness begins at the hairline. The hairline gradually moves backward (recedes) and forms an "M" shape. A circular area on the back of the head (vertex) often thins and expands in size over time.
So try not to stress out about a few individual strands of lost hair on your hair tie. If you're concerned that you're shedding more hair than this, or you've noticed substantial hair loss when you wash or brush your hair, you're probably not paranoid. This may be the first sign of sustained hair loss.
Iron and Hair Health. If you are not getting enough iron through your diet, you may experience excessive hair shedding (Telogen Effluvium). You may also find that your hair will not grow past a certain length.
Vitamin D affects many aspects of a person's health and well-being, including hair growth. Having a vitamin D deficiency makes people more likely to experience hair loss and many other problems.
As a result, when vitamin B12 levels are low, your hair follicles may not be able to grow new hair efficiently. This will result in hair loss. B12 deficiency can also lead to symptoms of anemia, which is linked with low iron levels, hair thinning, and hair loss.
Androgenetic Alopecia - Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss are the most recognizable forms of hair loss. Without treatment, the hair loss can become permanent. This entity leads to progressive miniaturization of the hairs in the affected area with each hair cycle, until the hair can no longer grow back.
Stage 1: There's little or no hair loss or hairline recession. Stage 2: There's slight hair loss near the skin between your ears and forehead (temples). Stage 3: You have deep hairline recession around your temples, and your hairline may have an “M” or “U” shape.
People with alopecia areata typically have smooth, round patches of complete hair loss that develop over a period of a few weeks, followed in most cases by regrowth over several months (picture 1). However, alopecia areata may persist for several years and sometimes hair never regrows.
Alopecia areata often starts suddenly and causes patchy hair loss in children and young adults. This condition may result in complete baldness (alopecia totalis). But in about 90% of people with the condition, the hair returns within a few years.