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Alopecia areata
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In alopecia areata the immune system, which is there to defend the body, picks the wrong target and attacks the hair follicles, the small structures set into the skin that each hair grows from. The result is hair falling out, almost always in round or oval patches, like clearings opened in ground that is otherwise still covered. The skin in those clearings stays smooth, with no scar to be seen, though in some cases the loss covers far more than a few patches.
Alopecia areata doesn't follow a fixed script either. Hair can grow back where it fell out, and it can be lost again later on. Its course is variable and unpredictable, and that means exactly what it sounds like: there's no telling ahead of time what it will do.
In brief
Alopecia areata occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, the small structures in the skin where hair grows, leading to hair loss.
It usually causes round or oval patches of hair loss without visible scarring, although the hair loss can be more extensive.
Hair may regrow and then fall out again; the course varies over time and is hard to predict.
Sources (2)
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesAlopecia AreataPublished
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesAlopecia Areata: Research & ResourcesPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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