ALOPECIA areata is defined as: regional hair loss that is reversible in certain cases. It's prevalence in referral patients with dermal complaints in Americais 2%. But ALOPECIA cicatricial which associated with scar is irreversible. About 90% of the cases are not in normal psychological position.Regarding the excess of referral children with hair loss to the clinc this descriptive study was carried out to determine the prevalence of ALOPECIA areat and cictricial primary students of khorramabad in 1999-2000.The samples size were 5340 including 50.5% females and 495% males. The prevalence of ALOPECIA areata in females and males was 0/5%, 0/3%, and about ALOPECIA cicatricial in females and males, it was 16.34%, 12.80% respectively.From the total patients 16.67% of them were studding in district one and 12.8% in district two of Khorramabad administration of education. About 0.58% of ALOPECIA areata cases were in grade three and 21.5% of ALOPECIA cicatricia cases were ingrade one. The most common site of involvement was on head. The average size of the lesions was 0.93.

Background: ALOPECIA areata is an idiopathic disease in which there is patchy hair loss. Many treatments for hair loss coin (less than 50% hair loss) has been proposed Including corticosteroid injections, topical 5% minoxidil, and anthralin cream or ointment on the skin without hair. Since recent studies on the role of autoantibodies and autoimmune disease in ALOPECIA areata have raised and the drugs used in its treatment are immunomodulators, this study aimed to compare the efficiency of tacrolimus and minoxidil with minoxidil alone in the treatment of ALOPECIA areata.Methods: This randomized, double-blind clinical trial study was done in Alzahra Hospital and Sedigheh Tahira Center of Dermatology and Leishmaniasis, affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, from September 2012 to September 2013. In this study, 96 lesions in 54 patients with ALOPECIA areata with various size and number of lesions were studied in two treatment groups. One group recived minoxidil 5% solution and tacrolimus 0.1% cream, and the other received minoxidil 5% solution and placebo cream. The mean lesion area at the onset of treatment, one and two months after starting the treatment, and one and three months after ending the therapy were measured compared between the groups in both sexes and various ages.Findings: After the treatment, the lesions in group minoxidil and tacrolimus increased and in the group treated with placebo cream and minoxidil solution decreased.Conclusion: In our study, minoxidil 5% solution alone was more effective in treatment of ALOPECIA areata compared to combination of minoxidil 5% solution and tacrolimus 0.1% cream.

Background: Some of the skin diseases cause severe stress in patients and relieving these stresses greatly helps to treat the underlying disease. ALOPECIA areata is one of the common causes of ALOPECIA which is an autoimmune disease. Other factors like genetics and psychological factors have important roles in the beginning or exacerbation of the disease. This study aimed to determine the frequency of depression and anxiety disorders in patient suffering from ALOPECIA areata.Materials and methods: In this descriptive study, 80 patients with ALOPECIA areata who had referred to dermatologic clinic of Shohaday-e Ashayer hospital in Khorramabad from 1382 to 1383(Hj.) were evaluated. After filling the questionnaires, the patients were referred to the Psychiatric Clinic and the cases were diagnosed by interviews using SCL-90 test and DSM-IV-IIIR scale. The analysis of data was done by the SPSS software.Results: 80 patients were selected as the subjects of the study. including 52 men (65%) and 28 women (35%). 43 patients (53.8%) were less than 25 years old and 54 (67.5%) were unmarried. 56 patients (70%) had a family history of ALOPECIA areata and 45 (56.25%) had no history of drug intake. In most of the patients (63.8%) the site of the first lesion was the scalp. Out of 80 patients, 64 (80%) had anxiety and 60 (75%) had depression. 27 (33.3%) had major depressive disorders. These findings were statistically significant. Major depressive disorders were more in women. No correlation was found between education, marital status, family history, and the history of drug intake, and the site of first lesion.Conclusion: The frequencies of depression and anxiety disorders in patients with ALOPECIA areata were significant and higher than the general population. In other studies, frequency of psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, phobia, mood disorders and psychotic disorders were also higher than the general population. Actually, it was not exactly clear whether the patients initially had depressive disorders or later on secondary to ALOPECIA areata had developed these disorders. To know more on this subject more studies are required.

 A16-year-old boy was visited because of a red, slightly elevated, and hairless 2 × 2 cm plaque on his occipital area that had appeared about 4 months before and enlarged gradually. The lesion caused no trouble for the patient. Examination for fungi had been negative. There was no improvement with administration of topical and systemic antibiotics. Physical examination showed no abnormal finding except the mentional lesion on scalp (Figure 1). Complete blood count, erythro­cyte sedimentation rate, and chest X-ray were all normal. A skin biopsy was performed from the lesion and sent for histopathologic examination (Figures 2 – 4).      

ALOPECIA areata is a rather common type of hair loss that may cause severe psychological problems especially in the young and women.There are multiple topical and systemic agents, some of which have significantly side effects and there is no good evidence that therapy alters the natural course of the disease. Our purpose was to determine whether cryotherapy is effective in ALOPECIA areata. One hundred patients with ALOPECIA areata were included in an open clinical trial from 1375 to 1377. The contact method of cryotherapy was performed once a week for 10 successive weeks. The efficacy was assessed by clinical response.The results were composed of: Good response 22%Moderate response 28%Poor response 42% &No response 8%In this study the contact method of cryotherapy was found effective and safe for ALOPECIA areata.There were no significant adverse events.