Alopecia and Hair Loss

Alopecia is a medical condition which basically means loss of hair either from the head region or any other parts of the body. Hair loss has a big psychological impact for both males and females patients. The loss of hair due to alopecia extends to no limit and in some cases may lead to total body hair loss. Researches have found that the cause for Alopecia is due to the fact that the human natural defense system (white cells) wrongly attack new hair cell, thinking that the new hair follicles as foreign entities. These false alarm causes white blood cell to destroy hair follicles, thus stopping new hair from growing.

Alopecia’s main characteristic is hair loss, which is sometimes sudden and can be quite drastic in most case. It affects both men and women, regardless of age. There are even cases of Alopecia affecting young children from both sexes.

Types of Alopecia

There are ten types of Alopecia and are categorized based on their symptoms:

Alopecia Areata: Alopecia Areata is a kind of alopecia which refers to general, circular hair loss. In this kind of alopecia, round bald spots appear on the skin and scalp of patients. Patients may notice few patches of round spots on their body which have no hair at all. The condition is more noticeable on the scalp compared to other parts of the body.
Alopecia Totalis: As the name suggest, Alopecia Totalis refers to total loss of hair on the scalp in which a patient suffers a total baldness on the head.
Alopecia Universalis: Alopecia Universalis is a medical condition in which a patient loses all body hair rapidly including hair on their eyes brows and eye lashes. Universalis is the worst case scenario of Alopecia.
Alopecia Barbae: Alopecia Barbae is a unique form of alopecia in which it only happens in men. The patient suffers loss of hair on the beard area.
Alopecia Mucinosa: In this case, the hair loss is accompanied by the appearance of scaly patches on the skin. The pattern of the hair loss may look similar to Areate except for the existence of dry and rough skin on the affected area.
Anagen Effluvium: Anagen Effluvium is a kind of temporary alopecia in which it occurs when a patient goes thru chemotherapy and/or when taking certain kind of drugs as medicines. In this case, the hair falls off in patches but grows right back as soon as the chemotherapy or the consumption of the particular kind of drugs is stopped.
Telogen Effluvium: Telogen Effluvium is a kind of Alopecia in which the loss of hair is caused by an interruption in the otherwise normal hair growth cycle. In this condition, the amount of hair shed is more than normal and the hair eventually becomes visibly thin.
Androgenectic Alopecia: Androgenectic Alopecia is a kind of alopecia, which is also known as male pattern baldness although it affects both men and women. In this case, the hair on the scalp turns transparent before falling off. This kind of alopecia is considered to be hereditary.
Scarring Alopecia: Scarring Alopecia is also known as cicatricial alopecia. It may be caused due to trauma, hereditary or infection of the hair follicle.
Traction Alopecia: Traction Alopecia is a kind of alopecia, which is caused due to different kind of personal habits like excessive pulling of hair for styling or other things. Excessive pressure on hair like dyeing, coloring and styling may cause the problem.