Because I was forced to prove that work exposures caused my disability, Parkinson's disease induced by engineered silica nanoparticles, I am quite aware of a lot of recent medical research. Most of the research into the nanoparticles has only been published in the last five years. In the course of understanding my condition I found a ton of recent articles exploring the causes of alopecia or conditions related to it, since they often overlapped with my own research. In the last five to ten years medical researchers understanding of alopecia has leapt forward incredibly. I understand what you mean about past research involving pure luck; they really had little clue of what was really happening. I am now predicting that an inexpensive cure for alopecia should emerge within the next five to ten years. It won't resolve issues with allergies, which may have triggered the alopecia, but it will interrupt the signaling which has caused the hair loss.