Alopecia areata is an extremely common autoimmune condition affecting hair. Severe forms of alopecia areata exist, with existing treatments consisting of systemic immunosuppressants with numerous side effects. Recently, breakthroughs have been made in both understanding the pathogenesis of alopecia areata and the treatment thereof, which hold the promise of being able to target severe cases of alopecia areata with more efficacy and better tolerability. This article serves as an introduction to review papers from two of the leading researchers in the field of alopecia areata.
Keywords: Alopecia areata; Autoimmune; Hair loss; Immunosuppressant; JAK inhibitor.