Alopecia areata most typically displays as small round bald patches. This could be just one patch or a number of patches. When diagnosed with alopecia areata, it is easy to panic that all hair will fall out. However, it is worth noting that 80% of people with just a few patches of alopecia areata experience regrowth without treatment.

Unfortunately, there is no way to determine whether someone will be in the 80% who will experience regrowth or the 20% who will continue to experience hair loss, either with continued patches or more extensive or total hair loss.