Alopecia Areata Monolocularis is a disorder that affects hair on the human body. It is classified as an autoimmune disease, wherein the body essentially “attacks itself” and in the process destroys its own cells and tissue.
The term alopecia refers to the loss of hair. There are different alopecia types, the most common of which is widely known as pattern baldness.
This normally affects men over a period of years, leading to less hair atop one’s head, especially in the area around the temples and the crown. However, this differs from alopecia areata monolocularis, which can develop in only a day. The disease can affect women at the same rate as men, and even individuals as young as teen-agers.
The area initially affected can be as small as a dime, or an area three to four inches in diameter. Besides the loss of hair, the person may experience pain in the affected area.
Alopecia areata monolocularis is in reference to the initial stage of the disease, with the different alopecia types varying upon their severity. The initial stage will affect the growth of hair on the person’s head, but if the spot remains small, it can probably be covered with a change in combing style.
However, in a small number of cases, it can spread to rest of his or her body. Later stages of the disease will affect two or more areas, whose size and proximity to each other vary among sufferers. This stage can take place over a period of from a month to a year, and eventually the hairless spots will merge to form larger areas of baldness.
Eventually, the sufferer may experience total baldness, as though the person’s head has been shaven. In its extreme form, the disease will result in a loss of hair over the entire body, including the eyebrows and nasal hair.
The focus of the treatment does not concentrate on the loss of hair, but rather on the underlying autoimmune disorder. Steriods and such immune suppressing agents as cortisone of Minoxidil have found to be beneficial. Treatment is most effective during the early stages of the disease.
During the later stages, treatment can only prevent it from spreading to the rest of the body. Treatment is not always successful, and in these cases will not replace the hair that has been lost. In other cases, the bald areas will return as soon as the treatment is stopped.

Alopecia totalis is characterized by hair loss. It is an auto-immune disease that results in the total loss of hair on the scalp. The signs and symptoms of the disease is that the process of hair loss can be gradually or sudden. Alopecia areata totalis is first observed by a patches of hair loss on the scalp. This further leads to the total loss of hair on the scalp. Those that are prone to this disease are normally under the age of 40. It is also possible for the condition to affect the growth of nails. This disease will often lead to nails being brittle and irregular.

The condition is caused by an auto-immune disease. Therefore, the immune system will attack hair follicles resulting in hair loss. Given that the root of the air is destroyed, it is almost impossible to recover damaged hair even though here have been cases of total hair recovery in the past. There is an unknown genetic trigger that causes the immune system to attack hair follicles. The environmental reason that triggers this response is also unknown.

The first symptom of Alopecia totalis is the loss of a small patch of hair on the head. The blank patch on the head may be characterized by a tingly feeling or pain. Another symptom of the disease is that the hair loss seems to be concentrated on one side of the scalp before advancing to the next side. Hair loss will also tend to happen within a short period of time. Another symptom of the disease is the ability to easily pull out ones hair. It is also possible for hair loss to go into remission sometimes while it could appear on other parts other than the scalp but this occurrence is unlikely.

The most popular treatment on the market is with the corticosteroid, clobetasol. Corticosteroids can come in the form of creams or injections. These steroid injections are normally applied to the affected area. This form of treatment is ideal where the patches of hair loss are small. The efficacy of this form of treatment is not high.

Combinations of different forms of steroids are used until there are signs of regression by the disease. Some of the medications used are elocon ointmet and minoxidil. There are some clinical trials that will soon uncover the best treatments for the disease.

At this time, there is no cure for Alopecia. Custom-tailored programs that serve to limit the spread of the condition and manage current outbreaks are the preferred method for treating the disease.

Hair loss that is limited in scope or affects only a small area usually begins to grow back within six months to one year. If the condition worsens, or ranges over a large area, the condition could develop into a case of Alopecia Totalis or Alopecia Universalis.

Alopecia is cyclical in nature, meaning that the condition is characterized by periods of total remission. Hair can fall out, followed by periods of regrowth, only to fall out once again. Such cycles can continue for years. If the disease first manifests in early childhood, this could indicate a life-long struggle with the disease.

While Alopecia is not a life-threatening condition, it can be considered a life-altering disease. Alopecia can have serious psychological side effects for those who suffer with manifestations of the disease. While it is sometimes a single event, Alopecia can also be a recurring disease with cycles of hair growth and hair loss that last for many years. Because physical appearance is such an important factor in an individual’s self-esteem, hair loss can have a deleterious effect on those who suffer by causing emotional or psychological damage. Patients can become withdrawn and suffer from depression, social anxiety or phobias.

