Many men and women struggle with autoimmune diseases. In healthy people, the immune system is one of the most amazing systems within the body. It powers up when it comes to fighting off ailments and disease in the body. It aids in keeping organs working well. And, it works alongside the body's other systems to keep you healthy. However, sometimes the immune system doesn't work the way it should. In cases of auto-immune diseases, the immune system can sometimes work against the healthy tissues and components of the body. In some of these situations, hair loss can occur.
Hair Loss May Be a Symptom
For many, hair loss is a symptom of an autoimmune disease. Of course, many other conditions can cause hair loss including hereditary factors, a poor diet, or treatment for various diseases. However, when hair loss cannot be otherwise explained, it may be due to an autoimmune condition. Most people have other symptoms as well. These symptoms may include a low-grade fever, trouble concentrating and fatigue. For those who have chronic conditions, which do not go away, the symptoms can be less obvious. In some cases, they can also be related to mental health. If you believe you have any type of autoimmune disease, see a doctor for proper treatment.
Alopecia Areata
One of the most common hair loss associated autoimmune conditions is alopecia areata. Men and women who suffer from this condition generally have areas of their hair that simply fall out. Patches of hair loss can occur at any time. In some individuals, these patches remain permanent but in other cases, the hair grows back. A different area may be bald each time. The condition tends to impact individuals in various ways, making it hard to diagnose and very hard to understand by most suffer from it.
In general, this is a type of acquired skin disease. It can impact hair-bearing skin at any location on the body. It's defined as localized areas of hair loss that do not cause scarring. It is not specifically related to any type of internal or external medical problem. In most cases, the hair is lost spontaneously and will come back spontaneously as well. It does not occur very often in individuals who are younger than three. Some people will not see the condition continue after their teen years. Others battle it for their entire lives.
But, What's Causing This to Occur?
For anyone battling an autoimmune disease, the question is always why. Why is your body attacking itself? Why is this happening? There are some beliefs about autoimmune diseases and why they cause hair loss, but there is no surefire cause for this in every situation. In some cases, it is impossible to know why it is occurring at all.
Evidence does show, though, that this occurs because of an abnormality in the immune system. This may be due to hereditary factors (most commonly) or due to some change in the immune system over time (rarely.) In general, the result is that the immune system tends to attack your body rather than the "bad" cells in your body such as viruses. In a more scientific explanation, the cause occurs when the body's immune system attacks the hair follicles. When this happens, it causes the hair to stop growing and forming as it naturally would. The immune system's lymphocytes can penetrate into the bulb of hair in the hair follicle creating damage there. Keep in mind that this is somewhat similar to what happens in other types of autoimmune disease such as thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis and lupus. In all cases, the immune system penetrates and damages.
If you are struggling with an autoimmune disease, there are treatment options available in most cases. These treatments may be able to reduce some of the impact to your overall health and well-being. They may also be able to stop the occurrences of hair loss. Keep in mind that your doctor will need to work closely with you to determine the impacts and treatment solutions that are best suited for your unique situation to ensure that autoimmune treatments are effective. If you would like more information on the hair loss solutions available to men and women with autoimmune conditions, reach out to Unique Hair Concepts for a free, private consultation.
