Types of hair loss

The healthy condition of the hair depends, to a very large extent, on the intake of sufficient amounts of essential nutrients in the daily diet. Hair is made of keratin, a protein, which also makes up the nails and the outer layer of our skin.

Another factor that has been linked to hair loss is the amount of sebum in the scalp. Sebum contains a high amount of DHT, and clogs pores in the scalp, both of which cause the malnutrition of the hair root. The amount of sebum in balding hair is related to the amount of oil in the hair. Meanwhile most doctors agree that frequent shampooing is advised in hair loss cases with oily scalps.

Another important cause of falling hair is stress, such as worry, anxiety and sudden shock. Stress leads to a severe tension in the skin of the scalp. This adversely affects the supply of essential nutrition required for the healthy growth of hair.

Women require 60 grams, men 80 to 90 grams, adolescent boys and girls 80 to 100 grams of protein. It is supplied by milk, buttermilk, yogurt, soyabean, eggs, cheese, meat and fish. A deficiency of some of the B vitamins, of iron, copper and iodine may cause hair disorders like falling of hair and premature greying of hair.

Male pattern baldness that is the condition responsible for over 98% of all hair loss in men. It gets its name from the pattern of hair loss, which ultimately results in a horseshoe of hair that resides on the sides and back of the head, while the top of the head is completely bald. Some men begin MPB by losing the hair in their hairline. Others start in the crown.

The most familiar hair loss pattern is where the hair begins to recede in the hairline and the crown at roughly the same time. The hair in the mid-scalp or anterior scalp is often the last to go. But go it will, eventually leaving a man with the horseshoe of hair that is the telltale sign of typical male pattern baldness.

Finasteride (Propecia). This prescription medication to treat male-pattern baldness is taken daily in pill form. Many people taking finasteride experience a slowing of hair loss, and some may show some new hair growth. Positive results may take several months. Finasteride works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that shrinks hair follicles and is an important factor in male hair loss. Rare side effects of finasteride include diminished sex drive and sexual function. As with minoxidil, the benefits of finasteride stop if you stop using it.

Finasteride is not approved for use by women. In fact, it poses significant danger to women of childbearing age. If you're a pregnant woman, don't even handle crushed or broken finasteride tablets because absorption of the drug may cause serious birth defects in male fetuses.

Corticosteroids. Injections of cortisone into the scalp can treat alopecia areata. Treatment is usually repeated monthly. Doctors sometimes prescribe corticosteroid pills for extensive hair loss due to alopecia areata. Ointments and creams can also be used, but they may be less effective than injections.

Anthralin (Drithocreme). Available as either a cream or an ointment, anthralin is a synthetic, tarry substance that you apply to your scalp and wash off daily. It's typically used to treat psoriasis, but doctors can prescribe it to treat other skin conditions. Anthralin may stimulate new hair growth for cases of alopecia areata.

Hair care useful tips

Many people (wrongly) will drop a handful of shampoo on their head and then rinse it off. Shampoo must be worked through all of your hair, as well as the scalp and hairline.

Did you notice that when you shampoo your hair the amount of lather often varies? Usually, the more lather you have, the less buildup you have on your hair. It's also important to fully rinse out the shampoo to eliminate any residual detergents--they can damage the hair shaft and scalp.

Correct use of conditioners containing light proteins, such as hydrolyzed human hair keratin proteins, can help strengthen your hair. A good conditioner with these proteins can easily penetrate the hair shaft to replenish nutrients. These proteins can also repair split ends. Split ends develop after the protective cuticle has been stripped away from the end of hair fibers as a result of harsh chemicals or even vigorous brushing.

Hair transplantation is not only for men

Hair transplantation is a surgical modality used for the correction of androgenic alopecia, scarring alopecia, and other causes of permanent alopecia.

The removed hair follicles are then divided into individual grafts of varying sizes. The smallest grafts contain 1-2 hairs and are often referred to as "follicular units" or "micrografts". Larger minigrafts may contain up to 6 hairs and can provide more density per graft. Choice of number and type of graft is made taking into account the patient's hair type, quality, color and the area to be transplanted. Once prepared the grafts (hair and its roots) are then inserted into the thin area.

Since hair transplantation is a surgical procedure, all patients must be in good health. Hair transplantation is an office procedure that takes approximately four to eight hours depending on the extent of the planned procedure. Most people return to work two to five days after the surgery.

Most people require more than one session, each spaced at least six months apart each to complete the hair restoration in an area. The timing and number of transplants depends on the amount of hair you have when you start, how much is anticipated that you will continue to lose without transplanting and how much hair density you desire.

In the hands of well-trained and experienced physicians, and using newer techniques with smaller grafts, the hair grows in the proper direction with a feathered hairline, and a highly aesthetic result.

Hair transplantation is universally accepted as a treatment for hair loss. While it was developed and first offered as a hair-loss treatment for men, women have increasingly found hair transplantation a viable option to correct the cosmetic deficit of thinning hair. Advances in hair transplantation techniques and better understanding of the biology of female hair loss contributed to the evolution of hair transplantation got women.

Many women today are proactive about seeking hair transplantation. They are unwilling to accept hair loss as an unavoidable fact of life. Scalp hair is a major component of the image women project to the world and they do not wish to have hair loss detract from that image.

Almost worse than hair loss in some cases is hair miniaturization-the fine-caliber, wispy hair that grows out a follicle when the follicle is no longer able to produce hair of normal size. Miniaturized hair is hard to style and difficult to conceal. It begins to appear in the course of female pattern hair loss, the female form of the most common type of hair loss in men.

