Question 1

Is it caused by stress?

Accepted Answer

Stress is blamed almost every time, and the honest answer is that it can be one factor among others, not the explanation. Alopecia areata has an immune basis and a predisposing component: attributing it entirely to a difficult period leads to two wrong consequences — feeling responsible, and postponing the visit waiting for «the stress to pass». The difficult period can be described at the visit, but it does not replace assessment.

Question 2

Will the hair grow back?

Accepted Answer

The follicle is not destroyed, so regrowth is possible and in a proportion of cases happens spontaneously. That said, the course is variable and unpredictable: there are single episodes that resolve and forms that recur over time. Promising a certain outcome would be wrong; what can be done is to assess the case properly and follow it, because the number and extent of patches guide more than any generic prediction.

Question 3

How do I tell it from ordinary baldness?

Accepted Answer

By shape and timing. Common baldness is progressive, symmetrical and follows typical sites — temples, crown — with hairs thinning before disappearing. Areata gives round, sharply defined patches within weeks, at any site, with smooth skin inside the patch. They are two different stories, and the pathways differ too: which is why the distinction is the first thing done at the visit.

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