Hair loss other than male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia is usually traction alopecia and other non-cicatricial alopecia. Now what is meant by cicatricial and non-cicatricial alopecia? Cicatricial alopecia that is also referred as scarring alopecia, is much less common, yet still hundreds of people experience this worldwide. There are several different diagnoses as to the causes of the scarring alopecia. And here are the types of it.
Tinea Capitis
This looks like a patchy scaly hair loss in different parts of the scalp which mostly found in children to have. Among the uncommon line of hair loss, Tinea Capitis is the most common of them all mostly happening to the below poverty level community. This is regarded to be caused by infection from dermatophytes. It is identifiable by its further types:
€ Grey patch type which looks round grayish baldness patches
€ Black dot type which looks like blackheads which are broken hairs just
€ Seborrheic type which is diffuse widespread hair scaling
€ Kerion type which gets pustules and boggy nodules
€ Favus type which develops scutula, which is yellowish odorous crusts around the hair follicles believed to be caused by Trichophyton schoenleinii.
Alopecia Areata
This is a baldness that looks like a lesion caused by autoreactive T cells and affects both hair follicles including the scalp and the body, and also nails. Alopeical areata is itself diagnosed as an autoimmune diseas, and is also agred upon to be associated with some other autoimmune diseases or disorders such as lymphocytes in the hair follicles and Hashimoto thyroiditis.
Trichotillomania
This is a curious case that happens when some people have this uncanny habit to pull and pluck their own hair finally leading to this type of baldness. This is neither genetic, nor inherent, and neither caused by an autoimmune disease. Trichotilomania is much similar to traction alopecia which is also a scarring alopecia, but Trichotilomania differs from traction alopecia by means that usually the scalp is at a normal condition, wherein in traction alopecia the hair follicles below the surface of the scalp are damaged. The treatment of this is certainly psychological councelling in the first place, but other than that patients can have a hair transplant surgery.
Traction Alopecia
Is a rather a voluntary type of hair loss which can lead to temporary or permanent baldness. This is also done by the same rigorous pulling and straining of hair follicles for commonly hair styling purposes such as constant, straightening, flattening, ironing, making cornrows, and braiding. If the hairstyling is stopped it can still regain the hair density, if not, then hair transplant surgery can be done wherein selective areas of the scalp only get thin or bald.
Syphilitic Alopecia
This is believed to be more common in adolescents who engage in sexual activity, wherein generalized hair thinning is noticed, that looks identical to alopecia aerate. The diagnosis of this symptom is limited since there are very less cases recorded in medical history. But it does exist.