Alopecia is a disease characterized by the absence of hair or hair loss in areas that normally have hair. The daily hair loss is around one hundred hairs.
In this sense, when a person loses more than 100 hairs a day, he/she suffers from alopecia.
What types of alopecia are there?
- Androgenetic
It is hair loss caused by genetic and hormonal factors.
- Areata
This is a condition characterized by hair loss in a specific area of the body. Generally, the loss occurs in small, rounded areas of the scalp or beard.
Unlike other alopecias, in this type of alopecia the affected area looks normal. That is, there are no signs of inflammation, scaling, redness or other abnormalities.
- Fibrosing
This type of alopecia is becoming more and more frequent. However, it does not have a specific origin. It generally affects hair in the frontal-temporal area (headband area) and, in some cases, eyebrow hair.
It can also affect hair in the nape of the neck area and even body hair.
- Diffuse
Diffuse alopecia involves a gradual loss of hair due to a loss of hair density. This loss of density is due to a gradual miniaturization of the hair follicle.
- Cicatricial
This type of alopecia is characterized by the appearance of fibrous scar tissue in areas where hair follicles previously existed. These scars hinder normal hair growth.
Scarring alopecia can be of two types: congenital or acquired. In addition, it can be caused by diseases and disorders that are related to the hair, such as folliculitis or inflammation of the follicles, or by pathologies that have no direct relation to the hair.
- Universal
Universal alopecia is an autoimmune disease. In this case, the body itself generates antibodies against a part of the hair follicle.
It is a variant of alopecia areata, which is in fact the same disease. However, it has a much milder involvement.