What is alopecia and how does it affect people?

Many people wonder why they suffer with alopecia and whether there are any prerequisites for explaining why some people suffer from it and others don’t. Hair loss is a mine field when it comes to explanations for certain types of hair loss and there are many differing options about why it happens and what causes it.

There are many different types of alopecia but the most common known forms are alopecia areata and traction alopecia.

Alopecia areata is the sudden loss of hair, generally in patches on the scalp. It is due to the hair follicles prematurely and rapidly entering into the telogen phase which is better known as the resting phase. Unfortunately, the cause of this type of alopecia is unknown but some experts believe that it should be catagorised as an autoimmune disorder. It is unusual for this type of alopecia to become widespread and tends to be in random patches all over the scalp.

Traction alopecia is caused by excessive amounts of tension being placed on the hair shaft. This causes damage to the hair follicle and over long periods of time, the hair will cease to be produced and will eventually lead to patches of baldness.