Because personal appearance plays a vital role in how an individual is perceived, many patients benefit immensely from wearing hairpieces or wigs while undergoing medical treatments for the condition. A wig or hairpiece may also help patients to cope during the process of hair regrowth. The cycle of growth and loss may prove dispiriting for some patients. A wig can greatly assist in offering consistency to an otherwise stressful and uncertain disease.

Many diseases have the side effect of partial hair loss; thus, a qualified physician should evaluate patients presenting complaints before a diagnosis can be made.

A genetic test has been developed as a result of isolating the genes responsible for the disease. This test can predict with great accuracy the future severity of the condition, as well as indicating if the condition will progress to Alopecia Totalis, meaning permanent hair loss on the scalp, or Alopecia Universalis, total hair loss involving both the scalp and body.

Physicians may choose to conduct a trichoscopic procedure, in which the affected skin and hairs are magnified anywhere from 10 to 70 percent of their normal appearance. This magnification aids in correctly diagnosing telltale signs of the disease in the epidermal layer.

The body has an extraordinary mechanism for fighting off invading foreign cells and infection. Unfortunately, in the case of Alopecia, the body treats its own cells as foreign invaders, sending out white blood cells to attack the hair follicles.

Autoimmunity is common in all people to some extent. It does not become a disease until it changes from being a benign process into a pathogenic response, causing mild or deleterious effects in children and adults.

While the exact mechanism for this autoimmune response is not yet known, research conducted on those experiencing the disease points to a single gene responsible for triggering the autoimmune response. Environmental triggers also cannot be ruled out; it has been theorized that an unrelated infection might begin the cycle of hair loss.

Individuals experiencing vitamin deficiency may suffer from hair loss, but there is little evidence that vitamin deficiency is a factor in the development of Alopecia. While administering the B vitamin biotin for cases of hair loss caused by vitamin deficiency has been shown to work, it has been ineffective to stimulate hair growth in those not suffering from a B vitamin deficiency.

Heredity is a large factor in the development of Alopecia. The disease is not in any way contagious, rather, the condition is more likely to occur in families that show a high incidence of autoimmune diseases. Families where one or more members show indications of Alopecia present a 10 to 20 percent likelihood of another family member developing the disease as well, compared to the control group which exhibits a 1 to 3 percent likelihood of developing Alopecia.

The FDA has not approved a specific medication that directly addresses the cause of Alopecia. However, autoimmune diseases are often treated by suppressing the immune system, as the body is valiantly trying to defend itself from what it views as a foreign invader. The body’s white blood cells efficiently eliminate invasive attackers such as viruses, parasites and bacteria.

In the case of Alopecia, the immune system is attacking healthy, normal substances that arise within the body itself. Attempting to suppress this natural response has shown to be successful in treating some of the manifestations of autoimmune diseases. The side effects of such medication, however, are sometimes worse than the cure. In the case of Areata, there are many other medications and procedures available.

The most common type of treatment for most forms of Alopecia is to have a health care professional inject corticosteroids directly into the scalp of the affected area. Corticosteroids work to suppress the immune response. The injection sites are spaced one centimeter, or approximately 0.4 inches, apart. This medication is then repeated every four to six weeks to promote the growth of hair.

Topical corticosteroid cream applied to the affected areas is another method used to encourage hair growth. This method of treating patients is preferred for children who suffer from the condition.

Patients may also elect to take oral corticosteroids; however, the beneficial effects of the medication last only as long as they are ingested. Once a patient discontinues use, the symptoms of hair loss will return.

A type of medication called “contact immunotherapy” has proved to be effective in difficult cases that did not respond to corticosteroid treatments. The affected area is coated with a thin layer of medication, causing the skin to react with irritation by forming red, scaly patches. Three to four months of this therapy triggers new hair growth in 50 percent of cases. While this can prove to be a successful way to counteract the effects of alopecia, it does sometimes cause unfortunate side effects, such as swollen lymph nodes or contact dermatitis and is best reserved for use once other methods of managing the condition have been attempted first.

