What is it?
Alopecia areate is the loss of hair from any hair-bearing area of the body, but most of the time its scalp and in patches. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that involves the immune system attacking the cells in your hair follicles, leading to hair loss. The amount of hair loss experienced by people with alopecia areata varies.
What are the symptoms?
- Hair loss.
- Hair usually falls out in small round patches on the scalp. These patches are usually several centimeters or less. Hair loss might also occur on other parts of the body. You may first notice clumps of hair on your pillow or in the shower. However, other types of diseases can also cause hair to fall out in a similar pattern.
- Sometimes hair loss on the entire body which is called alopecia universalis.
What to expect?
Things you can try at home if you have been diagnosed with alopecia:
- There is no known effective treatment for alopecia areata. No diets, vitamin supplements, lotions, creams and shampoos have been proven to be effective. Fortunately, in most people the hair grows back spontaneously after a period of time.