Hair loss - Overview
Alopecia, Baldness, Hair loss, telogen effluvium
Definition:
The partial or total loss of hair is called alopecia.
Considerations:
Hair loss usually develops gradually and may be patchy or widespread (diffuse). You lose about 100 hairs from your head every day. The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs.
Each individual hair survives for an average of 4years, during which grows about 1.25 cm ( inch) per month. Generally, the hair falls in its fifth year and is replaced within a period of six months a new one. Genetic baldness is caused by the body's failure to produce new hairs and not by excessive loss of these.
Both men and women the loss of thickness and amount of hair tend to occur as they age. Baldness is not usually caused by a disease and is related to aging, heredity and testosterone levels. Hereditary baldness or "pattern" affects many more men than women. About 25% of men begin to bald by the age of 30 and approximately two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60.
* Male pattern baldness line involves a receding hairline and thinning around the crown with eventual bald spots. In the latter, you may have only a ring of hair in a horseshoe shape around the sides. In addition to genes, male pattern baldness seems to require the presence of the male hormone testosterone, so men who do not produce (due to genetic abnormalities or castration) do not develop this pattern of baldness.
* Some women also develop a pattern of particular hair loss due to genetics, age and male hormones (which tend to increase in women after menopause), but this pattern is different from men. Female pattern baldness involves a thinning throughout the scalp while the line of frontal hairline generally remains intact.
Causes:
A physical or emotional stress can cause sudden drop in half to three quarters of the hair throughout the scalp (called telogen effluvium). You will notice hair coming out in handfuls while you shampoo, comb or run your hands through his hair. You may not notice this for weeks to months after the episode of stress. The hair shedding will decrease by 6-8 months.
The causes of this type of hair loss are:
* High fever or severe infection
* Childbirth
* Major surgery, serious illness, sudden bleeding
* Severe emotional stress
* Crash diets, especially those that do not contain enough protein
* Many drugs, including retinoids, birth control pills, beta blockers, certain antidepressants, NSAIDs (including ibuprofen) and blockers, calcium channel
Some women of 30-60 years may notice a thinning hair affecting the entire scalp. Hair loss can be heavy at first, and then slow or stop gradually. There is no known cause for this type of hair loss.
Other possible causes of hair loss, especially if it is an unusual pattern include:
* Alopecia areata: patches of baldness that occur in the scalp, beard, and, possibly, eyebrows. Eyelashes may fall.
* Autoimmune disorders such as lupus
* Burn
* Certain infectious diseases such as syphilis
* Excessive use of shampoo and hair
* Thyroid Disease
* Nervous habits such as continual hair pulling or scalp rubbing
Radiotherapy *
* Tinea capitis (ringworm of the scalp)
* Tumor of the ovary or adrenal glands
More information on : hair transplant cost
Definition:
The partial or total loss of hair is called alopecia.
Considerations:
Hair loss usually develops gradually and may be patchy or widespread (diffuse). You lose about 100 hairs from your head every day. The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs.
Each individual hair survives for an average of 4years, during which grows about 1.25 cm ( inch) per month. Generally, the hair falls in its fifth year and is replaced within a period of six months a new one. Genetic baldness is caused by the body's failure to produce new hairs and not by excessive loss of these.
Both men and women the loss of thickness and amount of hair tend to occur as they age. Baldness is not usually caused by a disease and is related to aging, heredity and testosterone levels. Hereditary baldness or "pattern" affects many more men than women. About 25% of men begin to bald by the age of 30 and approximately two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60.
* Male pattern baldness line involves a receding hairline and thinning around the crown with eventual bald spots. In the latter, you may have only a ring of hair in a horseshoe shape around the sides. In addition to genes, male pattern baldness seems to require the presence of the male hormone testosterone, so men who do not produce (due to genetic abnormalities or castration) do not develop this pattern of baldness.
* Some women also develop a pattern of particular hair loss due to genetics, age and male hormones (which tend to increase in women after menopause), but this pattern is different from men. Female pattern baldness involves a thinning throughout the scalp while the line of frontal hairline generally remains intact.
Causes:
A physical or emotional stress can cause sudden drop in half to three quarters of the hair throughout the scalp (called telogen effluvium). You will notice hair coming out in handfuls while you shampoo, comb or run your hands through his hair. You may not notice this for weeks to months after the episode of stress. The hair shedding will decrease by 6-8 months.
The causes of this type of hair loss are:
* High fever or severe infection
* Childbirth
* Major surgery, serious illness, sudden bleeding
* Severe emotional stress
* Crash diets, especially those that do not contain enough protein
* Many drugs, including retinoids, birth control pills, beta blockers, certain antidepressants, NSAIDs (including ibuprofen) and blockers, calcium channel
Some women of 30-60 years may notice a thinning hair affecting the entire scalp. Hair loss can be heavy at first, and then slow or stop gradually. There is no known cause for this type of hair loss.
Other possible causes of hair loss, especially if it is an unusual pattern include:
* Alopecia areata: patches of baldness that occur in the scalp, beard, and, possibly, eyebrows. Eyelashes may fall.
* Autoimmune disorders such as lupus
* Burn
* Certain infectious diseases such as syphilis
* Excessive use of shampoo and hair
* Thyroid Disease
* Nervous habits such as continual hair pulling or scalp rubbing
Radiotherapy *
* Tinea capitis (ringworm of the scalp)
* Tumor of the ovary or adrenal glands
More information on : hair transplant cost
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