Definition of Alopecia

Can you imagine a situation where your hair falls out because your body thinks your own hair follicles are the enemy? That’s a real condition, and it’s called alopecia, commonly known as baldness. Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. Hair loss may occur naturally or it may be related to disease or the use of certain medications. Symptoms of alopecia vary depending on the cause of the condition and range from a small bald patch

That’s a real condition, and it’s called alopecia, commonly known as baldness. Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. Hair loss may occur naturally or it may be related to disease or the use of certain medications. Symptoms of alopecia vary depending on the cause of the condition and range from a small bald patch on the head to a complete loss of all body hair.

Hair follicles are where the hair begins to grow, so if they are attacked, the hair falls out and sometimes ceases to grow back. Basically, there’s a miscommunication among the immune system and the body ends up attacking itself. Anyone can develop alopecia, though it typically develops in individuals under the age of 20.

Types of Alopecia

Mainly there are 3 types of alopecia depending on how the hair falls

• Alopecia areata is when hair loss occurs in patches. With this type, hair loss cycles over time. One area may lose hair and then grow back while another area begins losing hair. It is a common autoimmune disease that results in the loss of hair from the scalp and elsewhere on the body. It usually starts with one or more small, round, non-scarring smooth patches.

• Alopecia totalis is when all of the hair on the scalp falls out.

• Alopecia Universalis is when all of the hair on the entire body falls out. Luckily, the condition is not contagious, so you don’t have to worry about spreading it to your friends.

  Other types of alopecia include:

• Scarring Alopecia is caused by the inflammatory process like burns, bacterial infections, ringworm injury, autoimmune diseases, which may cause permanent damage to the hair follicle. It is also known as cicatricial alopecia.
• Male Pattern Baldness or Androgenic Alopecia occurs in the typical balding pattern and occurs as a result of changes in the hormone androgen.
• Diffuse Patterned Alopecia(DPA) is an androgenic type of alopecia characterized by diffuse thinning in front, top, and vertex of the scalp in conjunction with a stable permanent zone.
• Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia(DUPA) is also androgenic, but lacks a permanent zone.
• Female Pattern baldness is a common form of balding in females. It occurs in about 40% of menopausal women.
• Telogen effluvium occurs as a result of dietary deficiencies, crash diets, high-grade fever, anemia, blood loss, hormonal imbalance, and pregnancy, etc.
• The word telogen is known as the resting phase of hair and effluvium means letting loose. Telogen effluvium [TE] is a form of non-scarring alopecia characterized by an acute and generalized loss of hair. In most cases, TE recovers spontaneously within 6 months however if the hair loss persists for more than 6 months, it is known as chronic telogen effluvium [CTE.], which is more difficult to treat and may lead to permanent hair loss.
• Trichotillomania hair loss is as a result of compulsive or repetitive self-pulling by the patient themselves.
• Traction Alopecia is as a result of hairstyles that tie or pull the hair so tightly that the hair roots are pulled from the scalp.
• Chemotherapy and hair loss hair loss occurs as a result of cancer treatment which targets both cancerous and healthy cells. This type of hair loss resembles anagen effluvium type alopecia.
• Hair loss due to the side effect of the beauty treatments Beauty treatments such as hair dyes, bleaching, straightening, softening, rebounding, perming etc., contain harsh chemicals which may trigger hair loss in some individuals.

Causes

There are many different potential causes of alopecia

• Hereditary hair loss – If u have a family history of baldness, you may have this type of hair loss due to certain sex hormones which trigger hereditary hair loss it may begin as early as puberty
• Hair loss due to traumatic causes- In some cases, hair loss may occur due to a break in hair growth cycle. Major illnesses, surgeries or traumatic events can trigger hair loss. But in these cases, hair growth is seen after a period of time without treatment
• Hair loss due to hormonal changes- It is associated with pregnancy, childbirth, discontinuing the use of birth control pills and menopause can also cause temporary hair loss
• Hair loss due to medical conditions- Such as thyroid disease, alopecia areata ( an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles) & scalp infection like ringworm.
• Diseases that cause permanent hair loss due to scarring like types of lupus etc.
• Medications used to treat cancer, high blood pressure, arthritis, depression & heart problems can also cause hair loss.
• Hair loss due to physical or emotional shock- such as shock due to death in the family, extreme weight loss, high fever.
• Hair thinning can also be seen in people lacking diet which includes protein, iron & other nutrients.
  

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