This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A Review of Therapy, Efficacy, Safety, and Mechanism

Virginia C. Fiedler, MD

Arch Dermatol. 1992;128(11):1519-1529.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Alopecia areata, especially when severe, often profoundly affects the lives of those afflicted. The unpredictability of its severity and frequency of recurrence may lead to feelings of loss of control and helplessness. Severe hair loss evokes not only cosmetic concerns but may also evoke feelings of vulnerability (nakedness), loss of self-esteem, alterations in self-image, and, perhaps, even self-identity. A grief reaction often occurs with the loss of significant amounts of scalp hair. Family, friends, and, often, physicians may suggest to patients that their hair loss is a result of stress, which may further induce feelings of responsibility and guilt for the alopecia. Finally, patients are often reassured by family and friends that at least alopecia areata is not "cancer" but only a benign cosmetic problem. This later reassurance generally reinforces the patient's sense of guilt for not coping better with the situation and often precludes the patient being able to verbalize feelings that can, in time, lead to emotional . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Dermatology, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication September 2, 1992.

Reprint requests to Department of Dermatology (M/C 624), University of Illinois at Chicago, PO Box 6998, Chicago, IL 60680 (Dr Fiedler).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?