Alopecia areata, also known as "ghost shearing," primarily manifests as a sudden appearance of a bald patch on the scalp. The skin on the surface of the bald patch is smooth, and its hair follicles are not atrophied, so most of the hair can usually regrow. For typical cases of alopecia areata, where the affected area is not too large and not too widespread, if one pulls on the hair at the edge of the bald patch by hand after entering a stable phase, the hair is quite secure and not easily pulled out, indicating a negative hair pull test. After entering this stable phase, it is common for some fuzz or fine hair to appear within three to four months, eventually leading to the complete restoration of hair. However, in rare cases, alopecia areata can progressively worsen, increasing in area and potentially leading to total baldness, where all hair on the scalp falls out. This can also extend to alopecia universalis, where hair from other parts of the body is also lost.