Hair loss is a common condition that happens primarily in men. This condition is caused by hormonal changes, heredity, or some medical conditions. It can come with age, or people experience hair loss due to certain conditions such as alopecia. And this term has been thrown after Chris Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s battle with alopecia, which resulted in The Slap. But what is alopecia?
Otherwise known as spot baldness with the medical term alopecia areata, it is a medical condition where people experience hair loss from some of the entire parts of the body. First, it occurs on the scalp, creating a few bald spots similar to a size of a coin.
Causes of Alopecia
Several factors can cause alopecia. For instance, when people experience stress or have underlying medical illnesses, they can be at risk of the condition However, there is also no particular trigger in most cases.
While pattern hair loss is common in men, alopecia can happen to anyone. It can be in two different types, though. The first one is called alopecia totalis, which means people lose all the hair on their scalp. And the other type is called alopecia universalis, which means they lose all their body hair.
Alopecia is considered an autoimmune disease. It is said to be caused by a breach in hair follicles’ immune privilege. It happens when the body might attack itself. In alopecia, the hair follicles lose immunity privilege. It gets mistakenly attacked by the body and causes hair to fall out.
The risk of getting it might have a lot to do with a history of this condition within the family. For example, if there are identical twins and one has the condition, the other twin has a 50 percent chance of getting it. The same goes for both parents and children.
The US National Institutes of Health or NIH claims that one in 4,000 people get alopecia areata. Moreover, the percentage of people getting alopecia universalis is seven percent, while about 25 percent develop alopecia totalis.
Who are at risk of developing it?
Although there is no precise cause or factor that develops alopecia in people, this autoimmune disease shouldn’t be taken lightly. It might not have severe symptoms or effects. However, it can be hard living with the condition for the rest of your life because this condition doesn’t have a cure.
This condition can happen to almost anyone. Children, adults, men, and women can experience alopecia. Those with family members who developed the condition may be put at higher risk of getting this autoimmune disease. Fortunately, most people don’t have a family history of the condition.
Furthermore, there are also a variety of diseases that are linked to the condition. Some examples are psoriasis, vitiligo, hay fever, and thyroid disease. In some cases, the condition could also be developed from genes and external factors. For instance, one can inherit a genetic predisposition that only external factors can trigger, such as infections, trauma, illnesses, or stress. However, the medical explanation behind this is still uncertain.
What are the symptoms?
Alopecia causes people to lose hair on the scalp that typically starts in oval or round patches. It may also start in other parts of the body in some cases. The skin will appear normal, without redness, swelling, or rashes. However, some people with the condition have experienced tingling, itching, and a burning sensation prior to hair loss.
What is the treatment for alopecia?
The medical condition doesn’t have a cure. However, hair can regrow after a couple of months without medicines or treatment. Treatments for it have been heard of as only effective in mitigating mild cases. However, there is no cure for the condition. And people who have it can expect it to come back.
