Overnight alopecia: A subtype of acute diffuse and total alopecia?

Acute diffuse and total alopecia (ADTA) is a variant of alopecia areata which lacks the typical patchy hair loss seen in classical alopecia areata and presents with an acute onset of diffuse hair loss commonly reported in young females with the duration from disease onset to diffuse hair loss ranging from 2 to 20 weeks. Although the clinical features of ADTA resemble telogen effluvium, dermoscopy can prove to be a useful tool for differentiating these two conditions and avoiding unnecessary investigations as specific dermoscopic findings of alopecia areata are invariably present along the disease course. Herein, we report a case of ADTA in a 42-year-old Indian female who presented with sudden onset of diffuse hair loss of only 1-day duration.