Causes for Hair Loss (Alopecia), Alopecia Areata, Baldness, Treatment and Prevention
It is only natural to shed some hair on a daily basis. Your average hair’s life span is up to about 6 years. But sometimes this natural turnover can run afoul.
As with most issues related to your body, getting to the root of it is also the first step for hair loss, aka alopecia. In the natural course of things, as we age hair is lost.
However, there are other causes, some you have the power to treat and prevent, others you do not. There are a number of reasons for excessive hair loss, the likes of:
- hereditary
- malnutrition
- low protein diet
- antidepressants
- gout medication
- after giving birth
- birth control pills
- too much vitamin A
- chemotherapy to treat cancer
- blood thinners ~ anticoagulants
- hormonal imbalance ~ androgens, estrogens
- illness or a major surgery ~ temporary hair loss due to stressing circumstance
Hair may also be lost as a symptom of disease, commonly:
These creators of hair loss may act as your early warning sign of disease, and management of the disease offers treatment or prevention in your future of alopecia.
Maybe a scalp skin infection or condition is your cause for hair loss, all of which should demonstrate some outward sign of their presence, for example:
- psoriasis
- ringworm fungal infection
- head lice ~ pediculosis capitis
- dandruff ~ seborrheic dermatitis
- hair follicle bacteria infection ~ folliculitis
Treat the infection and your hair should grow back.
As to those small round patches of hair loss, or alopecia areata, the cause is considered to be autoimmune disease. Your immune system has acted up and attacked your hair follicles.
On the bright side of your alopecia areata, the follicle feeding stem cell generally survives this “friendly fire” assault. Thus, a stem cell survival gives rise to a potential bald spot regrowth.
Alopecia areata is typically found in those who have family members experiencing other autoimmune diseases, such as:
Alopecia areata sufferers do not usually have these other autoimmune diseases, and in that you can be grateful, but you have a higher risk of experiencing:
Although in this you might not be grateful, these alternatives tend to be less debilitating.
Let’s talk baldness. This inherited most common cause of male hair loss is at the hair line and top of the head. Women are not immune, as evident by a pattern of hair thinning throughout their entire scalp.
Current course of treatment for baldness is to stimulate hair growth and slow down balding. For those trying to put off that “bald guy” reflection, a twice daily application of topical minoxidil, brand name Rogain, is the FDA approved method.
This treatment is most effective if your hair loss is recent and you are under 40. This stuff has no effect on receding hairlines and your baldness resumes within a couple of months should you stop the burden of Rogain.
Another factor contributing to hair loss is detrimental treatment of your hair follicle via:
- braiding too tight
- hot oil hair treatments
- chemicals used in permanents ~ “perms”
Any one of these maltreatments to your hair follicles can cause inflammation, a precursor of scarring. Follicle scarring may result in permanent hair loss.
Ladies be gentle with your hair follicles for hair loss prevention and maintainence of a healthy head of hair.
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