What is hair fall (alopecia areata)?

Alopecia areata is a disease that causes hair to fall out in small patches. Hair loss (alopecia) can affect all areas of the body, but is most visible on the scalp. The condition rarely results in total hair loss, or alopecia universalis, but it can prevent hair from growing back. When hair does grow back, it’s possible for the hair to fall out again. The extent of hair loss and regrowth varies from person-to-person. The limit of hair fall and regrowth varies from person-to-person.

There’s at present no cure for alopecia areata. However, there are treatments that may help hair grow back more rapidly and that can obstruct future hair loss. There are also resources available to help people cope with the disease.

Hair loss (alopecia) is a normal part of ageing for both men and women, however it can also be caused by certain medications, illness and genetics. There are several treatment options for hair loss which vary greatly in terms of cost and efficacy, these include laser therapy, medication and natural remedies for hair growth.

This chronic inflammatory condition occurs when your body’s immune system attacks hair follicles – structures that contain the roots of the hair – resulting in distinct areas of hair loss (also called patchy hair loss).

Not all hair loss is the same in everyone - some can experience simple thinning of their hair while others lose all the hair on their head and even body.

Hair loss can be gradual or it can happen suddenly.

And it can happen to anyone, young and old, male and female, and children too.

It's also normal for women between the ages of 40 and 50 to lose about 20 percent of their hair.

Before you panic at that brush full of hair, remember that we all lose between 70 and 100 hairs a day from the scalp, and only when we've lost about 50% of them does the loss become noticeable.

Interestingly, hair also grows faster in the summer, during sleep and between the ages of 16 and 25. Studies have also shown that women, especially, lose more hair in summer and less in winter.

The three phases of the hair growth life cycle:

Anagen or growth phase

Catogen or intermediate phase

Telogen or resting phase

90% of scalp hairs are growing and 10% are resting at any one time.

Even though it’s not contagious or life-threatening, hair loss can often be a great source of distress, resulting in low self-esteem and depression.

There are many types of hair loss, each with a different cause.