Introduction

Alopecia is baldness or the loss of hair. The commonest form is ordinary, hereditary male-pattern baldness, but both women and men can suffer from hair loss for other reasons

Diagnosis

Male-pattern baldness is usually easy to identify, but it is important to look for an underlying reason for hair loss when male-pattern baldness has been ruled out or if it occurs in a woman. Fungal infections can cause circular patches of hair to fall out.

Symptoms

The form that alopecia takes will depend on the cause. Male-pattern baldness is inherited and may cause a total loss of hair from the scalp. Alopecia areata can cause a total loss of all body hair including the eyebrows and eyelashes, but we do not know the cause and there is no known treatment

Treatment

Male-pattern baldness responds well to some drug treatments that cannot be obtained on this site. The drugs must be taken throughout a man's life and not all men will benefit from their use.

Treating an underlying condition such as an infection can help prevent further hair loss, but sometimes the hair does not return. Contrary to popular belief, treatment for cancer does not always cause a complete loss of hair, and even when it does, the hair often grows back again after six months or so.

Hair transplants from another part of the skin may be helpful, as may scalp reduction.

Causes

Baldness has many possible causes. These include:

• Old age and inherited traits

• Disease (either directly from an infection or because of fever)

• Chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer (but not in every case)

• Male sex hormones in women

• An underactive thyroid gland (myxoedema)

• Pregnancy

• Some medical drugs

Hair loss may occur some weeks after a severe feverish illness such as scarlet fever. Scarring alopecia may follow burns, skin wasting, ulceration, fungus infection or skin tumours.

Complications

Hair loss is often a butt for jokes, but it can be a serious problem for people, often undermining self-confidence and self esteem