We have talked about Alopecia. The word means “loss of hair” or “hair loss” or “baldness”. There are several different causes and patterns of alopecia. The exact number of people affected by alopecia areata is unknown, but estimates are between 1 in 1000 to 2 in 100 people being affected at some point in their life. Alopecia can occur at any age but most cases develop first in teens and children. In about 6 in 10 cases the first patch of hair loss develops before the age of 20. Males and females are equally affected.

The symptoms typically start with one or more bald patches appearing to the scalp. Usually they are round in shape and about the size of a large coin. They develop quite quickly. Sometimes a relative, friend or hairstylist may be the first person to notice. Other than the bald patch or patches, the scalp usually looks healthy and there is no scarring. Sometimes there is mild redness, mild scaling, mild burning or a slight itchy feeling on the bald patches. When a patch first develops, it’s difficult to predict how it’s going to progress. The following are the ain ways it may progress.

Very often the bald patch or patches re-grow hair within a few months. If the hair grows back it may not have its normal color at first and can look grey or white for a while. Eventually the normal color will return after several months.

Sometimes one or more bald patches develop a few weeks after the first one. Sometimes the first bald patch is re-growing hair while a new patch is developing. It then appears as if small bald patches rotate around different areas of the scalp over time.

Sometimes several small bald patches develop and merge into a larger bad area.

Patches of body hair, beard, eyebrows or eyelashes may be affected in some cases.

Large bald patches develop in some people, some lose all their scalp hair. This is called alopecia totalis.

In some cases, all scalp hair, body hair, beard, eyebrows and eyelashes are lost. This is called alopecia universalis.

In about 1 in 5 cases, the fingernails can become ridged or pitted.

If you have alopecia areata, you also have a slightly higher than average chance of developing other auto-immune diseases such as thyroid disorders, pernicious anemia and vitiligo. However, it is important to stress that most people with alopecia do not develop any of these other conditions, so don’t panic. In our next visit, we’ll talk about some of the treatments for alopecia.