Causes of Alopecia Totalis

Alopecia totalis is a very rare condition that results in the systematic disappearance of all the hair on a person's body. There are very few known causes of alopecia totalis, and it is important to report this condition to your doctor as soon as possible, as it could be the symptom of a more serious condition.

Identification

• Alopecia totalis is a condition that leads to rapid loss of hair on the head, as well as on other random parts of the body. Alopecia totalis normally strikes quickly, and it will typically start more noticeably on one side of the body, and then move to other parts of the body. This differs from male pattern baldness in that alopecia totalis affects men and women, and it is not genetic, where male pattern baldness is known to be genetic.

Immune System

• One of the causes of alopecia totalis is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. It's suggested that the immune system of the body begins to attack the hair follicles on the body, destroying the follicles' ability to create new hair once dead hair has been disposed of. This causes the disappearance of body hair.

Genetics

• It is felt that, while alopecia totalis is not considered to be an inherited condition like male pattern baldness, it is possible that someone could have a predisposition towards contracting the condition with the proper physical trigger. In many cases, it is believed that some sort of viral infection could cause damage to the white blood cells, and this would trigger an attack on the healthy cells of the body by its own immune system.

Concurrent Conditions

• People with a family history of such conditions as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or thyroid conditions are known to contract alopecia totalis more readily than those without those conditions in their family history. Since alopecia totalis is primarily an autoimmune disorder, it is possible that people suffering from the condition could also find themselves suffering from other conditions, such as asthma and nasal allergies.

Care

• Many people try to use hair growth medications to get their hair to grow back, but if the autoimmune disease creating the alopecia totalis is not treated, then the hair will not grow back. Some suggestions to help decrease the effects of alopecia totalis is to use a fine comb for your hair to avoid pulling hair out. It is also recommended to reduce the use of a hair dryer because excessive heat on damaged follicles will cause them to release hair quicker. Since hair is being lost all over the body, it is also recommended that sunscreen be worn whenever you go outside because that layer of protective hair is lost.