Do I have alopecia? The question I often get asked by patients. Many people think of alopecia as a particular type of hair loss, usually that of a patchy loss which can go on to develop into total hair loss of the head, and sometimes the entire body.
This type of hair loss is actually called alopecia areata, alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis, respectively. In fact, the word alopecia is the general term used for any type of hair loss, whether it be thinning, gradual, sudden, diffuse, temporary etc.