Baldness is a general term used to describe all hair loss. There are several different types of baldness. Alopecia areata is a specific type of baldness.
When a patient comes to us with what we suspect to be alopecia areata, we will conduct a visual examination of the scalp. We will take a close look at the area where the hair loss has occurred. We will also look at any of the hair surrounding it. This visual examination combined with the patient’s medical or family history is usually enough to diagnosis alopecia areata.