Types of Alopecia
Most hair loss can be categorized into three types:
- Noncicatricial (potentially reversible).
- Cicatricial (irreversible hair loss associated with destruction of the stem cell reservoir).
- Hair loss due to hair shaft abnormalities.
Noncicatricial alopecia has several subtypes:
- Androgenetic alopecia (common baldness)
- Alopecia areata (isolated or recurrent patchy hair loss)
- Traction alopecia and trichotillomania
- Telogen effluvium (shedding)
The cicatricial alopecia refers to a diverse group of rare disorders that destroy the hair follicle, replace it with scar tissue and cause permanent hair loss.
Common causes are fungal or bacterial folliculitis, discoid lupus erythematosus and lichen planopilaris.
Others include trauma, scarring bullous disorders (epidermolysis bullosa, bullous pemphigoid) and neoplastic disease (skin tumors and cutaneous metastasis).
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last updated: July 02, 2011
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