Sunday, December 28, 2008

Do You Know What Alopecia Areata Is?

hair follicles

Alopecia areata (AA) is a very important issue today to many. Commonly known as balding, this hair loss condition basically affects your scalp; however, there may also be instances when other hair-bearing parts of the human body are affected as well, and both males and females can experience this type of hairloss. This medical concern is actually not similar to male-pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, since the latter is a rather common condition caused by environmental and genetic factors.

Hair loss baldness is directly connected to the immune system and could lead to autoimmunity. When this happens, the immune system starts to attack specific tissues in the human body. For unknown reasons, AA occurs once the immune system of the human body attack the hair follicles, leading to the disruption of normal, healthy hair growth. There are different patterns associated with this problem, and the most common is spot balding. Alopecia totalis, on the other hand, is when the hair over the entire scalp is lost, while alopecia universalis is the name of the condition for the total loss of body hair.

Children, young adults or teenagers are normally the ones who are prone to suffering with alopecia areata. However, toddlers can also have this condition. Balding is actually not similar with AA. When hair is lost excessively, this may be due to discontinuations of progesterone or hormonal estrogen therapy. Or this can happen right after pregnancy. With AA, hair loss will occur in round spots anywhere on the scalp and although many people suffer from affliction, most will significantly re-grow their hair within a year, minus treatments. Others still will need to use shampoos, such as fluocnonide or clobetasol, steroid injections or creams. Minoxidil and cyclosporine can also help a lot.

Alopecia areata should be properly dealt with as there are a growing number of people suffering from thinning hair. There are different medications and treatments available today for your hair loss problems. Discuss your issue with your dermatologist so you will understand more about hair loss causes.

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