Alopecia areata (hair loss)

Francisco de Goya
March 30, 1746, Fuendetodos, (Zaragosa), Spain - April 16, 1828, Bordeaux, France

♦ The Wedding 1792 ♦

This large caricature by Goya reveals his talent for satire. It depicts an arranged marriage from his time: the children, the musicians, the bride and groom—she is elegant, he is grotesque—the bride's friends, the priest, the witness, in short, everyone who takes part in the wedding party.

♦ Diagnosis
Main symptoms: Oval patches with hair loss, smooth skin.
Secundary symptoms: Boy, sloppy clothing
Clinical diagnosis: Alopecia areata

♦ Definition: alopecia
Hair loss, baldness. The loss can be partial or complete. The condition can be congenital, premature, or senile.
Alopecia can complicate various systemic disorders.

♦ Discussion
Alopecia areata is characterized by hair loss in round or oval patches. In rare cases, these patches may merge, leading to complete baldness. The scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, and — in some cases — the entire skin surface may be affected (Alopecia totalis). The bald spots are well-defined, and the skin is smooth and soft with a pale white or light pink color, completely devoid of hair. Alopecia areata can appear very suddenly, but it may also develop gradually, expanding at the edges until it reaches a certain size, after which it often remains more or less stable. The condition usually lasts for several months, while hair growth may sometimes gradually return. In children, hair regrowth almost always occurs, except in the totalis type, which is often very persistent. When hair starts to regrow, the affected area is first covered with fine, downy, whitish hairs that later develop into stronger, pigmented hairs. The cause of the condition is unknown. Many of these children are emotionally disturbed before developing alopecia, and a causal relationship has often been suggested.

The man with the black hat and the cloak, standing to the left of the balding boy, has a completely closed right eye, possibly due to paralysis (traumatic or congenital?) of the levator palpebrae (one of the external eye muscles).

Source: Jan Dequeker.
The Artist and the Doctor Look at Paintings

Source: Jan Dequeker.
The Artist and the Doctor Look at Paintings

Photo's
Wikipedia
Wikimedia.org