Many people that come into Paris Wigs and Extensions are suffering from alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is a disease that attacks your hair follicles. Most people that have alopecia, their hair falls out in small, round patches about the size of a quarter. This causes only a few bare patches. Some people may lose more hair. In only a few people, the disease causes total loss of hair on the head or loss of all body hair. If you have alopecia your hair may grow back, even if you lose all of it. But it may fall out again. No one can tell you when it might fall out or grow back. You may lose more hair, or your hair loss may stop. Not knowing when your hair will fall out or how much of it, makes this disease so emotionally draining.
Anyone can have alopecia. It often begins in childhood. You have a slightly higher risk of having alopecia areata if a close family member has it. Your risk is even greater if your family member lost his or her first patch of hair before age 30.
Alopecia areata does not make you feel pain and does not make you sick. This disease doesn’t cause any physical pain but it does take an emotional toll. For most people their hair is a big part of who they are and how they identify themselves. To lose this part regularly and unexpectedly can sometimes make living a normal life very challenging.
Doctors don’t know what causes alopecia areata. This is a type of disease where your immune system attacks some part of your own body by mistake, even though it’s supposed to fight germs and viruses. In alopecia areata, the immune system attacks the hair follicles (the part of the skin that makes hair). No one knows why your body starts attacking its hair follicles. Scientists think that your genes may play a role. This does not mean that your child will inherit the disease. In fact, this probably won’t happen. There is no cure for alopecia areata. There are no drugs approved to treat it.
There is no cure, but there are ways to improve your quality of life when living with such an unexpected disease. At our store Paris Wigs and Extensions we can help you find a wig or hair piece that makes you, feel like you again. You can make plans far in advance because you will know you don’t have to worry about people seeing a big bald spot. Wigs are made so well these days, people can’t even tell it’s not your real hair. We even have wigs made out of human hair. I hope this blog has educated you on the disease, given you answers and helped you feel relief.
