What Is Alopecia?

What is Alopecia and its Affects?

It's amazing how many people I encounter on a regaular basis whom are unaware of alopeica and its increasing developments in our community. When I was first diagnosed with Alopecia Areata in 1999, the facts back then was that it affected more than 2 million people. Today, that number has grew to 4.5 million and counting. My reporting numbers are coming directly from the National Alopecia Areata Foundation website. Below is additional information that I had retrieved from NAAF.org:

• Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. It usually starts with one or more small, round, smooth bald patches on the scalp and can progress to total scalp hair loss (alopecia totalis) or complete body hair loss (alopecia universalis).
• In alopecia universalis, the most severe form of the disease, all hair on the entire body is lost, leaving it unprotected—the scalp from the sun and elements; the eyes from dust and glare; and the nose and sinuses from foreign particles and bacteria.
• Alopecia areata affects approximately two percent of the population overall, including more than 5 million people in the United States alone.
• Alopecia areata occurs in males and females of all ages and races; however, onset most often begins in childhood and can be psychologically devastating.
• Alopecia areata is highly unpredictable and cyclical. Hair can grow back in or fall out again at any time, and the disease course is different for each person.
• Due to public unfamiliarity with the disease, alopecia areata can have a profound impact on one’s life and functional status, both at work and at school.

You can learn more about Alopecia, its genetics, treatments and current researches by visiting NAAF.org.