Alopecia aerata is a disease that causes hair loss, but in a very peculiar way, and it can be identified because bald spots are circular. The reason why this baldness occurs is due to a disorder that causes our immune system to attack the follicles. We are going to explain everything that is known about this alopecia today, and if there is a treatment and a cure.
Alopecia is a problem that affects a large percentage of the current world population, sometimes it is due to genetic causes, others due to lack of hygiene, using inappropriate products, seborrheic dermatitis, among others. But then alopecia aerata comes and turns everything around, because it is a very peculiar type of hair loss that can occur on the face and head, or throughout the body. This type of alopecia can even be something specific and anecdotal, or that we suddenly lose all the beauty of the body.
It is easy to detect alopecia aerata, and it will be easier when we finish reading this text where we explain the causes, the symptoms. diagnosis, treatment and whether or not there is a cure for this type of disease.
Hair constitutes a very important barrier between external organs and agents such as sweat , dirt and others. Without eyebrows, sweat would enter the eyes with all the tranquility in the world, in the same way that without hair in the genital area, we would be more prone to irritations and infections.
It is somewhat ironic, since the hair in the armpits is what causes the sweat to have a bad smell, since sweat is salty water, however, when it comes into contact with the bacteria on the skin and hair, then the Bad smell.
What is alopecia aerata?
In short, and to be clear, it is a disease that causes hair loss. This disease usually affects the head and face with greater probability, but there are also cases in which it attacks the entire body. Alopecia aerata develops “out of nowhere” and is caused by a change in our immune system that begins to mistakenly attack the hair follicles and in this way the hair falls out and does not grow back.
Hair follicles are the structures that we have under the skin and where hair is formed. It is considered non-scarring alopecia and usually occurs at two key moments in our lives, or during childhood or in young adults. It affects both men and women and can start at any time.
It is easy to detect this type of alopecia since the bald spots are circular and do not have a specific order, but appear anywhere on the head or beard or the rest of the body. Now we are going to know its causes, in order to be more attentive and detect this peculiar hair loss in time.
Causes of this type of alopecia
The causes of this alopecia are not very clear at the moment, it is only known that alopecia aerata has an autoimmune origin and is that our own defenses and our own immune system turn against us and begin to attack the root of the hair causing it to fall and don’t grow back until that attack is reversed and everything is back to normal.
Thus, it only remains to wait for science to continue advancing and to unveil the reasons why this inflammatory reaction is triggered. To date, it is known that high levels of stress can be triggers for this type of alopecia.
Almost all people who suffer from this disease have a family history of alopecia, but, nevertheless, in other people there are other triggers such as a very serious illness, an accident, a pregnancy and situations of this style that mark a before and after in the organism.
There is a line of research that also relates alopecia aerata to the level of health of our intestinal microbiota. This line is headed by a doctor named Óscar Muñoz, but this alopecia remains a mystery.
Symptoms of alopecia aerata
Hair loss in circular patches is the only real symptom of this disease and the one that characterizes it. There are also cases of people with alopecia aerata who have suffered swelling in the area, itching, itching and pain.
As a general rule, the circles of alopecia that this disease causes measure between 1 cm and 4 cm, they leave behind a round and smooth patch, in addition, only 1 patch appears that several suddenly appear. It mainly affects the scalp, but there are those who suffer it in the beard, eyebrows, legs, intimate areas, arms, etc.
The period of time that elapses between the appearance of the first circle and the loss of all the hair is usually 6 months, although if we start the treatment quickly, we can reverse the situation, although there is not a 100% probability.
Another symptom that is related to this disease is the health of the nails, if our nails have cracks it could be related to bald spots on the head.
Diagnosis and treatment
It will be a dermatologist who diagnoses our disease and who proposes the best treatment. We recommend looking for different dermatologists and listening to the verdict of each and every one of them. Only in this way can we draw a reliable conclusion and know what is happening to us, how the next weeks and months are presented and if there is a solution in our case or not.
To confirm that we have alopecia aerata, doctors usually observe the areas where hair has fallen, observe the nails, ask us questions, investigate our medical history, family history, if we have any type of allergy, if something similar has happened to us before, if we have seborrheic dermatitis, etc.
A complete blood test and other more specific laboratory tests could also be ordered to investigate and determine exactly what is wrong with us and how to attack the problem at its roots.
Regarding treatment, many patients recover their hair after months without treatment or help of any kind, but only the dermatologist will say how likely it is that this will happen or that in less than a year we will lose all the hair.
