Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, producing round, smooth patches of complete loss. It is not caused by diet or stress alone, it is not contagious, and hair often regrows — though the course is genuinely unpredictable.
Symptoms of alopecia areata
Symptoms vary, and few people have all of them. These are the ones most commonly reported.
2-minute check
Is this alopecia areata or ordinary hair fall?
Four questions. Your result appears immediately — we do not ask for an email.
What does the affected area look like?
How quickly did it appear?
Is the skin in the area normal?
Any thyroid disease, vitiligo or other autoimmune condition?
This sounds more like diffuse hair fall
Ferritin, thyroid and vitamin D are the sensible first tests. See our hair fall page.
The picture is not clear from these answers alone
A dermatologist can distinguish these readily, often with a simple scalp examination.
This fits alopecia areata
It should be assessed by a dermatologist. Thyroid and other autoimmune conditions are worth screening for alongside.
This check is an indication, not a diagnosis. It does not replace medical advice.
When to see a doctor
Arrange a medical appointment rather than waiting if you have:
- Any new patchy hair loss, for proper diagnosis
- Rapidly spreading patches
- Loss of eyebrows, eyelashes or body hair
- Scalp redness, scaling or scarring — suggests a different condition
- Significant distress
What causes alopecia areata
This is immune activity directed at the follicle, which is why it differs entirely from deficiency-driven shedding.
The follicle stops being recognised as self.
Attacking it at the base.
Hair is shed abruptly from a defined area.
Which is why regrowth remains possible even after long periods.
Risk factors
- A personal or family history of autoimmune disease
- Thyroid disease, particularly autoimmune thyroiditis
- Vitiligo
- Type 1 diabetes
- A family history of alopecia areata
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Significant psychological stress, as a possible trigger
How alopecia areata is diagnosed
| Test | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Clinical examination and dermoscopy | Usually sufficient to diagnose |
| Thyroid function and anti-TPO | Autoimmune thyroid disease is commonly associated |
| Vitamin D | Frequently low, and relevant |
| Ferritin and B12 | To exclude coexisting deficiency |
| Blood glucose | Type 1 diabetes association |
| Scalp biopsy | Rarely, where the diagnosis is uncertain |
Not sure which of these you have had?The assessment asks, and tells you which are worth requesting.
Check my health parametersWhat happens if it is left untreated
Stated factually, because these risks are real and manageable rather than inevitable.
- Progression to more extensive loss in some people
- Loss of eyelashes, affecting eye protection
- Substantial psychological impact
- Anxiety and low mood
- Unpredictable relapse after regrowth
How Health Total treats alopecia areata
Our protocol runs alongside whatever your doctor has prescribed. We do not ask anyone to stop medication.
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1
Get the diagnosis right first
This is dermatological. Confusing it with nutritional hair fall wastes months, and we will refer rather than treat it as ours.
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2
Screen for associated autoimmunity
Thyroid in particular, which is common, treatable, and frequently present.
-
3
Correct vitamin D and deficiencies
Not a cure, but deficiency is common and correcting it supports general immune health.
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4
Support alongside dermatological treatment
Whatever your dermatologist prescribes is the primary treatment. Nutrition is adjunctive here, and we say so.
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5
Take the psychological impact seriously
This condition affects people profoundly and that is rarely acknowledged in a clinic.
What makes this different
A standard diet plan
- Treated as ordinary hair fall
- Oils and supplements as the answer
- No autoimmune screening
- Promises of regrowth
How we do it
- Correctly identified and referred
- Thyroid and autoimmunity screened
- Nutrition positioned honestly as adjunctive
- Honest about an unpredictable course
Nine questions. Two minutes.You will see your result before we ask for your name.
Start my free assessmentAudited results
Publication pending. Aggregate outcome figures for this condition — sample size, inclusion criteria, mean and median change, range and dropout rate — will appear here once the audited outcome report is complete and signed by a second clinician.
Under the ASCI Healthcare Guidelines, a success rate, timeline or efficacy claim requires peer-reviewed data or the organisation’s own audited outcome report. We would rather publish nothing here than publish a number we cannot substantiate.
Case studies
De-identified clinical records — the plan as delivered, the markers as measured, and adherence as it actually was. Each signed by the supervising clinician and verified by a second.
Case file 1
Awaiting the case production line — dependency D6.
Case file 2
Awaiting the case production line — dependency D6.
Case file 3
Awaiting the case production line — dependency D6.
The standard each case must meet before publication →
Published with specific, informed and withdrawable consent. Individual results vary.
Why Health Total for alopecia areata
Clinicians, named
Over 200 doctors and nutritionists. Every condition page here carries the name and credentials of the person who wrote it and the person who reviewed it.
Indian food, Indian bodies
Thirty years of treating Indian patients, with plans built from Indian kitchens and read against Asia-Pacific metabolic cut-offs.
Our own data
Outcomes come from audited internal records, not from studies conducted elsewhere on other populations.
Somewhere to walk in
Physical centres across India, which most app-based programmes cannot offer.
Recipes for alopecia areata
Palak and lemon dal
The lemon at the end is not a garnish. It is what makes the iron usable.
See the recipe →Selenium and zinc seed mix
A spoon a day for thyroid and immune support — and why two Brazil nuts is the limit.
See the recipe →Walnut and seed omega mix
Five walnuts a day — and why the ratio to omega-6 matters more than the amount.
See the recipe →Articles
Vitamin D deficiency in a country with abundant sun
Sunlight is necessary and, for most urban Indians, not sufficient.
Read →Hair fall: the causes worth testing for
What you are seeing today started three months ago.
Read →Questions we are asked
Will my hair grow back?
Often, yes — the follicle is not destroyed, which is why regrowth remains possible even after long periods. But the course is genuinely unpredictable, and relapse can occur. We will not promise an outcome here, because nobody can.
Did stress cause this?
Stress is reported as a trigger by many people, but alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition and stress alone does not explain it. It is worth managing, without being blamed for the condition.
Can diet cure it?
No. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling something. Nutrition can correct deficiencies and support general immune health, and that is a genuine but limited role alongside dermatological treatment.
Is it related to thyroid problems?
They are associated — autoimmune conditions cluster. Anyone with alopecia areata is worth screening for thyroid disease, because it is common, treatable and easily missed.
Start with your own numbers.Free assessment, free first consultation, and no figure quoted that we cannot substantiate.
Start my free assessmentReferences
- IADVL guidelines on the management of alopecia areata.
- British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of alopecia areata.
- [Further references to be completed by the medical review panel.]