Hair Loss (Alopecia)
Hair loss or alopecia can come in a variety of forms, including the normal process of hair loss that can come with aging.
Androgenic alopecia, commonly called male or female pattern baldness, is very common and has a genetic basis. Men with this condition can begin suffering hair loss as early as their teens or early 20s. Male pattern baldness can be a receding hairline and/or a gradual disappearance of hair from the crown and frontal scalp. Women with female pattern baldness don’t usually experience noticeable thinning until their 40s or later. Women experience a general thinning over the entire scalp, with the most extensive hair loss at the crown.
There are also other types of hair loss or alopecia.
Alopecia areata, which often starts suddenly, causes patchy hair loss in children and young adults. It may result in complete baldness, but in some people with this condition, the hair returns within a few months-to-years. Alopecia areata occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles. Many people report the condition begins after severe stress, but the underlying origins are not clear.
Alopecia universalis causes all body hair to fall out, including the eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic hair.
Learn more about the treatment we studied that has been approved for the treatment of alopecia areata.
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