Many people, including celebrities, suffer temporary or permanent hair loss. Christopher Reeve endured steroid injections into his bald patches while playing the role of Superman. Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame lost his hair as a teenager and has been famously bald ever since. Princess Caroline of Monaco suffered the loss of her hair in 1995, but has since recovered.
Alopecia areata is one common cause of hair loss. Alopecia is thought to result from an autoimmune dysfunction in which a person’s immune system attacks their own hair follicles.
In people who suffer from alopecia, hair may be lost in one area of the scalp or in several different areas. Some people with the condition lose all of the hair on their head, and, in certain forms of the condition, hair loss is universal – meaning that people lose all of their body hair.
Alopecia can be devastating to a person’s self-esteem. Women especially may find it hard to cope with the condition in a society where hair is seen as a woman’s “crowning glory”. Baldness in men, especially male-pattern baldness, is more accepted in society. However, men also find it difficult to accept their hair loss.
Alopecia areata often resolves by itself within a year, even without treatment. When treatment is prescribed, it most often involves steroid injections, creams, and shampoos, but not all treatments work for all patients. A combination of treatments may be used. In some patients, hair loss is permanent. Wigs and scarves may be used to great effect.
If you are concerned about hair loss or believe you may suffer from alopecia, the condition can be diagnosed by your physician or a dermatologist by the characteristic appearance of hair shafts in the affected area. When the diagnosis is in doubt, a biopsy of the scalp can be easily done.
Related Links:
Surgical Options for Hair Loss from illumistream
Alopecia Areata from Medicine Net
Alopecia Online Tutorial from MedLine
