What is Alopecia
On a mission to find out what is alopecia?
Alopecia (pronounced al-oh-PEE-shuh) is a term used to describe any form of hair loss, be it on the scalp or any other hairy regions of the body; in other words, the answer to your question of what is alopecia is that alopecia is synonymous to balding.
Hair loss occurs as a result of various things such as the perfectly normal process of aging, hormone change and stress, which is why many cases are dismissed due to the fact that the condition is not entirely life threatening.
However, despite the lack of adverse effects on one’s health, alopecia can bring about a tremendous negativity onto one’s psyche and self-esteem. Bald or patchy spots and thinning hair can be a case for concern when one starts to seclude and isolate oneself from the outside world due to shame and the fear of being taunted.
Be reassured though that in most cases, hair loss will resolve on its own. To further understand what is Alopecia and hence treat it accordingly, you need to know more about the condition.
What is Alopecia
The cause behind what some might call the embarrassing situation can be pinpointed to your hair follicles and more often than not, your genes. Now each strand of hair grows from a follicle – a cavity in the skin – and falls out every few months or years. This process is completely natural as new hair needs to grow to replace the older and possibly damaged strand. About 85% of the hair on your head is actually growing whereas 15% is not or has fallen out.
Balding occurs when the hair follicle shrinks, thus resulting in finer hair that falls out easily. After a period of time, the size of the follicle becomes so small, hair growth is nearly impossible. The keyword here is “nearly” because even though the follicle’s size impedes the growth of hair strands, they are still alive which means with the proper conditions or treatment of your hair can return to its former crowning glory.
Hopefully, this gives you a basic understaning of what is alopecia.