Alopecia means hair loss. It can be temporary or permanent, and scarring or non-scarring.
Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. It is not one diagnosis: it is an umbrella term covering common patterned hair loss, temporary shedding, autoimmune patchy hair loss, fungal infection, traumatic hair loss, and scarring inflammatory conditions. A useful first split is non-scarring versus scarring alopecia. In non-scarring alopecia the follicle is usually still present, so regrowth may be possible. In scarring alopecia the follicle can be destroyed, making early diagnosis more urgent. The right treatment depends on the pattern, speed of loss, scalp symptoms, medical history, and examination.
NHS: Hair loss — https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/hair-loss/; DermNet: Trichoscopy of generalised noncicatricial hair loss — https://dermnetnz.org/topics/trichoscopy-of-generalised-noncicatricial-hair-loss; Anastassakis K. Androgenetic Alopecia From A to Z, Vol. 1, Springer, 2022 — https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76111-0
