The most common question regarding alopecia is whether or not this hair loss problem permanent. Since the occurrence of this disease is sudden and unpredictable, it is not surprising that it raises variety of questions, including ones about how permanent the hairless patches will be.

Who gets alopecia?

Since the disease is considered as an auto-immune disease, it is not easy to define who is going to get alopecia. However, experts believe that alopecia affects those with close family members also suffering from the hair loss problem. Although stress level is also one of the culprits to blame, genetics is researched to hold a higher possibility of causing alopecia. This hair loss problem affects children, teenagers, and adults.

Causes of alopecia

Genetics play an important role in alopecia development within individuals, yet some other risk factors might also trigger its occurrence. Alopecia or hair loss might be simply triggered by over-processing of the hair or too-tight hairstyles which pull the hair. In teens, androgenetic alopecia is more common, since it is caused by hormone boost, which is dominant during puberty. Diseases such as diabetes and lupus are also known to trigger bald patches occurring mainly on the scalp, known as alopecia aerate.

Is alopecia permanent?

Alopecia in many cases, occurs suddenly and causes hairless patches which arises concerns. Some people even develop this skin disorder into the more severe ones, alopecia totalis, where the hairless patches develop into fully bald scalp, or alopecia universalis, where the patients lose the hair all over the body. Alopecia aerata is the first stage in which patients experience sudden hair fall in an unusual amount, causing several bald patches or patches with thinning hair on the scalp. The disease develops without any pain or itching, but may occur as some concerning symptoms in sufferers’ nails. Fingernails or toenails with tiny pits and less-shiny appearances might be the sign of initial alopecia aerata.

According to the experts, alopecia aerata tends to be impermanent, meaning that people with bald patches on the scalp might experience hair re-growth within a certain period of time. Although this type of alopecia cannot be fully cured, it is treatable. It is almost impossible to cure alopecia, and those suffering from this hair loss problem are going to experience re-occurred bald patches. However, some initial treatments which are done regularly and persistently will be able to improve the condition.

Quite differently, alopecia aerata which has developed into alopecia totalis might be more permanent. It means, people with this hair loss problem might find it is uneasy for the hair to re-grow, although some patients undergoing specific medical treatments find the hair re-grows although it gets thinner and whispy.

When alopecia has developed into its next step, causing alopecia universalis, where the hair loss affect the body area instead of merely the scalp, it might permanent. Many patients experience only little chance for the hair to re-grow within this stage of alopecia. However, whether or not alopecia will take its next step really depends on an individual’s genes, which is not easy to determine.

Another kind of alopecia is the androgenetic alopecia, which affects both men and women. Androgenetic alopecia commonly occurs during a person’s early teens and the risk increases with age. In women, this type of alopecia can also occur after menopause, in which the androgenic hormones level elevates. There are some risk factors which are researched to cause androgenetic alopecia. In men, these risk factors include the coronary diseases and prostate enlargement, which causes hair thinning on the crown of the head. Since this type of alopecia is hormone driven, the chance of being permanent is higher than the alopecia aerata. People with certain hormone states, and especially those developing certain health problems are more susceptible to androgenetic alopecia. It is not easy for the hair to grow back with someone suffering from this type of hair loss. Hence, the hair thinning on the crown of the head in men tend to last permanently. It is nearly impossible to restore the fallen hair on this area. Eventually, this baldness develops into full baldness of the head, which is experienced by more than 50 percent of men over age of 50.