Alopecia Areata is a type of hair loss that is most likely caused by an autoimmune disease and is also known as 'area-specific baldness'. It often begins with completely bald patches on the head that are round or oval in shape. These spots also tend to appear comparatively very quickly over a short period of time.
What is Alopecia Areata (AA)?
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease in which hair suddenly falls out locally. The body suddenly rejects healthy hair follicles and this causes bald, round or oval patches in the hair. Typical of Alopecia Areata is that it always occurs very suddenly, where other types of hair loss tend to occur over a longer period of time. Alopecia Areata can also spread to other areas of the body such as the beard, chest, eyebrows or arms.
About 2 out of 100 people (2%) will get Alopecia Areata during their lifetime, so it is more common than you might think. It can occur at any age and in both men and women. In most cases, AA occurs in individuals aged 15 - 30 years, with more than half of them under the age of 20.
Alopecia Areata comes in different degrees, it can be a small bald spot in the beard, but you can also suffer from several larger bald spots on the head. These spots can sometimes also spread over the rest of the body, for example to the eyebrows, eyelashes or arms.
Alopecia Areata often occurs very suddenly in a particular place on the head and can vary from half a centimeter in diameter to a bald spot of several centimeters in diameter.
Hair loss with Alopecia Areata is often temporary, so the hair grows back on its own for most people. Unfortunately, the duration can vary quite a bit and new bald patches may appear each time.
Many hair growth stimulating products are not specifically formulated for Alopecia Areata, but appear to be able to help improve and accelerate hair growth.
How do you recognize Alopecia Areata?
Alopecia Areata is not always recognizable by the same symptoms. Sometimes people experience a burning or itching sensation around the bald spot but this does not always occur. Also, 80% of the people usually have only a single bald spot, while others have several bald spots distributed over the head.
What can you do about Alopecia Areata?
The hair loss associated with Alopecia Areata is often temporary ( meaning the hair grows back for most people), but the duration can vary quite a bit and new spots can appear each time. Our products are not formulated specifically for autoimmune disorders, but they do appear to be able to help improve and accelerate hair growth.
Treatment for Alopecia Areata
Recognizable by:
- Round bald spots
- Hair loss is rapid
- Often temporary in nature
Your hair loss is very sudden. You have one or more oval or round bald spots on the head, or in another place on your body.
