the.com/alopecia
A condition causing hair loss, sometimes in patches, often due to the immune system attacking hair follicles.
means A medical condition causing hair loss, often in patches, due to the immune system attacking hair follicles or other underlying causes.
from Straight from Greek 'alopekia,' rooted in 'alopex,' meaning fox — the ancient link being a fox's mangy coat or the patchy way its fur sheds disease, which doctors thought mirrored the patchy baldness in humans. The word padded through Latin medical texts before settling into English with its clinical, slightly odd animal ancestry intact.
- not just baldness
- covers everything from patchy spots to total loss
- autoimmune type
- body attacks its own hair follicles by mistake
- stress trigger
- severe shock can cause sudden shedding months later
- follicles survive
- hair often can regrow since roots aren't destroyed