Symptoms of Alopecia Areata

Alopecia is a condition when hair is falling from some parts of the head or body like eyebrows, eyelashes, nose hair and in fact from all over the body where hair grows. It is considered to be a skin disease, because the skin of the scalp is affected and is usually diagnosed by dermatologist. In the case that you want to find the medical explanations of how these patches develop and why are selected in the way they are there is no certain reason and there is no test that can show if the patches will stay contained in that area or spread to another one.

Abnormal functioning of the immune system is the cause, making it to attack hair follicles so they fall more than usual. The condition is not limited on any sex or age, it can happen to everyone, although women don’t reach the scale of complete baldness as men. Luckily, it does not leave scars, only hairless areas and it doesn’t have any aggressive painful symptoms. Hair loss itself is the most obvious alopecia symptom , even though some people may feel a burning sensation or itching. Development of this condition usually begins as one to two patches of hair loss on the scalp, but some hear loss can be observed also in the beard, eyebrows, arms or legs. These hairless patches are smooth and can have slight change of color, usually being peach-colored. With some people the surface of the nails may appear dull and rough, nails may have tiny dents, ridges or small dents referred to as nail pitting which does not typically cause any discomfort.

It is important to know that alopecia is not contagious, which means that you don’t have to worry that you’ll give it to others. People who have this condition are otherwise healthy and the condition does not influence how long will the person live. It won’t influence activities like going to school, working, marrying, raising a family, playing sports and exercising. Hair loss can develop to a point that a patient loses all scalp or body hair. It usually takes 6 months for alopecia totalis to develop from the moment when it starts developing, which has for a consequence complete loss of scalp hair. On the other hand, alopecia universalis is characterized by loss of all scalp and body hair, which can do harm to person, making it more vulnerable to dust, germs and foreign particles entering the eyes, nose, and ears due to loss of eyelashes and eyebrows, as well as hair in the nose and ears.

If the condition is mild, in more than ninety percent of cases, symptoms disappear on their own without medical intervention. Consequently, removing certain environmental triggers such as stress can mean for AA patients growth of new, healthy hair. The condition can reoccur at any time, since reoccurrence is common, but about half of all people affected will grow their hair back within a year without getting any alopecia treatment . Joining support groups may help in overcoming the difficulties and find new ways to deal with the condition.