For severe cases of this condition, in which large patches of skin are affected, ultraviolet A light therapy has shown to be particularly effective. The skin of the affected area is first coated with a thin layer of a medication called Psoralin. This medication increases skin’s sensitivity to ultraviolet light. The skin is then exposed to UVA rays, typically from a special lamp in the physician’s office. The therapy is continued for four to six months and is often the preferred method to manage manifestations of alopecia when other treatments are contraindicated or prove ineffective.

Because the condition can sometimes reverse itself and spontaneously enter a remission period, patients may also choose to forego medical treatments and let the hair grow back on its own, using hairpieces or wigs to cover the affected areas while the hair is growing. This is the preferred method of treating extremely mild cases when only small patches of hair are affected.

Eight genes responsible for enabling alopecia have been isolated recently in a study published by a group of physicians and investigators at the Columbia University Medical Center. One gene among the group of eight is thought to be the possible initiator of the disease.

With these specific genes isolated, an eventual cure for the disease is thought to be possible.

There are foundations and scientific studies dedicated to the scrutiny of the possible causes and triggers of the disease. If they wish, patients suffering the symptoms of Alopecia can register their details with special foundations dedicated to the study of all forms of Alopecia. These foundations collate data gathered from a broad range of people with the disease. They hope that a wide database of cases will assist scientists in developing a cure for the disease. Patients may be expected to donate blood or tissue samples in addition to detailed personal histories.

This compiled data can then be studied to produce a detailed profile of the mechanisms of the disease as well as the efficacy of certain medications.

The FDA has approved clinical trials of drugs used to treat other autoimmune diseases for use on patients with Alopecia. Medication designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis shows promise in inhibiting autoimmune responses like those found in cases of Alopecia. While it can take many years to develop medications suitable for use on a large scale, early trials appear promising. Researchers remain hopeful that isolating the genes responsible for triggering the disease, as well as developing medications designed specifically to suppress the the body’s autoimmune response will serve to alleviate or heal conditions caused by Alopecia.

As much as 2 percent of the world population is diagnosed with Alopecia. The disease manifests in patients who exhibit no other dermatological illnesses and are otherwise healthy. Patients suffering from certain allergies, asthma and hypothyroidism tend to show higher incidence of Alopecia. Men and women are equally affected by the disease, as are all ethnicities and races. Five million Americans currently experience some form of the disease.

While the disease is most common in childhood, it can manifest during the teenage years, as well as into early adulthood or even later in life. Patients exhibited a 44 percent likelihood of developing the disease before the age of 29. Less than 30 percent of patients who developed the disease were over 40 years of age. There are cases of newborn infants exhibiting certain indications of Alopecia, but this is thought to be caused in part by the fact that infants do not possess mature immune systems at birth.

Alopecia begins as patchy hair loss in which smooth, unscarred sections of hairless skin stand out from the surrounding area. These patches of smooth skin may be circular or oval in appearance and small or very large. Most commonly, the condition affects the scalp or beard, but in rare cases, loss of some or all of body hair may be included in the manifestation of the disease.

While there is typically no redness, swelling, or rashes with Alopecia, the areas of bare skin can experience a faint tingling or painful sensation. The hair itself may fall out over a very short duration of time, with the hair coming out in clumps rather than a few strands at a time.

Hairs may exhibit what is termed an “exclamation point” shape, in which the hair shaft grows progressively wider the closer it is found to the hair follicle. Close inspection of the bare skin may also reveal destroyed hairs found in the opening of the hair follicles.

Many patients also exhibit signs on their finger- and toenails. A condition called Trachonychia is often present, in which long striations on the nails of the fingers and toes result in a pitted appearance, earning the condition the name of “Sandpapered Nails.” Nails become brittle, opaque and pitted in appearance.

Indications of Alopecia involving finger and toenails were present in 10 to 50 percent of people with the disease.

There are three types of Alopecia: Areata, which is characterized by patches of missing hair on the scalp, Alopecia Totalis, which involves the entire scalp and Alopecia Universalis, which includes the entire body. Alopecia Universalis is the rarest form of the condition, affecting between 1 to 2 percent of individuals.

If there is only one patch of missing hair, it is referred to as Alopecia Areata Monolocularis. If multiple patches of hair are missing, it is termed Alopecia Areata Multilocularis. Alopecia affecting only the beard area in men is termed Alopecia Barbae.

In all forms of the disease, the hair follicles remain viable, meaning that they do not die or become dormant. Even without medication of any kind and after years of inactivity, hair follicles may suddenly resume normal functioning again.