Alopecia is a hair loss condition which shows itself in varying degrees of seriousness. The most common forms of this hair loss condition are alopecia areata, alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis.
Alopecia areata
This is where hair falls out in small patches at any part of the body, although it mainly occurs on the scalp. There are different classifications of alopecia areata, such as:
• Diffuse alopecia areata – where the hair falls out diffusely over the whole of the scalp
• Alopecia areata monolocularis – where baldness occurs in just one spot
• Alopecia areata multilocularis – where hair falls out in multiple areas on the scalp
The condition, like alopecia totalis and universalis, is believed to be a kind of auto-immune disease, where the body attacks the hair follicles and restricts the growth of hair. After this has happened, research suggests that T cell lymphocytes (white blood cells) gather around the damaged follicles and cause them to become inflamed. This unfortunately leads to further hair loss for the sufferer.
The onset of this kind of condition can often be triggered by environmental causes such as emotional stress or trauma, but hereditary factors can also play a part.