What Are The Causes of Alopecia

Hereditary causes of alopecia
The condition known as androgenetic alopecia, or more commonly known as male pattern baldness, is the most common cause of alopecia. 50% of all males over the age of 50 and 40% of all females at menopause experience some measure of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). This disorder occurs when the body begins to produce more dihydrotestosterone as a result of other chemical processing imbalances. As a condition that affects such a large portion of the public, this cause of alopecia receives the lion's share of medical and research funding. It seems rather ironic that considering the money that goes into finding a cure for this most prevalent cause of alopecia, that the two best treatments for it were not introduced to aid in this condition at all. Finasteride and minoxidil are the most common treatments for this hereditary cause of alopecia.

What is the cause of alopecia in children?
It is always something of a surprise to see a child who is completely bald. Often it is assumed that the child must be having cancer treatments. Instead, there is a cause of alopecia that can strike children as often as adults. This disorder is known as areata alopecia. It is a disorder of the immune system. Lymphocytes around the effected follicles will begin to reject the hair, shutting down the follicle resulting in bald patches or even in excessive circumstances, the complete loss of hair. Often this cause of alopecia does reverse itself and the hair grows back, often white or grey at first but gradually returning to normal color. This cause of alopecia can affect all areas of the body as well as the scalp and there is no known treatment that is effective to restore the hair growth.