Author: D.J. Verret, MD
Article:There are many different causes of hair loss all with different treatments. We will cover the more common causes below. The most common cause of hair loss, or alopecia, is often referred to asmale patterned baldness.
More appropriately, this condition istermed androgenic alopecia, and can affect women as well as men.Twenty five percent of men aged 25 years have some degree of clinically apparent androgenic alopecia and over 40% of men will develop androgenic alopecia at some point in their life.
Androgenic alopecia results from progressive shortening of the anagen cycle, the part of the hair cycle responsible for hairgrowth, with resultant decreased time for hair growth. Hair loss usually begins with the front oparietal scalp and then the vertex. Female-pattern baldness is similar but more diffuse,without complete baldness and maintaining the anterior hairline.
Fortunately hairs on the sides and back of the scalp are androgen-independent and thus do not suffer from androgenicalopecia - it is these hairs which are used for hair transplants and why hair transplants last. Androgenic alopecia is genetically determined and its development is related to age andpresence of hormones and the corresponding receptors.
The second most common form of alopecia is alopecia areata. This form of hair loss results in rapid loss of hair in circular or oval patches. It may be episodic or persistent. There is no definite reason why alopecia areata develops, but there is agenetic predisposition, and popular opinion favors an auto immunedisorder.
Alopecia areata only affects 0.1% of people. Approximately 3 months after surgery, child birth, crash dieting,other stressful events, hair can enter an extended resting cycle referred to as telogen effluvium. Usually <50% of the scalp is affected and recovery is complete once the triggering event isresolved.
A wide range of medications can cause hair loss. The most widelyknown are chemotherapy drugs but other more common drugs including blood thinners and Vitamin A can cause hair loss.After taking the medications, hair growth is abruptly interrupted and growing hairs are shed after 1-4 weeks. Thisform of hair loss rapidly affects 80-90% of the scalp butcomplete recovery can be expected once the medication is stopped. Certain infections can cause hair loss.
Children may have hairloss caused by a fungal infection of the scalp. The infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines. Hair loss may occur aspart of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated.
Finally, tightly pulling hair can cause hair loss. People whowear pigtails or use tight hair rollers can pull the hair and cause traction alopecia. If the pulling is stopped beforescarring of the scalp develops, the hair will grow backnormally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss.
Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss. D.J. Verret, MD Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgerywww.drverret.com About the author:Dr. Verret is a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon inPlano, TX. He specializes in facial rejuvenation and hair restoration.
