This is common in children and young adults and manifests in the form of completely asymptomatic, localized area of alopecia from which all or most of the hair have been lost. The underline skin is otherwise quite normal. There is no itching, no redness, no scaling and no scarring. with these criteria it can be easily distinguished from other diseases which can lead to localized areas of alopecia. In nearly a third of the patients, the hair shaft develops a node of trichorrhexis 5-10mm. From the root at which the hair breaks off leaving behind a small fragment of each of these hair in the patch. Such hair are called EXCLAMATION MARK HAIRS. The disease generally starts as a small area which may not be discovered for variable period because of its asymptomatic nature. In a large majority of the cases the patch increases in size and new lesions may also keep appearing elsewhere on the scalp and even other areas of the body such as beard, eyebrow, eyelashes, moustache and other regions of the body. Sometimes the disease may start and even remain confined to the beard, moustache and/ or other regions etc.If the process involves all the hair on the scalp, it is called ALOPECIA TOTALLIS, and in case the hair allover the body are lost, it is called ALOPECIA UNIVERSALIS. Patients having extensive Alopecia may also develop pitting of the nails.

CAUSES: The etiology of the Alopecia Areta is not known. Presumably the loss of hairs occur under the influence of an unknown factor which induces all the hair in a localized area into the resting phase. These hair are subsequently shed over a period of 2-4 weeks though the hair follicles are usually not destroyed.

According to Ayurveda "INDRALUPTA" (ALOPECIA AREATA), characterized by the gradual loss of hair from scalp. The classical description about "INDRALUPTA" reveals the involvement of PITTA , VATA , KAPHA , AND RAKTA as the chief pathological factor. It is stated that the PITTA present in ROMKUPA (HAIR FOLLICLE) vitiates along with VATA resulting into the fall of hairs. Later on, KAPHA AND RAKTA together block the ROMKUPAS. Thus preventing the growth of new hairs. Although the disease itself does not produce serious side effect except cosmetic problems to the concerned individual