Alopecia
Areata
Alopecia areata is an unpredictable medical condition that affects four million adults and children in the U.S. alone. According to the NAAF, such persons are around 2% in each population, regardless of geographic location or race. This means 40,000 people in Slovenia alone! Of these, 60% of affected people experience the first hair loss in the typical form of a larger or smaller circle before they are 20 years old. Loss of hair growth can affect only part of the scalp, called alopecia areata (in the form of small, bare circles), the whole scalp (alopecia totalis) or quite the whole body (alopecia univerzalis). Sometimes the hairs and hair return completely spontaneously and suddenly as they disappear. In small forms of loss of hair loss, various steroid creams or injections occasionally help. The latter are extremely painful, the skin swollen, and the result is questionable.
Dr. Vera Price, co-founder of NAAF with Dr. Špela Šeme, creator and head of the Hair Loss Self-Help Group and co-owner of Fi potential d.o.o.
The drug has not yet been discovered, although Dr Vera Price, lead dermatologist NAAF and the world's leading alopecia areata expert, optimistic about this. Ten years ago the NAAF presented a project running interstate and even intercontinental, in which a thousand cases of single-80 twins are analysed in detail, one of which has developed signs of any form of alopecia and the other has not. On the basis of this research, they have been able to confirm longstanding suspicions that, in general terms, alopecia is written in our genes, and it must be triggered by a factor. What it is is, it is not yet entirely clear, but they suspect stress - which can include, given the sensitivity of the individual, including diseases with high temperatures, car accidents and, in general, anything that triggers a psychological shock - and certain medications and vaccines.
Alopecia areata is not fatal.
Fortunately, alopecia areata (from Latin for: regional baldness) is not fatal. However, it is still mostly experienced as a tragedy, as we live in a society that equates the beauty of hair with attractiveness. In our country, this medical condition is not talked about blindly, so an unaffected, average individual has never heard of its existence. This does not mean, however, that he is no longer interested in the whole matter. Opposite! Given that the disease can affect almost anyone, people are looking forward to more information. Until the disease manifests itself, we do not know whether we have genes in our body (there are supposed to be as many as eight) that can activate alopecia. But it’s hard to talk about it if you’re affected yourself. To this end, the NAAF donates video tapes, which are primarily intended for schools, as children who lose their hair are often exposed to peer teasing. The main reason for this is their difference, fear of the unknown (fear of being contagious and the like) and understanding of what is happening. In the experience of the NAAF, informed adults and children are doing their best to help them overcome the plight of their fellow human beings. Of course, healthy humor and a positive attitude towards life help the most in the whole affair.
Read more: Male baldness