Alopecia Areata and Universalis - Symptoms, Picture, Causes and Treatment of Alopecia

Alopecia Areata is a disease that affects the scalp and there is patchy loss of hair. A form of alopecia, called alopecia universalis, results in total hair loss from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, armpits and pubic areas.

The cause of alopecia is not known but it may be caused by ionizing radiation, ringworm, severe shingles, stress, chemical perming or coloring agents and a change in hormone levels. Some doctors believe, Alopecia Areate is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the hair follicles as if they were foreign cells.

The disease may be linked to the oral contraceptive pill as this blocks the bodies natural progesterone and replaces it with an artificial form. There may be a hereditary link, as the disease sometimes runs in families. It may be caused by changing hormone level after the menopause.

Alopecia can be treated with drugs such as steriods creams, dithranol ot minoxidil, which may trigger hair growth.

Monthly injections of corticosteroids into the bald patches are good at starting regrowth in small areas, but results can vary. The condition is usually curable, and growth returns spontaneously within 18 months. Loss of patches of hair instead of total baldness are easier to cure, but alopecia recurs in a quarter of all cases.

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