Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Alopecia Areata Explained

That Oscars moment put the word “alopecia” on everyone’s lips, but the real story is what happens when hair loss is autoimmune and how quickly it can change someone’s life. I sit down with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Eric Dominguez to explain alopecia areata in plain language, from the classic coin-shaped patches to the tougher presentations like diffuse thinning, ophiasis patterns, and isolated eyebrow or eyelash loss that can be even harder to hide.

We get practical about diagnosis and next steps: what we look for on exam, when a scalp biopsy helps confirm the cause, and why the scalp can feel like a uniquely stressful place to do a procedure. We also dig into the questions patients ask every day in clinic: Did stress trigger this? Is it genetic? What’s the risk of losing more hair or progressing to alopecia totalis or alopecia universalis? And if you have alopecia areata, what other autoimmune conditions like thyroid disease, vitiligo, eczema, or psoriasis should be on your radar?

Then we move to treatment, including why alopecia areata is not a cosmetic problem and why getting help early matters. We cover the full range, from topical and intralesional corticosteroids for localized disease to the newer FDA-approved oral JAK inhibitors that are changing what hair regrowth can look like for severe cases. We also set realistic expectations: this can be a chronic, relapsing condition, and stopping an effective medication may mean losing progress.

If you or someone you love is dealing with autoimmune hair loss, listen, share, and then subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what question you want us to tackle next.