Temporary and Permanent Hair Loss
What is Hair Loss?
It starts with a few extra hairs that you notice on your comb, your pillow or in the sink. As time goes on, there’s more and more. You start to get concerned, and rightly so.Hair loss can be experienced by anyone – children, teenagers, adolescents, and grown men and women. Hair loss can result from hereditary factors, medications that you are taking, or as a result of a number of underlying medical conditions.
|
Initial hair loss can progress to baldness – this is excessive hair loss from the scalp. Some people prefer to let baldness run its course, not treating it or hiding it. Others prefer to hide the receding hair with wigs, hairstyles, hats and scarves.
Others may choose a wide variety of available medications, or opt for surgical procedures. As is prudent in most medical cases, talk to your doctor about the possible causes and best treatments for the hair loss. |
|
There are two types of hair loss. Hair loss can be temporary, or permanent. Each is a specific medical condition, with specific diagnosis and treatments.
Temporary Hair Loss
Alopecia Areata: With this condition, the hair loss occurs in round, small and smooth patches which are the size of a quarter coin. The disease is characterized by several bare patches on the scalp, and generally does not extend further. However, in some cases patchy hair loss can occur on the eyelashes and eyebrows. In the rarest cases, hair loss can occur on other parts of the body.
Alopecia Totalis: This is the case when the Alopecia Areata includes hair loss over the entire scalp.
Alopecia Universalis: This is the case when the Alopecia Areata described above causes hair loss over the entire body.
Traction Alopecia: The wearing of certain types of hairstyles, such as cornrows, braids or pigtails, or using tight rollers, can cause bald patches to appear. The hair loss will occur at the place where the hair is tightly pulled.
Telogen Effluvium: After a major illness, or a traumatic and stressful life event, hair loss can occur. A whole handful of hair may come off after brushing or gentle tugging. This type of hair loss is generally characterized by thinning hair, and not bald patches.
Anagen Effluvium: This type of hair loss occurs when cancer fighting drugs, such as chemotherapy drugs, affect actively growing hairs in the anagen state. The hair loss can start very soon after beginning chemotherapy treatment, and can be quite extensive. Several weeks after the chemotherapy has been completed, the hair growth cycle reestablishes itself, and hair begins to grow. however, the hair growth may not be as thick as previously.
Permanent Hair Loss
Male Pattern Baldness or Androgenetic Alopecia: Male pattern baldness can begin as early as the teen years or the early 20s. Its main characteristic is a receding hairline, and a bald circular patch at the top of the head. In its final stages, it causes either complete or partial baldness.
Female Pattern Baldness or Androgenetic Alopecia: For women with hair loss, the thinning generally occurs at the sides, front or crown of the head. Women rarely experience complete baldness, and maintain the front hairline.
Scarring Alopecia or Cicatricial Alopecia: This condition is very rare. It occurs due to damage caused by inflammation which causes scarring on the hair follicles, damaging them and causing permanent hair loss. There may be pain or itching in the area of the patchy hair loss.
See a doctor!
Please be sure to see a doctor is you notice any sudden and patchy hair loss. Sudden hair loss can be an indication of an underlying medical condition that needs to be diagnosed and treated.