Alopecia Areata - Classification

Classification

Commonly, alopecia areata involves hair loss in one or more round spots on the scalp.

• Hair may also be lost more diffusely over the whole scalp, in which case the condition is called diffuse alopecia areata.
• Alopecia areata monolocularis describes baldness in only one spot. It may occur anywhere on the head.
• Alopecia areata multilocularis refers to multiple areas of hair loss.
• The disease may be limited only to the beard, in which case it is called Alopecia areata barbae.
• If the patient loses all the hair on the scalp, the disease is then called Alopecia totalis.
• If all body hair, including pubic hair, is lost, the diagnosis then becomes Alopecia universalis.

Alopecia areata totalis and universalis are rare.