Hair basics

The outer layer is called the cuticle and is thin and colorless, its job is to protect the thicker cortex which contains the melanin. Melanin is responsible for the color of your hair and the actual color depends on what kind of melanin you have .

The innermost layer of hair is called the medulla and reflects light giving hair the various color tones it has. That's why hair color looks a lot different in sunlight than it does in the shade.

The physical thickness and length of hair depends on what type of hair it is. Vellus hair is the fine fuzz type of hair that's often called peach fuzz. Its very fine and colorless and often almost invisible to the naked eye.

Hair that is dark and very visible is known as Terminal hair. Terminal hair is the hair that we refer to when talk about hair. Whether a hair is a fine vellus hair or a thick dark hair depends entirely on the follicle that is producing the hair. In balding men thick terminal hair is often replaced by fine vellus hair. This is a result of the hair producing equipment, the follicle, suffering physical damage and being unable to produce terminal hair.

Conditions that can cause hair loss

Do you feel that you are the only one losing hair? You're not! The most common form of hair loss, Androgentic Alopecia, or pattern baldness, is experiences by 50-80% of Caucasian men. The number of Chinese males affected are half of the Caucasian counterparts while African Americans have a lower incidence of the condition as well. For women androgenetic alopecia occurs between 20-40% of the general female population. In summary, it is safe to say that pattern baldness is experienced by the norm of the population, you're not alone, but actually in the majority.

Thyroid Disease - Both an over-active thyroid and an under-active thyroid can cause hair loss. Your physician can diagnosis thyroid disease with laboratory tests. Hair loss associated with thyroid disease can be reversed with proper treatment.

Inadequate Protein in Diet - Some people who go on crash diets that are low in protein, or have severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition. The body will save protein by shifting growing hairs into the resting phase. Massive hair shedding can occur two to three months later. Hair can then be pulled out by the roots fairly easily. This condition can be reversed and prevented by eating the proper amount of protein and, when dieting, maintaining adequate protein intake.

Medications - Some prescription drugs may cause temporary hair shedding. Examples include some of the medicines used for the following: gout, arthritis, depression, heart problems, high blood pressure, or blood thinner. High doses of vitamin A may also cause hair shedding.

Cancer Treatments - Some cancer treatments will cause hair cells to stop dividing. Hairs become thin and break off as they exit the scalp. This occurs one to three weeks after the treatment. Patients can lose up to 90 percent of their scalp hair. The hair will regrow after treatment ends. Patients may want to get wigs before treatment.

Birth Control Pills - Women who lose hair while taking birth control pills usually have an inherited tendency for hair thinning. If hair thinning occurs, a woman can consult her gynecologist about switching to another birth control pill. When a women stops using oral contraceptives, she may notice that her hair begins shedding two or three months later. This may continue for six months when it usually stops. This is similar to hair loss after the birth of a child. See products which may help hair loss.

Fungus Infection (Ringworm) of the Scalp - Caused by a fungus infection, ringworm (which has nothing to do with worms) begins with small patches of scaling that can spread and result in broken hair, redness, swelling, and even oozing. This contagious disease is most common in children and oral medication will cure it.

Physical and emotional stress might cause hair loss since body is recuperating from an overwhelming turmoil and simply shuts down hair production, thinking that it is not necessary for the body's survival, thereby contributing all energy toward repairing vital body parts. there can be up to three months delay between the major incidence and the actual hair loss. Moreover, there is also period of three months before the loss hair is replaced. This then means there is a total of a minimal of 6 moths for the total hair loss and regrowth cycle. Of course there are things that might contribute to hair loss such as anemia, low blood count, and thyroid abnormalities.

Definitions and terms on this page

Alopecia Areata

• Alopecia areata is a hair loss condition which usually affects the scalp. It can, however, sometimes affect other areas of the body.

Hair loss

• A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.

Hair transplantation

• Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure used to treat baldness or hair loss (alopecia). Typically, tiny patches of scalp are removed from the back and sides of the head and implanted in the bald spots in the front and top of the head.

Protein

• Important building blocks of the body, composed of amino acids, involved in the formation of body structures and controlling the basic functions of the human body.


• Complex organic molecules made up of amino acids. Proteins are basic components of all living cells and are therefore among the principal substances that make up the body.

Ringworm

• The term "ringworm" refers to fungal infections that are on the surface of the skin. The early belief was that the infection was due to a worm, which it is not, although the name has stuck. Some of these fungi produce round spots, but many do not.

Thyroid

• A gland in the throat that produces hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.


• A large gland in the neck that functions in the endocrine system. The thyroid secretes hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.

Alopecia

• A hair loss, baldness, and epilation.


• Alopecia, also called hair loss, baldness, and epilation, is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Baldness

• A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.

Biotin

• Also know as Vitamin H.

Follicles

• A follicle (from the Latin folliculus) is a term to describe a small spherical group of cells containing a cavity.

Grafts

• To transplant or implant surgically into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.

Hormone

• A substance, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism.

Scalp

• The skin covering the top of the human head with its attached hair.

Stress

• Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on something.


• The relative force with which a sound or syllable is spoken.


• Accent or a mark representing such emphasis or force.


• An applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body.


• A mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.


• A state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain.


• A physical and psychological response that results from being exposed to a demand or pressure.

Testosterone

• A white crystalline steroid hormone, C19H28O2, produced primarily in the testes and responsible for the development and maintenance of male secondary sex characteristics. It is also produced synthetically for use in medical treatment.

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