Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune skin condition resulting in hair loss on the scalp, face and sometimes other hair-bearing body parts. It is an autoimmune disorder in which the patient’s immune system starts attacking the patient’s own hair follicles.
It presents in the majority of cases as localised patches of non-scarring hair loss. In more severe forms it can lead to alopecia totalis (loss of all scalp hair) or alopecia universalis (loss of all body hair).
Common features
- Round or oval patches of sudden hair loss, often on the scalp.
- Smooth, non-scaly skin where hair has been lost.
- “Exclamation-mark” short hairs at the edge of patches.
- Possible nail changes (pitting or ridging) in some patients.
Treatment
Treatment depends on severity, age, and the area involved. Options include topical and intralesional steroids, topical immunotherapy, minoxidil, and in selected severe cases, systemic immunomodulators. Hair often regrows, sometimes spontaneously, but the course is unpredictable and recurrences are possible.