ABSTRACT
Alopecia areata is a very common form of non-scarring hair loss, affecting 1% or more of the population. The disease can affect any part of the body (Figure 14.1), but scalp hair loss is the usual complaint. Severity ranges from a small, circumscribed bald spot to total scalp hair loss (alopecia totalis), and even total body hair loss (alopecia universalis). Both the clinical course and histopathological features of relatively mild disease may differ significantly from severe disease (alopecia totalis or universalis).
