Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease characterised by non-scarring hair loss in single or multiple areas of the scalp, face or body.<\/p>\n
An autoimmune disease is where your immune system attacks itself, causing multiple outcomes.<\/p>\n
In the case of Alopecia Areata, your body attacks your hair follicles, shrinking them and causing them to stop producing hair, resulting in hair loss.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve seen a lot of extra\u00a0hair<\/a>\u00a0on your pillow, brush, or shower drain, or you\u2019ve noticed odd little bald spots in the mirror, you might have developed Alopecia<\/a>\u00a0Areata.<\/p>\n Although it is rare, in some cases, you can lose all of the hair on your head (Alopecia Areata Totalis) and even on your entire body (Alopecia Areata Universalis).<\/p>\n If you think you have this condition, then you should visit your GP or dermatologist in order to start treatment.<\/p>\n The only symptom of Alopecia Areata is hair Loss, however, the hair loss can present in various ways. Bald patches, a receding hairline, and all-over thinning hair are some of the ways that this autoimmune disease presents itself.<\/p>\n As the disease can affect your entire body, hair loss is likely to present all over the face and body, as well as the head.<\/p>\n The exact cause of this disease is still unknown. However, there are some circumstances that are believed to be causes of Alopecia Areata.<\/p>\n This disease is more likely to occur in people who have a family history of autoimmune diseases, like diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve discovered symptoms of Alopecia Areata, you should visit your dermatologist.<\/p>\n The first thing that your dermatologist will do is examine your hair loss and take a few samples of your hair, in order to examine it.<\/p>\n In this test, the dermatologist will remove a small piece of skin on your scalp for analysis, to rule out other conditions that cause hair loss, including fungal infections like Tinea Capitis.<\/p>\n Alopecia Areata can\u2019t be cured, but it can be treated to make your hair grow back. Below are several treatments that are used regularly to treat this condition.<\/p>\n The mechanism for these drugs is simply to block the immune system\u2019s instinct to attack your own body. You should discuss any treatments with your dermatologist thoroughly before you use any medications for this condition.<\/p>\n The types of medications used for autoimmune diseases have potential side effects of liver or kidney damage, and some of the medications used can increase your risk of developing Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Alopecia Areata Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease characterised by non-scarring hair loss in single or multiple areas of the scalp, face or body. An autoimmune disease is where your immune system attacks itself, causing multiple outcomes. In the case of Alopecia Areata, your body attacks your hair follicles, shrinking them and causing them to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1550,"parent":1540,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\nSymptoms<\/h2>\n
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