Hair loss

       At any one time, about 10 percent of the hair on your scalp is in a resting phase, so after 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place. This growing phase lasts for 2 to 6 years and each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on the scalp is growing at any one time. It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle, but some people may experience excessive hair loss. Hair loss of this type can affect men, women and children and it could be annoying problem.

What is hair loss?

Partial or complete loss of hair is called alopecia. Hair loss usually develops gradually and may be patchy or diffuse, occurring all over the scalp. Roughly 100 hairs are lost from your head every day, and an average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs. Each individual hair survives for an average of 4-1/2 years, during which time it grows about half an inch for a month. Usually in its 5th year, the hair falls out and is replaced within 6 months by a new one, but genetic baldness is caused by the body’s failure to produce new hairs and not by excessive hair loss. Both men and women tend to lose hair thickness and amount as they age, although inherited or pattern baldness affects more men than women. About 25% of men begin to bald by the time they are 30 years old. About two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60. Typical male pattern baldness involves a receding hairline and thinning around the crown with eventual bald spots, and ultimately man may have only a horseshoe ring of hair around the sides. In addition to genes, male-pattern baldness seems to require the presence of the male hormone known as testosterone. Men who do not produce testosterone because of genetic abnormalities or castration do not develop this pattern of baldness. Some women also develop a particular pattern of hair loss due to genetics, age, or male hormones.
These male hormones tend to increase in women after menopause. The pattern is different from that of men, because female pattern baldness involves a thinning throughout the scalp while the frontal hairline generally remains intact.

Who is most likely to get it?

Alopecia areata or hair loss affects an estimated four million Americans of both sexes and of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, and it often begins in childhood. If you have a close family member with the disease, your risk of developing it is slightly increased then for someone who does not have family member with the same problem. If your family member lost his or her first patch of hair before age 30, the risk to other family members is greater, so overall, one in five people with the disease have a family member who has it as well.

What causes excessive hair loss?

A number of things can cause excessive hair loss, for example, about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, person may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is always temporary. Hormonal problems may cause hair loss as well. If thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, a person’s hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment for thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones known as androgen and estrogen are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance the doctor may stop patient’s hair loss. Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they have had a baby, which is also related to hormones. During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out, so when the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts again. Some medicines can cause hair loss as well. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine, such as blood thinners, also called anticoagulants, medicines used for gout, medicines used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, vitamin A, birth control pills and antidepressants. Beside this, certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children but that infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines. Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes, so since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated.

Could hair loss be a symptom of a serious disease?

Alopecia areata or hair loss is not a life-threatening disease and it does not cause any physical pain. People with this condition are generally healthy otherwise. However, for most people, a disease that unpredictably affects their appearance the way alopecia areata does is a serious matter. The effects of alopecia areata are primarily socially and emotionally disturbing, but also because loss of eyelashes and eyebrows and hair in the nose and ears can make the person more vulnerable to dust, germs, and foreign particles entering the eyes, nose, and ears. Alopecia areata often occurs in people whose family members have other autoimmune diseases. Examples of such diseases include diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, pernicious anemia, or Addison’s disease. People who have alopecia areata do not usually have other autoimmune diseases, but they do have a higher occurrence of thyroid disease, atopic eczema, nasal allergies, or asthma.

Can improper care cause hair loss?

If you do not care properly about your hair, it is also possible for you to start loosing your hair. If you wear pigtails or cornrows or use tight hair rollers, the pull on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back absolutely normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss as well. In the same time, hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents, may cause inflammation of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.

What is common baldness?

Common baldness means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men, where men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness, although hair loss typically results in a receding hair line and baldness on the top of the head. Women may develop female-pattern baldness, in which form of hair loss, the hair becomes thin over the entire scalp.

How to stop hair loss?

Perhaps it is possible to do something, for example, the doctor will probably ask some questions about diet, any medicines you are taking, whether you have had a recent illness and how you care for your hair. If you are a woman, your doctor may ask questions about your menstrual cycle, pregnancies, and menopause. Your doctor may also want to do a physical exam to look for other causes of hair loss. Finally, blood tests or a biopsy, which means taking a small sample of cells of your scalp to examine under a microscope, may be needed as well.

Treatment of hair loss

The doctor first needs to evaluate the reason why someone is loosing hair. After that, depending on the type of hair loss, treatments are available. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine than you are using right now. Recognizing and treating an infection may help stop the hair loss, and correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss. Medicines may help slow or prevent the development of common baldness, such as minoxidil (brand name Rogaine). This medicine is available without a prescription and is applied to the scalp and both men and women can use it. Another medicine is finasteride (brand name Propecia). This one is available with a prescription, it comes in pill form, and can only be used by men. However, you must know that it may take up to 6 months before you could tell if one of these medicines was working. 
If adequate treatment is not available for your type of hair loss, you may consider trying different hairstyles or wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves or artificial hair replacement, depending on personal preference. 

Home care for hair loss

Hair loss from menopause or childbirth often returns to normal 6 months to 2 years later, but for hair loss caused by illness such as fever, radiation therapy, or medication use, no treatment is necessary. The hair will usually grow back once the illness has ended or you finish with your therapy. You might desire a wig, hat, or other covering until the hair grows back. 

Hair transplants performed by a physician is a surgical approach to transferring growing hair from one part of the head to another part. It is somewhat painful and expensive, but usually permanent for most patients. Hair weaves, hair pieces, or changes of hair style may disguise hair loss and this is generally the least expensive and safest approach to hair loss. Hair pieces should not be sutured to the scalp because of the risk of scars and infection that are reported. However, it is important to know when you should call your health care provider. Call your doctor if you are losing hair in an atypical pattern, if you are losing hair rapidly or at an early age, or if you have any pain or itching associated with the hair loss. It is also important to report the doctor if the skin on your scalp under the involved area is red, scaly, or otherwise abnormal, if you have acne, facial hair, or menstrual irregularities, or if you are a woman with male pattern baldness.