Recent Articles

Atherosclerosis: Can AI help your doctor detect it?

Beef tallow, seed oils, and full-fat dairy: Are any of them heart-healthy?

Cardiac amyloidosis: Better detection and new treatments

Lose more weight and protect your heart by pairing exercise with eating fewer calories

American Cancer Society expands testing recommendations for colorectal cancer screening

Heart risks from cannabis remain hazy but warrant caution

Harvard study links ultra-processed foods to higher rates of cognitive decline, dementia

A guide to the DASH diet

Calorie deficit explained: Is it a safe, sustainable approach to weight loss?

Prediabetes diet: How to help prevent progression to diabetes

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is a disease in which hair suddenly falls out, leaving round bald patches. In about half of people with alopecia areata, the hair grows back, but may fall out again. In some people, it never grows back.

What causes alopecia areata is still unknown. Scientists suspect it is an autoimmune disease, meaning the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles. The painless hair loss mainly affects the scalp, but eyebrows and eyelashes may fall out as well.

Several treatments exist, but with limited effectiveness. These treatments include

applying a cream containing a corticosteroid drug or minoxidil (Rogaine)
injecting a corticosteroid drug directly into bald patches
exposing the bald areas to ultraviolet light
taking antiviral drugs.

Each treatment has been effective for some people, but none is universally successful. In addition, each has its own side effects or drawbacks.

Print This Page

Disclaimer:

As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.