Alopecia
Alopecia, commonly known as baldness, is a set of disorders which involves the state of lacking hair where it would normally
grow, especially on the head. The most common form of baldness is a progressive hair-thinning condition that occurs in adult
humans and other primate species. Nonetheless, the severity and nature of condition can vary greatly; it ranges from male
and female pattern alopecia (alopecia androgenetica), to alopecia areata, which involves the loss of some of the hair from
the head, alopecia totalis, which involves the loss of all head hair, to the most extreme form, alopecia universalis, which
involves the loss of all hair from the head and the body. Treatment for alopecia has limited success. The more hair lost,
the less successful the treatment will be. The psychological implications of alopecia include stress, anxiety and depression,
and can in many cases involve issues relating to identity change, particularly when the eyebrows and eyelashes are also lost.
Hair loss is sometimes the result of chemotherapy treatment for cancer sufferers.
The Alopecia type of hair loss is believed to be caused by the immune system reacting to hair follicles as if they were antibodies and shutting them down. The hair loss is usually limited to a coin sized area and all the hair in the area is lost leaving a totally smooth round patch. In a more severe rarer condition called Alopecia Totalis, all hair on the entire body is lost, including the eyelashes. Treatments include topical medications, a special kind of light treatment, or in some cases drugs.