Bald spots of the scalp, brow, or beard are commonly caused by a medical condition called alopecia areata. It is also commonly called spot baldness, and it is believed to be an autoimmune disorder that causes the body's immune system to mistake hair follicles for foreign invaders, and then, attack them as such.
In most people, new hair eventually grows back in the affected areas, although this process can take months. Approximately 50 percent of people with mild alopecia areata recover within a year; however, most people will experience more than one episode during their lifetime.
People with certain autoimmune diseases, such as psoriasis, thyroid disease, or vitiligo, are more likely to get alopecia areata, as are those with allergic conditions such as hay fever.
Make an appointment to see your doctor if: You suddenly develop a bald spot on your scalp. Your hair stylist tells you that your hair is thinning, or that you have small bald areas. You have lost your eyebrows or eyelashes, your beard is thinning, or you have noticeably less hair on your underarms or pubic area.
Yes, stress and hair loss can be related. Three types of hair loss can be associated with high stress levels: Telogen effluvium. In telogen effluvium (TEL-o-jun uh-FLOO-vee-um), significant stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles into a resting phase.
When does alopecia areata begin? You can get alopecia areata at any age; however, most people develop it by 30 years of age. For many, the disease begins during childhood or the teenage years.
But some people with lupus develop round (discoid) lesions on the scalp. Because these discoid lesions scar your hair follicles, they do cause permanent hair loss. Lupus can also cause the scalp hair along your hairline to become fragile and break off easily, leaving you with a ragged appearance known as lupus hair.
Alopecia areata frequently presents as the sudden onset of smooth, round, hairless patches on the scalp. The affected areas are usually skin-colored but may have a peach color. Occasionally, there are scattered short colored or white hairs within the hairless patch.
Alopecia areata is sometimes triggered by viral infections such as influenza that causes excess production of interferons (IFN). IFN- γ is one of the key factors that lead to the collapse of immune privilege.
After hair stops shedding, the hair will slowly grow back. This can take 6 to 8 months for all the hair to grow back. The whole cycle takes about 12 months. This type of hair loss is called telogen effluvium.
Yes, it is possible to regrow hair on bald spots. However, the results and length of the treatment would vary a lot from person to person. It is very important to see a doctor for medical treatments who has a lot of experience.
Most people know alopecia to be a form of hair loss. However, what they don't always know is that there are three main types of the condition – alopecia areata, alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis.
Patchy hair loss (alopecia areata)
In the type of patchy hair loss known as alopecia areata, hair loss occurs suddenly and usually starts with one or more circular bald patches that may overlap.
Avoiding unnecessary hair or scalp trauma, reducing stress and analyzing your diet are all worthwhile endeavors when attempting to prevent alopecia areata from spreading.
Often, hair grows back within several months, even without treatment. It may grow in fine or white at first, but usually returns to its original texture and color with time. People with alopecia areata may lose and grow back their hair more than once, either in the same patches as before or in different patches.
There is no cure for AA. While treatments may promote hair growth, new patches of hair loss may continue to appear. The treatments are not a cure. Only the body, itself, can eventually turn off the condition.
The extent of alopecia (how much hair has fallen out) varies and links to the different subtypes. Some said their hair loss involved one small patch about the size of a 1p coin which regrew after a few weeks or months. Others developed more patches which sometimes joined up into bigger bald areas over time.
Some autoimmune disorders can be particularly associated with hair loss such as, alopecia, lupus, Hashimoto's, psoriasis, and Crohn's Disease/ulcerative colitis. Some medications to treat the autoimmune disease can lead to hair loss. It is not entirely clear why some biologics affect hair.
Hereditary hair loss
Both men and women develop this type of hair loss, which is the most common cause of hair loss worldwide. In men, it's called male pattern hair loss. Women get female pattern hair loss. Regardless of whether it develops in a man or women, the medical term is androgenic alopecia.
Alopecia areata.
It can make you lose hair suddenly and seemingly out of the blue, according to NYU Langone Health. The condition happens when your body's immune system mistakenly attacks your hair follicles. Your hair may grow back on its own or with treatment, the American Academy of Dermatology says.