How would you feel if you wake up and look in the mirror and suddenly notice that you have thinner hair than last night? How would you react when, after a good night's sleep you wake up and find a great deal of hair strands on your pillow? If you love your hair so much, then there is one condition that you will wish you'd never have.
Alopecia universalis or total alopecia is a rare medical condition in which there is a total loss of hair in the body.
Unlike other cases of alopecia which affects only a specific part of the body, this type affects all hair-growing portions in the body.
It is, no doubt the rarest and most severe type of alopecia areata.
This type of alopecia occurs approximately one in one hundred thousand of the population.
What causes alopecia universalis? Unfortunately, despite modern science and technology, this question has yet to be answered.
However, scientists and researchers have formulated some hypotheses regarding its causes.
There are various probable causes of this condition, but most of them revolve around genetics.
It appears that this condition is a recessive trait and appears at about the 3rd to 4th generation from its latest manifestation.
People with family background of being bald can also be at risk for this condition.
Studies show that most people with alopecia universalis have family brothers or fathers with baldness caused by androgenetic baldness, another type of alopecia.
If this is so, then alopecia universalis can also overlapped with other types of alopecia, making it harder to recognize.
Another theory is that this type of alopecia can be caused by an autoimmune disorder, or a condition in which the immune response of an individual becomes hyperactive that it starts attacking even the normal cells and tissues of the body instead of only foreign pathogens.
Since the hair follicles are just below the skin surface, the immune system generally finds it easier to attack.
As soon as the hair follicles get destroyed, hair loss follows at a rapid pace.
This condition can occur almost at any time of a person's lifetime.
However, this disease peaks at around adolescence to middle adulthood.
This hair disorder has a far greater effect on a person than common baldness as it affects not only your scalp hair but also facial hair and even body hair.
Losing your eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair rapidly is not fun for its victims.
However, it cannot be helped that this stirs up other people's attention leading to anxiety and insecurity.
People with this condition usually have low self esteem and poor social status and tend to be withdrawn and introverted.
Fortunately, there are treatment modalities which are specifically developed for this type of alopecia, such as immunosuppresants or immunomodulatory products.
These products generally suppress the immune system which is thought to be the cause of hair follicle destruction.
With these treatment products, a series of hormone-regulating products can also be taken.
However, this condition needs medical consultation and supervision.
This disease can be short-lived, and re-growth of hair can be possible even after years of having this condition.
However, recurrence can also be possible as well as its permanence.
Alopecia universalis or total alopecia is a rare medical condition in which there is a total loss of hair in the body.
Unlike other cases of alopecia which affects only a specific part of the body, this type affects all hair-growing portions in the body.
It is, no doubt the rarest and most severe type of alopecia areata.
This type of alopecia occurs approximately one in one hundred thousand of the population.
What causes alopecia universalis? Unfortunately, despite modern science and technology, this question has yet to be answered.
However, scientists and researchers have formulated some hypotheses regarding its causes.
There are various probable causes of this condition, but most of them revolve around genetics.
It appears that this condition is a recessive trait and appears at about the 3rd to 4th generation from its latest manifestation.
People with family background of being bald can also be at risk for this condition.
Studies show that most people with alopecia universalis have family brothers or fathers with baldness caused by androgenetic baldness, another type of alopecia.
If this is so, then alopecia universalis can also overlapped with other types of alopecia, making it harder to recognize.
Another theory is that this type of alopecia can be caused by an autoimmune disorder, or a condition in which the immune response of an individual becomes hyperactive that it starts attacking even the normal cells and tissues of the body instead of only foreign pathogens.
Since the hair follicles are just below the skin surface, the immune system generally finds it easier to attack.
As soon as the hair follicles get destroyed, hair loss follows at a rapid pace.
This condition can occur almost at any time of a person's lifetime.
However, this disease peaks at around adolescence to middle adulthood.
This hair disorder has a far greater effect on a person than common baldness as it affects not only your scalp hair but also facial hair and even body hair.
Losing your eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair rapidly is not fun for its victims.
However, it cannot be helped that this stirs up other people's attention leading to anxiety and insecurity.
People with this condition usually have low self esteem and poor social status and tend to be withdrawn and introverted.
Fortunately, there are treatment modalities which are specifically developed for this type of alopecia, such as immunosuppresants or immunomodulatory products.
These products generally suppress the immune system which is thought to be the cause of hair follicle destruction.
With these treatment products, a series of hormone-regulating products can also be taken.
However, this condition needs medical consultation and supervision.
This disease can be short-lived, and re-growth of hair can be possible even after years of having this condition.
However, recurrence can also be possible as well as its permanence.
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