What is Alopecia?

Alopecia is the medical term for baldness or hair loss.

What are the Different Types of Alopecia?

• ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA -an extremely common disorder affecting both men and women, androgenetic alopecia is characterized by diffuse hair loss over most of the scalp.
• ALOPECIA AREATA -alopecia areata is characterized by soft, bald patches on the scalp. Alopecia areata is thought to be an auto-immune disorder in which the body's own immune system perceives the hair follicles to be foreign and attacks them.
• ALOPECIA TOTALIS- a condition in which all or most of the hair on the scalp falls out.
• ALOPECIA UNIVERSALIS- the most severe form of alopecia, alopecia universalis is a condition in which all of the hair on the scalp and body (including eyelashes and eyebrows) falls out.
• SCARRING ALOPECIA- also known as cicatricial alopecia, the common theme is a potentially permanent and irreversible destruction of hair follicles and their replacement with scar tissue, thus making re-growth impossible.
• TRACTION ALOPECIA- is caused primarily by pulling force being applied to the hair. This commonly results from the sufferer frequently wearing her hair in a particularly tight ponytail, pigtails, or braids.
• TRICHOTILLOMANIA- self-induced hair loss resulting from continuous pulling of the hair. It may be consciously or unconsciously self-inflicted. Trichotillomania occurs most commonly among young children, adolescents and women.
• TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM- a disorder characterized by sudden and diffuse hair loss, which can be the result of trauma, such as childbirth, major surgery, severe stress and chemotherapy.
• ANAGEN EFFLUVIUM- hair loss caused by exposure to certain chemicals and radioactive substances. The hair is lost not by shedding but by fracturing of the hair shafts at the scalp. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment often experience this temporary disorder.

*You should consult your doctor with specific questions you may have about your hair loss condition.