Hair Restoration Blog

Q:

I am a 30 year old white man. Today I noticed a balding spot on my neck where I used to have hair. I have had a few of them in the past in the size of a penny. They usually come and go in a few days maybe weeks. It does not bother me, but do I need to worry about it?

A:

Patchy areas of baldness at your neck in the area that you used to have hair could be a skin condition called alopecia areata (AA). Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes round patches of baldness and could happen to any part of the skin, including beard, scalp, eyebrow and even eyelashes. The outcome of alopecia areata is usually good and in most cases hair re-grows within several months. Occasionally the baldness could be permanent.

Alopecia areata usually recovers without any treatments. If the balding spots of alopecia (hair loss) don‚Äôt disappear in a few months the medical treatment might be necessary. See Dr. Mohebi’s article on treatment of alopecia areata.

Treatment of alopecia areata is different than medical treatment of patterned hair loss.  Local injection of steroids may help in some cases. Other medication are also recommended such as topical steroids in form of creams or lotions, but are not as effective as steroid injections. Local immuno-suppressive medications have also been tried with some success in more severe forms of alopecia areata. Minoxidil is proven to be effective in some cases and is the only over the counter medication for alopecia areata and could be sued in more extensive diseases. You need to see a doctor to confirm the diagnosis of alopecia areata (AA) and to get started on some sort of treatment if it is really bothering you.

Alopecia areata could be progressed and beyond its typical patchy characteristics. If hair loss involves whole scalp, it is called alopecia Capitis and if hair loss seen everywhere in the body; it is called alopecia universalis.