Understanding Alopecia and Its Root Causes

Alopecia’ is the medical term for loss of hair, usually in a circumscribed manner, from the head, scalp or body, sometimes to the extent of complete baldness.

Types of Alopecia

Some of the commonly occurring types of Alopecia include:
- Androgenetic Alopecia (Male / Female Pattern Baldness)
- Diffuse Alopecia (diffused hair-loss over the scalp; This is a rare syndrome)
- Traction Alopecia (this occurs most at the hair-line due to frequently tying hair too tightly in ponytails, braids, etc.)
- Cicatricial Alopecia (hair loss that occurs in areas where there is scarring or other tissue damage. Hair loss in such areas is usually permanent).

- Alopecia Areatea – With hair loss occurring most commonly on the scalp, this condition can cause temporary or permanent hair loss anywhere on the body. Alopecia Areatea is further classified into Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis.

Alopecia Totalis – This is an autoimmune disorder, in which there is complete loss of hair on the scalp.
Alopecia Universalis – Here the person experiences loss of hair all over the body, e.g. eyelashes, pubic hair, etc.


What Causes Alopecia?
Although some of the causes of Alopecia remain obscure, there are a few factors that have definitely been found to predispose a person to developing this condition. Some of these factors include:
- Heredity: Alopecia has been found to occur more commonly in people with affected blood-relations. Moreover, it has also been found to be more prevalent in people with family members who have auto-immune disorders, thus suggesting a definite genetic cause.
- Auto-immune Factors: There is growing evidence to suggest that alopecia is largely an auto-immune disorder in which the body attacks its own hair follicles, thereby causing hair fall and an arresting of further hair growth. In fact, studies reveal that T-cell lymphocytes have been often observed around affected hair follicles.
- Emotional Stress: Although emotional stress often plays a role in general hair fall, in the case of alopecia, it is generally found to play a supplementary role to existing genetic or auto-immune predisposing factors.
- Physical Stress: Physical stress caused by pulling hair back tightly in braids or ponytails very often, are also known to result in alopecia. Scarring due to surgery or injury causes damage to the hair follicles, thus resulting in alopecia. Hair loss due to scarring is usually permanent.
- Infectious Causes: Infections of the scalp more commonly result in general hair fall. However, many cases of alopecia have also been reported which can be traced to pathogenic causes. However, most often, the affected person also has a genetic predisposing factor like a blood-relative with an auto-immune disorder.


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