Understanding Alopecia: Potential Complications and Impact

Alopecia, or hair loss, affects men and women at all stages of life. While alopecia is usually considered not to be medically dangerous, it can cause complications in your life.

Alopecia

• Alopecia occurs when the normal growth cycle of your hair follicles is interrupted. Instead of growing hair, shedding hair, going dormant and then beginning again, your follicles remain dormant.

Appearance

• One complication of alopecia is a change to your physical appearance. Your hair could become much thinner. You could also lose your hair in small patches or develop large bald spots either at your hairline or at the top of your head.

Self-esteem

• If you do not like your changed appearance, alopecia can negatively impact your self-esteem. This can lead to complications like unhappiness and stress.

Medical Treatments

• Medications like Minoxidil and Finasteride can encourage your hair to grow again. While they treat alopecia, they can also cause complications like skin irritation or birth defects.

Surgical Costs

• You can treat your alopecia with hair transplant surgery. If you do so, you could experience complications like scarring or infection. You could also need more than one procedure, which can be costly.