About Alopecia

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease.  Autoimmune disease happens when the body's natural defense system can't tell the difference between your own cells and foreign cells, causing the body to mistakenly attack normal cells. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases that affect a wide range of body parts.

When you have alopecia, cells in your immune system surround and attack your hair follicles. This attack on hair follicles causes the attached hair to fall out.  The more hair follicles that your immune system attacks, the more hair loss you will have.

It’s important to know that while this attack causes hair loss, the attack rarely destroys the hair follicles. This means that your hair can regrow. The less hair loss you have, the more likely it is that your hair will regrow on its own.

Different types of Alopecia Areata

Alopecia Areata (patchy hair loss)

Alopecia Areata shows up as round or oval patches on the scalp or other places on the body that grow hair. This type of Alopecia Areata can sometimes develop into either Alopecia Totalis (hair loss across the entire scalp) or Alopecia Universalis (hair loss across the entire body), but in most cases it remains patchy and eventually regrowth occurs. For some people with Alopecia Areata the patchy hair loss continues over a long period of time, without ever developing into Alopecia Totalis or Alopecia Universalis: this is sometimes referred to as ‘Persistent Patchy Alopecia Areata’ or ‘Chronic Alopecia Areata’.  Some people may experience recurring bouts of Alopecia Areata, others may have a one off experience, after which the hair fully returns and Alopecia Areata is never again experienced.

Persistent patchy alopecia areata

Persistent patchy alopecia areata is characterised by patchy scalp hair loss that continues over a long period of time without ever developing into extensive Alopecia Areata such as Totalis or Universalis.

Diffuse Alopecia Areata (Alopecia Areata Incognita)

Diffuse Alopecia Areata is characterised by sudden thinning of the hair all over the scalp rather than patches of hair loss. This condition is sometimes also referred to as ‘Alopecia Areata Incognita’. This condition can be hard to diagnose because it looks very similar to other types of hair loss, namely Telogen Effluvium and Androgenetic Alopecia (male or female pattern hair loss).

Alopecia Totalis

Alopecia Totalis is characterised by a total loss of all scalp hair. For some people, the hair loss begins as typical Alopecia Areata patches. However, some people experience such rapid hair loss that patches are not seen before most of the scalp hair is lost.

Alopecia Universalis

Alopecia Universalis is characterised by hair loss across the entire scalp, face (including eyebrows and eyelashes), and the rest of the body (including pubic hair).

Alopecia Areata Ophiasis

Alopecia Areata Ophiasis has a specific pattern of hair loss, where hair falls out from the sides and lower back of the scalp. There is a less common form of this type of Alopecia Areata, called Alopecia Areata Sisaipho, where the hair is lost from the front of the scalp, forehead and occasionally the eyebrows.

Alopecia Barbae

Alopecia Barbae is a form of Alopecia Areata, in which hair loss affects the beard and moustache. Alopecia Barbae can occur only in the beard area, but can also happen alongside hair loss in other areas, such as the scalp. Alopecia Barbae usually causes beard hair to fall out in small circular patches. If more hair is falls out, the circles can begin to overlap. Hair around the edge of the patches sometimes turns white.