Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is a condition where your immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing hair to fall out in small, round patches.
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Alopecia areata is a common condition that affects your hair follicles, which are the tiny structures under your skin that grow hair. It typically appears as smooth, coin-sized patches of hair loss on your scalp, though it can happen anywhere you have hair, including your beard or eyebrows.
This happens because your immune system, which is supposed to fight off germs, gets confused. Instead of protecting you, it begins to attack your healthy hair follicles, which causes the hair to fall out. Even though it might look concerning, it is important to know that the hair follicles themselves are not destroyed, meaning hair has the potential to grow back.
Common Symptoms
- Small, round, or oval patches of bald skin.
- Exclamation point hairs, which are short, broken hairs that look like an exclamation point at the edge of the bald spot.
- Mild itching or a tingling sensation on the skin before hair falls out.
- Changes in fingernails or toenails, such as tiny pits or dents on the surface.