Medical Information
What is Alopecia?
In the very basic sense, alopecia just means bald.
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There is so much more to this sometimes unpredictable, socially, emotionally, and in some cases physically
devasting disease.
First, let's discuss what it is not and get that out of the way. Alopecia is non-threatening and is not a fatal disease. People who have this disease are many times associated with having life-threatening diseases such as cancer. They do not. A person who has cancer and is taking chemo-therapeutic drugs may, in fact, suffer from hair loss. That is considered a drug induced form of alopecia (hair loss). This brings me to the next discussion.
There are several forms of alopecia.
The people it affects
The onset of the disease.
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The physical aspects.
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The emotional aspects.
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The social aspects and how it is different in different cultures.
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Below are some links to websites that discuss the medical aspect of this unpredictable disease:
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U.S. National Library of Medicine
Cicatricial Alopecia Research Foundation
American Academy of Dermatology
National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Skin Diseases (NIH)
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