Alopecia Totalis Hair Loss Causes

Alopecia Totalis is when all of the hair on the scalp is completely gone, unlike alopecia areata which is characterised by patchy hair loss. Often alopecia totalis follows alopecia areata and leads to alopecia universalis (total hair loss on the scalp and body).

Please note that alopecia totalis is not genetic in the same way that androgenic alopecia (m
ale pattern baldness) is. If you’re suffering from male pattern baldness or it’s female equivalent then take a look at our hair loss guides as there are many good treatments available.

Alopecia Totalis Treatment

Alopecia totalis usually effects children and young people although it’s not uncommon for people to develop it later in life also. According to recent research, around 1 in every 125,000 men and 1 in every 250,000 women will have alopecia totalis or the more severe alopecia universalis.

The cause of alopecia totalis is really your auto immune response which, when triggered, causes your immune system to attack your hair follicles as if they were a foreign body. Sadly, the reason for this happening is unknown and research is ongoing.

Curing alopecia totalis is difficult and often times the sufferer will be stuck with the condition. However, there have been instances of people managing to regrow their hair after developing alopecia totalis. It seems that whatever caused the auto immune response in the first place switches back to it’s natural state and hair can continue to grow as before. Sadly, scientists have yet to discover the mysteries behind controlling these things and so most sufferers will have to live with the condition.

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