Alopecia

Alopecia (pronounced al-oh-PEE-shah) is an autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on both the scalp and body. Anyone, regardless of age, background, social standing, gender, or ethnic origins, can develop Alopecia. However, it does frequently appear to start in childhood.

Alopecia affects approximately 1.7% of the population within western society, with five million sufferers living in the United States alone.

Because the body mistakenly sees the hair follicles as an “attacker,” the immune system goes into a defensive/attack mode and destroys the hair follicles. Often occurring in stages, the first sign of Alopecia is a small round bald patch on the scalp. It may never go beyonw that stage, or it may progress further until only strands of scalp hair are left the person becomes completely bald. For some people the condition can be even more radical with complete body hair loss. This can include eyelashes, eyebrows, the pubic regions, underarms etc.

Alopecia is not life threatening, but it is a socially disfiguring disease.

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