Alopecia Essay

Alopecia is partial or total loss of hair on areas of the body where it would normally grow. Alopecia has several forms, Alopecia areata, totalis, universalis, and androgeneetic alopecia. They all have their cause, treatment, and affects although they all are forms of hair loss. Androgenenetic alopecia is one of the most common forms of hair loss that occurs in both men and women. In men it may also be known as male pattern baldness. The hair is lost starts above the temples and then spreads in defined patterns. Overtime causing a receding hairline and the hair starts to thin at the top of the head, often leading to partial or complete baldness. The pattern in the hair loss differs in women, their hair thins over the entire head and their hairlines don’t recede, it also doesn’t lead to complete baldness. Androgeneetic alopecia is an often cause of hair loss in both men and women and is estimated to affect 80 million people, 50 million men and 30 million women. Alopecia areata (AA) is possibly the third most common forms of hair loss seen by dermatologists. Alopecia areata is believed by
researchers to be an autoimmune disease, when the body’s own immune system attacks the body’s own tissue, in this case attacking the body’s own hair follicles. There is no clear sign for how alopecia areata develops, although it certain that certain white blood cells called lymphocytes are a primary role in hair loss. For the hair that is lost it is predicted to grow back within six to twelve months. With no prevention there are treatments like cortisone cream, immunotherapy, tropical minoxidil, and etc. although the treatment is reliant on one’s condition.
Alopecia totalis (AT) is the total loss of hair on the scalp. Alopecia is also an autoimmune disease that attacks the person’s own hair follicle. In this form the hair loss is total resulting in complete baldness. Alopecia totalis appears in two types; one being very sudden and complete loss of hair, the other being a slower progression which originates as alopecia areata then transitions to totalis. Most people with alopecia totalis are children and adults under 40, but it can affect people of all ages. With this disorder the nails will get rigged, pitted or brittle in appearance. Every one in 125,000 men and 1 in every 250,000 women have alopecia totalis. Alopecia universalis (AU) is the complete loss of hair to the head and body.
It is an advanced form of alopecia areata. The exact cause of alopecia universalis is unknown but again is thought to be an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the hair follicles. The main difference between alopecia universalis and the other forms of alopecia is that it affects more than just the scalp, it affects the entire body. People with the disorder are otherwise healthy besides they are more prone to experience thyroid disease and vitiligo. A majority of the people born with alopecia universalis are born with hair but quickly start to lose it. Alopecia universalis is inherited as a recessive trait. It is presumed that only people with this rare form of alopecia carry the gene. The nails of someone who is affected by thus gene suffer from severe distortion of the full
nail. For the people who are affected by this disorder there is no prevention to these because of the internal forces of one’s body are the cause or in one’s genetics. There are treatment that can help with the regrowth of the hair. Most of the treatments are similar or the same. Since in all forms of alopecia the hair follicle remains alive it is possible for their hair to grow back. Some of the treatments are injections, cream, ointment, medication, immunotherapy, and a non-medical solution is wigs. Now alopecia universalis’ treatment is limited the most common form of treatment is corticosteroids. These conditions all have an unknown trigger for their autoimmune disorder, but sometimes it can be “un-triggered” for some unknown reasons. There is still research on why the hair follicle is the target of the autoimmune attacks.