What exactly is alopecia? Hair loss is referred to as alopecia in scientific terms. Alopecia has various subcategories, such as androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, traction alopecia, and alopecia Universalis. Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. The subtype is described by the other half of the name. Androgenetic Alopecia, Androgenetic Alopecia, Androgenetic Alopecia, Androgenetic Alopecia, Androgenetic A ( Alopecia androgenica ). Androgens are male hormones, therefore the name can be broken down to mean male hormone-dependent hair loss, or as it is more frequently known Male Pattern Baldness. The scientific community is still attempting to figure out why men develop male pattern baldness.
The male hormone testosterone was formerly thought to be the source of the illness. With time, a testosterone derivative known as Dihydro-testosterone (DHT) was identified as the bad guy. The issue is that DHT levels rise with age, and DHT blockers do not appear to hold the problem at bay in the long run, so there is still some misunderstanding.
Female Pattern Baldness.
When women lose their hair, it usually happens in a more diffuse manner than when men do. Women, on the other hand, can have high levels of androgens (male hormones) and develop similar hair loss patterns to men, such as receding temples, balding crowns, and a widespread pattern of hair loss.
Alopecia Areata is a kind of alopecia. Hair loss occurs in patches, usually beginning with a single bald patch. This type of loss involves the auto-immune system. That means the body's immune system attacks the hair follicle in the same way it would if it were infected with a virus like influenza. Sometimes the patch will self-correct or expand to a larger area. Alopecia Areata is the term used when the patch is limited to the scalp. However, if it occurs in the beard area, it is referred to as alopecia barbae. Total Alopecia An auto-immune condition that causes the loss of all hair on the scalp, comparable to Alopecia Areata.
It can start as Alopecia Areata and proceed to Total Alopecia. Alopecia Universalis is a type of alopecia that affects An auto-immune condition in which all hair on the body, including eyelashes and eyebrows, is lost completely. This is the real world!
READ ALSO: Alopecia Totalis: What Is It? Alopecia Totalis Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
Finding Out More About Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis, and Alopecia Universalis:
Alopecia is a broad word for hair loss that typically affects the scalp. However, there are several different varieties of alopecia, each with its own set of symptoms and treatment options. This page focuses on Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis, and Alopecia Universalis, three of the most severe and debilitating kinds of alopecia.
So, how common is this sort of alopecia? According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), these frequent yet difficult disorders impact over 1.7 percent of the global population, with over 4.7 million people in the United States alone. A figure of over a million has lately been proposed for the population of the United Kingdom alone, indicating that it is far more frequent than we assume.
These three varieties of alopecia cause quite diverse sorts of hair loss, therefore it's critical to understand the differences. Alopecia Areata is a phrase that describes hair loss in patches that can occur anywhere on the body, but it nearly always affects the scalp. Alopecia Totalis refers to entire hair loss on the scalp, while Alopecia Universalis, the most severe form of Alopecia, causes complete hair loss across the body.
According to the most recent medical research, these three types of alopecia are caused by an immune system malfunction. As a result, the immune system assaults certain body tissues. The body's immune system attacks the hair follicles and disrupts normal hair growth in Alopecia Areata for unknown reasons.
There is no scientific evidence that the disease is caused by nerves or stress, and it is clear that it is not a classic nervous disorder. Alopecia patients have no control over when attacks will occur, and it is this completely unpredictable nature of the disease that makes it so difficult to manage.
These types of alopecia have few physical side effects, and those who live a healthy lifestyle, eat well, and don't smoke are likely to be in excellent health. The only visible side effect of Alopecia is stippling on the nails in some people, which looks like tiny dents or scratches, and although a small percentage of people have severely distorted nails, this is uncommon. Other reported side effects include itching around the hair loss areas during the initial hair loss phase, but this subsides over time.
In terms of whether Alopecia is a hereditary condition, it is possible that Alopecia can run in families, implying that genes and heredity play a role. In fact, about 25% of alopecia patients have a family history of the condition.
According to the NAAF, if an adult over thirty develops alopecia, the danger of passing the disease on to another family member is reduced; nevertheless, because the majority of alopecia sufferers are children and young people, the risk is increased. Despite the increased risk, only one in every five people who have the disease has other family members who have it.
The fact that there is no known cure for these types of alopecia is widely acknowledged, but the good news is that hair growth can be stimulated by a variety of treatments and can even occur after years of extensive hair loss. Its unpredictability can even result in spontaneous regrowth if left untreated.
