Two out of a hundred persons suffer with some form of alopecia hair loss according to various estimates. Some just have small bald patches, others have complete hair loss on the scalp. In extreme cases there can be a total absence of body hair.

The biggest questions people have about alopecia hair loss are answered below:

How can alopecia hair loss be defined?

First let’s get the pronunciation right. The four syllables are pronounced al-oh-PEE-shah with emphasis on the third syllable PEE. A simple definition of alopecia is: “partial or complete hair loss.” The condition is commonly referred to by it’s full title: alopecia areata with additional words describing the severity or area affected:

Multilocularis: Bald spots on various parts of the head

Barbae: Bald areas found on the beard only

Totalis: No hair at all on the head and scalp

Universalis: A total absence of body hair

How does a person develop Alopecia hair loss?

This condition is not limited to a particular segment of the population. It can affect males and females of all ages and races. Heredity can play a role it appears, as 20% of individuals with the condition have family members who suffer with alopecia hair loss.

Interestingly though, records show that the parents of most of the children who suffer with alopecia hair loss did not have it themselves. And the reverse is also true, the majority of children whose parents suffer with it did not have alopecia themselves.

Alopecia hair loss is an autoimmune disease which can be triggered by a virus or some other agent in the environment causing the body’s protective white blood cells to mistakenly attack the cells that grow in the hair follicle to make hair. The condition is not contagious!

The question on most sufferers’ mind it “Will hair ever grow back”?

This varies from person to person. Here is a sampling of how different individuals are affected:

Hair regrows but falls out again

Hair loss is limited to a few patches, it regrows and never falls out again

Hair may fall out, regrow, fall out, regrow, and so on for many years

In the majority of cases, the hair that regrows is the same color as the hair that was lost

Occasionally, a person might find that the hair that regrows is whitish in color. Eventually however it returns to the color of the original hair

So what is the remedy for alopecia hair loss?

While there is no perfect solution right now, there are various drugs available on the market which can boost hair growth. Among these there are:

Rogaine, also called Minoxidil because of the main ingredient, is a drug designed to treat male and female pattern hair loss. It has been approved by the FDA.

Corticosteroids – strong drugs used to suppress the immune system

Depending on the extent of the alopecia hair loss, there are different avenues open to cope with the change in a person’s appearance. Some use scarves, hats, clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, and other accessories to hide or divert attention from the hair loss. A very useful resource is the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (alopeciaareata.com) which puts alopecia sufferers in touch with each other through a network and message board arrangement so ideas and thoughts can be shared.

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