Hi Mary,

  Here's a little info on the various forms of alopecia.

The most common form of alopecia is the gradual thinning of hair with age
and is called involutional alopecia.  It is a natural response to changes in
our hormonal systems.

 Androgenic alopecia is the type of alopecia that happens most often to men,
although women can experience it from about the age of 40 on.  Men can begin
suffering hair loss as early as their teen years or 20's. In men, a receding
hairline and gradual disappearance of hair from the crown is called male
pattern baldness. In women, female pattern baldness is typically a general
thinning over the entire scalp, with the most extensive hair loss at the
crown.  This has been called a genetic predisposition, but what is really
most genetic about it is a malfunctioning hormonal system that converts
testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (produced in the liver and scalp)
which tends to erode the hair follicle, robbing energy from it, until it can
no longer support healthy hair growth.  If you want more info on what
products truly help with this, let me know.

Patchy hair loss in children and young adults, often sudden in onset, is
known as alopecia areata.  It is thought to be an immune disorder. It may
result in complete baldness, but in about 90 percent of cases the hair
returns, usually within a few years.

Finally, there is alopecia universalis.  With this disorder, all body hair
falls out and the likelihood of regrowth is slight, especially when it
occurs in children.  This is definitely an autoimmune disorder.

I hope this helps.

Blessings,
Siobhan