Does Alopecia Areata Different From Male Pattern Baldness??

[peter486]

I am suffering from hair fall problem and get to know that I am suffering from alopecia areata. My father has suffered from male pattern baldness. I want to know what is the difference between alopecia areata and male pattern baldness??

[dannyk13]

https://www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/alopecia-areata

[Cloverjo]

As far as I know, alopecia areata is hair loss from random places on the head or body, while Male pattern baldness is the usual thing we see of thinning at the crown and temples.

[KARL]

I am not medically qualified but I would say yes, the two are different in the way they manifest themselves. Baldness is found in the very familiar areas, starting from the forehead and progressing up and back, plus from a point at the top of the rear end of the skull and growing roughly radially.

Areata on the other hand is found in an irregular patch, could be more than one, which grows irregularly in just about any direction. It can occur, for example, on the face. For a while I had an irregular patch of this on one side of my chin where no facial hair grew - that was two or three decades ago and it disappeared within perhaps three to five years or so. I never did anything about it from start to finish, didn't even consult a doctor. My father was bald from perhaps his mid thirties, I am not.

[Sqad]

Yes.
Alopecia areata can occur anywhere on the head.....male baldness is on the crown.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease...male baldness isn't.

[woofgang]

alopecia might reverse, male pattern baldness does not.

[Scarlett]

Incidentally, if your hair loss is due to an auto immune disease (alopecia) then you can reverse it by adopting the Wahls Protocol, as well as supplementing with biotin and other vitamins. My sister leapt on her alopecia the moment she got it, and drastically changed her diet. The hair loss stopped and started to grow back. She is now fine.

[Tilly2]

Have you had a thyroid gland check, Peter?