Facts about Alopecia Areata
Hair loss is a very common problem among many people and the medical term for it is alopecia. A skin disease that results in patchy hair loss, known as Alopecia Areata, is 
very common disease that begins with a small patch on the scalp and continues with development of many smaller patches. Approximately, this disease affects 2% of the world’s population. Out of those 2%, around 5 million sufferers are in the United States alone. Alopecia Areata is considered to be more of a skin disease than a hair disease. This is because it affects the scalp and is usually diagnosed by a dermatologist. Care is required for the affected area on the scalp.
A lot of research has been done on Alopecia Areata and it has been made a fact now that the disease develops when the body responds against itself. It is classified as an auto immune disease.
Hair growth is regular in usual adults. The hair growth cycle can, however, be interrupted in case of any disease, medication, genes or any infection. One or more factors can lead to abnormal hair loss. The follicle grows hair in its growth phase but the growth slows down in the other phase of the cycle. As the hair shaft is pushed, the old hair sheds and dies out. This is a regular process and a person can find old hair follicles on the combs and brushes.
Three types of Alopecia have been classified. The most common of the three is the Alopecia Areata in which the scalp is full of random patches. If the patches are present on the whole scalp, then it is known as Alopecia Totallis. If the disease spreads out of the scalp and reaches the whole body hair, then this severe condition is called Alopecia Universalis. There is no cure for these diseases but there are some drugs that help in controlling them. In some fortunate cases, the hair may re-grow without any treatment. This is because the hair follicles stay active and can resume their work if the brain sends the appropriate signal.
There is no sure shot treatment for Alopecia Areata but some doctors are now trying off-label methods to check if they work. FDA has not approved any treatment that can cure this disease completely. The treatments available are mostly for cases in which the patches are present in less than 50% area of the scalp.
2 Comments on “Facts about Alopecia Areata”
Ok im only 15 and i have alopecia areata is this telling me i will have this for the rest of my life cause im 15 and thats young i got a whole life ahead of me and i would like it to get rid of it soon iv had it for about 5 months now i were a hood everywhere i go and iv been growing my hair out just to cover it its about 5 cm big and im sick of having long hair and wearing a hood i just want to know if this will stay with me forever or not cause i really need a haircut and people to stop saying shit iv been to a derm. and i got a cream i used it for a month and its not really working so im bout to get cortisone shots, so will it stay with me forever or not.
hi, yea i know how you feel kid , i was around the same age when i first started to get this auto immune disease, now im 29 years old and im still suffering from this disease..you have to understand that unfortunately whatever treatment you try you wont see lightning fast results, i also wished it worked that way.everything is time atleast 3 months after starting your treatment will you see some improvement.i have to tell you that for last 9 years i have been useing minoxidil , first i started on 2% now im currently useing minoxidil 5%, i have to say ive tryed almost everything out there and i got the best results useing minoxidil 5%,for me this stuff is a lifesaver.it takes overall 0-5 months for almost 90% of total regrowth on a patch around 5cm in size..i also use a good shampoo to wash your hair and apply the minoxidil in morning and evening, the more times the better..my patches get really itchy sometimes and what i do when it really gets itchy is apply the minoxidil , it helps alot..also try to take a multivitamin aswell as 1000mg of vitamin c daily..all this together makes a difference.because with this disease you tend to stress even more worrying about the patches:-)..the vitamin c helps fight stress and boosts your immune system..also have your hair cut according to your condition, ask your hairdresser to leave some hair longer to cover over the side that has the patch.that way its not so visible to others..if you have black hair as i do , get your hands on some womens black mascara and touch up your patch if you are that embarresed about it.it works for me very well..the cortizone injections work very well , but you can not go for them very often because long term side effects include thining of your skin on sculp.