alopecia

Examples of alopecia in the following topics:

• Alopecia

  • Alopecia areata (AA) is a medical condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body.
  • Alopecia usually affects the hair of the scalp, but can also cause the loss of hair from the eyebrows, eyelashes, and body.
  • Exclamation point hairs are often present in alopecia.
  • In terms of adapting to the disease rather than treating in an effort to cure, wigs are often used by those with alopecia, particularly alopecia totalis, in which hair is entirely lost from the scalp.
  • Photographs of men displaying the classic spot baldness of alopecia areata.

• Hair and Hormones

  • More than 95% of hair thinning in men is due to male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia .
  • Androgenic alopecia also occurs in chimpanzee and orangutans.
  • Recent research suggests that elevated levels of the enzyme prostaglandin D2 synthase and its product prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) in hair follicles contribute to androgenetic alopecia.
  • Much research concerns the genetic basis of androgenic alopecia.
  • Androgenic alopecia is polygenetic and appears to have a strong interaction with age as shown by the fact that visible hair loss at a distance is apparent in approximately 80% of males by age 80.

• Chemotherapy and Hair Loss

  • Therefore, alopecia, or, hair loss, is a common, unwanted effect of chemotherapy.