Alopecia Areata

What is Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia areata is a condition that occurs when the body’s own immune cells attack the hair follicle, leading to hair loss.  It occurs in approximately 1-2% of the population and often affects children.  The disorder typically begins with a sudden (overnight or several days) appearance of one or more round or oval well-circumscribed patches.  In 5-10% of cases, these patches of hair loss progress to loss of all scalp hair (alopecia totalis) or loss of all body hair (alopecia universalis).  Nail pitting and other nail defects can also occur and indicate more severe disease.  The course of alopecia areata is variable and difficult to predict and spontaneous regrowth may occur.  In children with only a few patches of hair loss, complete regrowth is seen in 95 % of cases within 1 year.  Early onset of hair loss (less than 2 years of age), more extensive hair loss (totalis or universalis) and hair loss in bands around the scalp predict a worse prognosis.  There is currently no known cure for alopecia areata.  Treatments include topical, intralesional and/or oral steroids. There has also been some success with topical anthralin, topical squaric acid and eximer laser treatment.

Cutting-edge Research at the University of Miami
Thanks to the generosity of Locks of Love, the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery has become one of the premier sites for alopecia research. At our annual Locks of Love Symposium on Alopecia Areata, a world-renown scholar and our unique interdisciplinary team present the findings of their very latest research. 

Some highlights of this year's Symposium include

• Regression of Alopecia Areata by Heat Shock Protein Inhibition and Novel Protection of Chemotherapy-Alopecia
• The role of a novel gene in a murine hair loss model
• Excimer Laser for the Treatment of Eyebrow Alopecia Areata