Alopecia is a medical term used to describe the loss of hair. There are many different types of alopecia and each type has a different affect on the body. However most types of alopecia share the same cause. Alopecia is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction in the body. In this disease the immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles and caused the interruption of hair growth. Depending on the type of alopecia experienced this hair loss may be temporary or permanent. Other causes of alopecia include injury, disease, chemotherapy treatment, and stress on the root of the hair.

The causes can be numerous, but the good news is that it is many times due to an imbalance in the person's system, which if rectified, will result in complete regrowth of hair. An effective set of blood tests is necessary to reveal any imbalances. Some of the most common causes are medications, pregnancy, birth control pills, thyroid malfunctions, anemia, syphilis, and arthritis. Whatever the cause may be, the body's response is to initiate an autoimmune response, whereby the body perceives the follicles as foreign objects, and attempts to reject them from the system.

Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss that is caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles. This type of hair loss begins to get worse when hair follicles enter the rest (telogen) phase too soon.

Telogen Effluvium: - This condition is also referred to as diffuse hair loss. In this type of hair loss, a lot of hair is lost in a short span of time. Leading causes for this condition are pregnancy, chemotherapy for cancer treatment, very high fevers, severe illnesses, and sometimes even high levels of stress can result in telogen effluvium. This is not a permanent condition and most of the lost hair does grow back within a few months.

Scarring hair loss includes all types of diseases that lead to the destruction of the hair root, and as a result, to irreversible hair loss. This can be caused by burning or ionising rays. However, the most frequent cause is an infections by bacteria or fungi

Chemical Damage (Anagen Effluviam): this is a kind of hair loss where there is loss of patches of hair. This is caused because of the chemicals affecting the hair follicles. The common reason why this happens is - use of strong drugs, especially cancer drugs and chemotherapy. This kind of hair loss is temporary, and in most cases, there could be re-growth of hair.This kind of hair loss is temporary; there could be re-growth of hair

Traction Alpoecia: - This type of hair loss occurs in people who routinely pull on their hair through harsh brushing or hairstyles such as a tight ponytail that pull on the hair. One prime example of this condition is the braided hair popular with African-americans.