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Please note: This question is not soliciting medical advice - I'm purely curious about as to what might cause this condition.

Generally speaking, what diseases/conditions cause patches of body hair on your arms and legs to have the the "recently shaved effect", where it looks like it was shaved (with a razor) a few weeks ago and the hair is just starting to grow back (and is therefore prickly)?

In other words, some of the hair is normal length, and some of the hair is prickly and just barely above the skin, giving the appearance that it was shaved (or fell out) and is now regrowing.

The closest thing the Google Gods suggest is allopecia, but I don't think allopecia does this.

Update: Another way to describe the way these patches of hair looks is "broken". It looks like the hair was just broken in half and is 1/2 the size of the other areas of hair.

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  • Are you asking about "Why hair become coarser after shaving with a razor than trimming?" ?
    – ABcDexter
    Jan 29, 2016 at 23:42
  • @ABcDexter: nope, not sure how you got that, as my question is pretty well explained...
    – smeeb
    Jan 30, 2016 at 2:51
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    Have you been exposed to any chemicals that you know of recently? Has your drinking water been compromised? Is it affecting multiple people or just one in the same household, neighborhood, etc.? Have you talked with your doctor about this? Have you changed your diet or started consuming anything new?I assume you're not battling cancer, being exposed to chemo therapy or radiation but there are many environmental factors that can cause this type of side effect. Also, you're not disclosing your age or geographical region, etc. I think people will need MORE detail in your question actually.
    – Facebook
    Feb 1, 2016 at 22:46
  • Thanks @1Fish_2Fish_RedFish_BlueFish (+1) - I'm not opposed to answering these, but (especially for the bounty) I am looking for the universe of things that might cause this, which shouldn't be too much given how specific the symptoms are. But in any event: (1) Not exposed to any chemicals, (2) I am the only in the household affected, (3) No doctor because, again, I'm not soliciting medical advice, I'm purely looking for a causal analysis here, (4) Diet hasn't changed, (5) Not battling cancer/chemo/radiation/etc., (6) I'm male early 30s caucasian, and (7) Upstate NY (Adirondacks)...
    – smeeb
    Feb 2, 2016 at 1:19
  • For instance, I'm not looking for someone to play "20 questions" and realie "Hey, smeeb, you're losing your hair because you're drinking dishwashing detergent (I'm not BTW!)". I'm looking for someone to make a list of things that would cause this, and hopefully on that list would be an item like "Consuming dangerous chemicals". Does that make sense?
    – smeeb
    Feb 2, 2016 at 1:21

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"The closest thing the Google Gods suggest is allopecia, but I don't think allopecia does this"...

YES! Alopecia does do this!
Alopcia affects more than the hair on your head. It can manifest itself on other parts of your body where hair grows..including legs, arms and private areas. You say you don't want to see a doctor, but this may be a reason to see one. You may want to check out the National Alopecia Areata Foundation website (http://www.naaf.org) for more information. Good luck to you.

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