NEWS

‘Alopecia Areata’ disease has been recently in discussion

DETAILS

WHAT IS ALOPECIA AREATA?

• Medical condition that causes sudden hair loss in patches
• Developed after the immune system attacks the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss, which cannot be observed easily
• Patches connect and then become observable
• Sudden hairfall may also occur in other parts of the body

CAUSES

• Hereditary or genetic factors
• Aging
• Loss of essential nutrients & improper diet
• Psychological pressure and anxiety
• Hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause
• Chronic illnesses or auto-immune diseases
• Hormonal disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects women of reproductive age
• Environmental factors like pollution, dust, etc

TYPES

• Cicatricial alopecia (non-reversible): It results in scarring of the skin and permanent hair loss. This happens due to lichen planopilaris, trauma, burn, infections, and congenital conditions.
• Non-cicatricial alopecia (reversible): Hair loss can be reversed with no scarring of the skin. Other conditions like androgenetic alopecia (AGA) or male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness, and systemic infection are examples of non-cicatricial alopecia.