what is Alopecia?

Alopecia areata, also known as spot baldness, is a condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body.Often it results in a few bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin.Psychological stress may result.People are generally otherwise healthy.In a few, all the hair on the scalp or all body hair is lost and loss can be permanent.

Alopecia areata is believed to be an autoimmune disease resulting from a breech in the immune privilege of the hair follicles. Risk factors include a family history of the condition. Among identical twins if one is affected the other has about a 50% chance of also being affected.The underlying mechanism involves failure by the body to recognize its own cells with subsequent immune mediated destruction of the hair follicle.