Alopecia Areata

What is alopecia areata?

• Alopecia areata is a common skin disorder seen in children and young adults.
• It is characterized by hair loss in localized round areas on the scalp, the beard area and occasionally on the eyebrows .
• A positive family history for alopecia areata is found in 10% to 20% of patients.

What is the chance of hair regrowing?

• The prognosis for most children is excellent.
• Complete regrowth of the hair occurs within a year in 95% of children with alopecia areata.
• About 30% will have a future episode of alopecia areata.
• Rarely, all the scalp hair or all the scalp and body hair are lost in the disease.

Alopecia Areata (beard area)

What is the cause of alopecia areata?

• The cause of alopecia areata remains unknown.
• An immune mechanism is postulated in which auto- antibodies are produced against the hair follicles and this results in premature shedding of the hair.

Treatment:

• Consult your doctor.
• There is no reliable treatment for alopecia areata since spontaneous regrowth occurs in most patients. Many forms of therapy including intralesional or topical steroids, anthralin or contact sensitisation have demonstrated short term hair regrowth, but they do not alter the long term course of alopecia areata.
• In complete hair loss, wearing a wig may be helpful.