Does Alopecia Areata cause Pain?

I have a large bald spot that my hair dresser found recently. There is no scaling but in the patch there are small pink colored patches of skin. From time to time my head aches in that region with a tingling sensation. I am not sure if i have alopecia areata or if this is some sort of skin rash but I also have another bald spot growing near the top of my head with no pink patches. I have posted a pic here. I have an appointment with the dermatologist on wednesday but have no idea of what to expect. I do not want to have a scalp biopsy done... can this be diagnosed with out one? I am extremely worrried about this trip to the derm. Any info will be helpful!

[jfelice27]

I have a large bald spot that my hair dresser found recently. There is no scaling but in the patch there are small pink colored patches of skin. From time to time my head aches in that region with a tingling sensation. I am not sure if i have alopecia areata or if this is some sort of skin rash but I also have another bald spot growing near the top of my head with no pink patches. I have posted a pic here. I have an appointment with the dermatologist on wednesday but have no idea of what to expect. I do not want to have a scalp biopsy done... can this be diagnosed with out one? I am extremely worrried about this trip to the derm. Any info will be helpful!

[SquirreliciousAngel]

Alopecia does not hurt. Your derm will be able to determine if it is alopecia without doing a scalp biopsy. I'm sure by now you've had your appointment and the doctor has told you what your diagnosis is.
Best of luck!

[jfelice27]

Thank you for your comment. Yes i was diagnosed with alopecia areata. The Dermatologist told me there is sign of regrowth, gave me a topical solution and sent me on my way. I was discouraged that she seemed so non shalant about the whole situation. I guess my next step  is to go get some blood tests done since i'm 23 and see what else is going on in my body so i can maybe find out what is causing my hair loss in case it is an underlying condition. The dermatologist didnt even want to take blood that day she said it was unneccessary. Crazy... we will see where this road takes me.

[SquirreliciousAngel]

Did the doctor seem to think that there was an underlying condition that was causing the hairloss? I've heard of people having late onset of Alopecia although I've never really heard of underlying conditions. I know that stress can increase the amount of hairloss but I don't think Alopecia is necessarily caused by anything in particular. Please let me know if you find out something different.

If there are signs of regrowth thats definitely a good sign. And in cases where there is a late onset of alopecia the chances of regrowth are higher. Where my onset was so early (7yrs old) the chances that my hair will fully grow back are very minimal.

Best of Luck! Try to keep your head up and don't get discouraged, at least you have your health!!!
~S.A.