TLDR People with hair loss conditions experience more anxiety, depression, and a lower quality of life than those without these conditions.
In a study involving 115 patients with hair diseases (37 with alopecia areata and 20 with androgenetic alopecia) and 1359 controls across 13 European countries, it was found that those with hair diseases had significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, and a lower quality of life compared to the healthy control group. Alopecia areata patients, in particular, experienced greater psychological distress, which was not directly related to the severity of their condition. Women with alopecia reported notably poorer quality of life, especially in terms of pain, anxiety, and depression. The study suggested the need for psychological assessments and support for these patients, despite limitations such as a small sample size and the use of general quality of life instruments.
95 citations,
July 2016 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” People with alopecia areata, a skin disease, generally have a poor quality of life, especially if more of their scalp is affected.
128 citations,
February 2016 in “British Journal of Dermatology” Alopecia areata significantly lowers the quality of life, especially in emotional and mental health aspects.
25 citations,
December 2015 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” Alopecia areata significantly lowers quality of life, especially in personal and social areas, and more so if the patient is also depressed.
91 citations,
August 2015 in “Anais Brasileiros De Dermatologia” Female Pattern Hair Loss affects women's self-esteem and needs more research for better treatment.
101 citations,
January 2012 in “Annals of Dermatology” Men with hair loss experience lower quality of life, worsened by factors like age, severity, and treatment history.
148 citations,
December 2018 in “Journal of autoimmunity” Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease causing patchy hair loss, often with other autoimmune disorders, but its exact causes are unknown.
4 citations,
November 2018 in “JAAD case reports” Alopecia areata can sometimes appear as a straight line of hair loss instead of round patches.
May 2018 in “Journal of cosmetology & trichology” Combining platelet-rich plasma therapy with prostaglandin-F eye drops can significantly regrow hair in alopecia universalis.