Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, and it doesn’t only happen on the scalp. Some illnesses and medications can trigger balding over the entire body, though genetics account for most cases on the head.
Symptoms & causes
Diagnosis
Dermatologists will examine the person's scalp and take a history of medical or stressful events "to see what's been going on in their life and their world," they said.
The dermatologist may take a biopsy — a small patch of skin that includes the hair follicle — and send it to a pathologist to determine if an autoimmune disease, such as lupus, is the cause of the hair loss.