'The hair is the richest ornament of women' - thus said Martin Luther but he would have surely wanted to change his quote had he lived in present times. Whether its women or men, they hold hair to be equally precious in today's scenario and alopecia areata can be a big cause of concern for both.

Alopecia areata is loss of hair in patches. Although it can affect any hair-bearing area of the body, the term mostly connotes patchy hair loss from the scalp. The condition, though it is benign in most cases, can cause tremendous emotional and psychosocial stress in affected patients.