Hair loss, medically known and referred to as alopecia is one of the more problematic afflictions faced by men who are in their middle age. As a matter of fact, it isn’t even limited to middle aged men but even to men in their early twenties to mid thirties and even some women as well. Hair loss not only affects those suffering from it physically, but also psychologically. Sometimes it can even be the first sign of a more dangerous systemic illness.

Hair loss due to alopecia areata is caused by an autoimmune disease, which means that the person’s own immune system begins to attack his or her body or their hair follicles. As a result the person’s hair starts to fall out in clusters and bunches ranging from the size of a small coin to large bald patches easily seen by others.

Hair loss can happen to anyone, but due to genetic predispositions, there is often a greater chance of suffering from it if you have a family history of hair loss. That means if you have relatives who suffer from hair loss, your chances of getting it at some point in your life increase exponentially. Also if your family has a history of autoimmune diseases such as SLE or systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes and thyroid illnesses, your chances for hair loss increases again.
Hair loss is an unpredictable disease. For some people hair just grows back. For others they might require treatment with corticosteroids, which are drugs commonly used to treat autoimmune disorders or Rogaine, a drug applied topically or on the skin surface in order to re-grow hair that has fallen out.

Aside from these drug treatment measures, there are cosmetic approaches one can take in dealing with hair loss. These involve wearing wigs, hats and caps to hide the hair loss or using makeup and various covering products to disguise patches of absent hair.