What is alopecia areata?

·        Alopecia areata is a hair-loss condition which usually affects the scalp.

·        Alopecia areata typically causes one or more patches of hair loss.

·        Alopecia areata tends to affect younger individuals, both male and female.

·        An autoimmune disorder, in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, is believed to cause alopecia areata.

·        Alopecia areata is a hair-loss condition which usually affects the scalp.

·        It can, however, sometimes affect other areas of the body.

·        Hair loss tends to be rather rapid and often involves one side of the head more than the other.

·        Alopecia areata affects both males and females. This type of hair loss is different than male-pattern baldness, an inherited condition.

What are the different patterns of alopecia areata?

• The most common pattern is one or more spots of hair loss on the scalp.
• There is also a form of more generalized thinning of hair referred to as diffuse alopecia areata throughout the scalp.
• Occasionally, all of the scalp hair is lost, a condition referred to as alopecia totalis.
• Less frequently, the loss of all of the hairs on the entire body, called alopecia universalis, occurs.
• Sometimes the hair loss can involve the male beard, a condition known as alopecia areata barbe.