

The hair tends to fall out over a short period of time, with the loss commonly occurring more on one side of the scalp than the other. The area of hair loss may tingle or be mildly painful. The disease may also go into remission for a time, or may be permanent.

#ALOPECIA UNIVERSALIS TREATMENT 2015 SKIN#
Different areas of the skin may exhibit hair loss and regrowth at the same time. Alopecia areata most often affects the scalp and beard, but may occur on any part of the body with hair. Although these patches can take many shapes, they are usually round or oval. The underlying skin is unscarred and looks superficially normal. Typical first symptoms of alopecia areata are small bald patches. Females are affected at higher rates than males. Ībout 0.15% of people are affected at any one time, and 2% of people are affected at some point in time. Among those in whom all body hair is lost, fewer than 10% recover. In many patients, hair loss and regrowth occurs simultaneously over the course of several years. However, most patients will have more than one episode over the course of a lifetime. In patients with only one or two patches, this one-year recovery will occur in up to 80%. In more than 50% of cases of sudden-onset localized "patchy" disease, hair regrows within a year. Sunscreen, head coverings to protect from cold and sun, and glasses, if the eyelashes are missing, are also recommended. Some treatments, particularly triamcinolone injections and 5% minoxidil topical creams, are effective in speeding hair regrowth. The underlying mechanism involves failure by the body to recognize its own cells, with subsequent immune-mediated destruction of the hair follicle. Among identical twins, if one is affected, the other has about a 50% chance of also being affected. Risk factors include a family history of the condition. It is distinct from pattern hair loss, which is common among males.Īlopecia areata is believed to be an autoimmune disease resulting from a breach in the immune privilege of the hair follicles. Hair loss can be permanent, or temporary. In a few cases, all the hair on the scalp is lost ( alopecia totalis), or all body hair is lost ( alopecia universalis). Psychological stress and illness are possible factors in bringing on alopecia areata in individuals at risk, but in most cases there is no obvious trigger. It often results in a few bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin. Topical minoxidil and triamcinolone injections Īlopecia areata, also known as spot baldness, is a condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. Sunscreen, head coverings to protect from sun and cold Trichotillomania, alopecia mucinosa, postpartum alopecia / ˌ æ l ə ˈ p iː ʃ( i) ə ˌ æ r i ˈ ɑː t ə/,Īlso / ˌ æ l oʊ-, - s i ə-, - ˈ eɪ t ə/ Īreas of hair loss, usually on the scalp įamily history, female sex, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease.
