Hereditary-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss. Hereditary-pattern baldness is not really a disease, but a natural condition caused by some combination of genetics, hormone levels and the aging process.
Almost all men and women will notice hair loss or hair thinning as they age. However, up to 40% of men and women will experience a more obvious form of this condition. Hair loss typically begins in the 20s and 30s, although in women the changes are most noticeable after menopause. The condition is also called androgenetic alopecia and, in men, male-pattern baldness.
Researchers have begun to understand more about the cause of this type of hair loss. Under the influence of a form of the male hormone testosterone, the normal cycle of hair growth changes, resulting in shorter, thinner or "miniaturized" hair. Eventually, hair growth in certain parts of the scalp stops entirely, which causes the typical pattern of hair loss. Contrary to the folk wisdom that baldness is inherited from one's mother's family, the condition seems to depend on genes contributed by both parents.
Female pattern hair loss is the most common type of hair loss in women. The condition is genetically predetermined, though factors such as age and androgen (male sex hormones) levels are commonly associated with the timing of its onset and how far it progresses. It most often begins during menopause (end of menstruation) but may begin as soon as puberty in very rare cases.
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and an enzyme (a complex protein found in body cells) known as 5-alpha reductase are involved in the androgenic alopecia process. Women with large amounts of this enzyme produce excess amounts of DHT, the hormone primarily responsible for hair loss. This subsequently reduces levels of estrogen, a hormone that naturally counteracts the affects of DHT. Over time, this excess DHT causes the hair follicle to shrink or even stops hair growth.
In ancient Egypt physicians used the electric catfish that inhabit the Nile River to shock their patients into good health. Since then, electric and magnetic stimulation devices have fallen in and out of favor with the medical establishment. By the mid-20th century, almost every form of electromagnetic therapy, including electroshock treatments for patients with mental disorders, had been put on the same shelf with leeches and blistering cups. There was no question that electric therapy occasionally produced results. The problem was that no one could explain how exposure to an electromagnetic field did the body good.
Your hair loss may have started with a few extra hairs in the sink or in your comb. But now you can't look in the mirror without seeing more of your scalp.
Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp and can be the result of heredity, certain medications or an underlying medical condition. Anyone — men, women and children — can experience hair loss.
Some people prefer to let their baldness run its course untreated and unhidden. Others may cover it up with hairstyles, makeup, hats or scarves. And still others choose one of the medications and surgical procedures that are available to treat baldness. Before pursuing any of these treatment options, talk with your doctor about the cause of and best possible treatments for your hair loss.
If clumps of your hair start to fall out from a common form of baldness, a new review of existing research unfortunately offers little comfort.
Patients who are afflicted by the condition known as alopecia areata -- patchy hair loss -- should understand that there is "no reliable, safe, effective, long-term treatment," said review co-author Dr. Mike Sladden, a dermatologist and senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania in Australia.
Alopecia areata accounts for an estimated one in every 50 dermatologist visits in the United States and the United Kingdom, and one study suggests that 1.7 percent of people will be afflicted by it during their lives.
The condition often causes patchy hair loss; meaning hair in some parts of the body falls out while remaining in others. In some cases, however, affected patients can lose all of their scalp hair or even all of their body hair.
Most affected people begin developing bald spots before the age of 20. Many cases of alopecia areata get better over time, although hair loss often returns.
Hair restoration patients with more advanced patterns of hair loss usually desire to have the maximum number of hair grafts transplanted in as few surgeries as possible. At Hasson & Wong we classify any hair transplant surgery requiring 2000 or more grafts a megasession. Our patients enjoy more dramatic results with fewer hair transplant procedures when we perform these megasessions.
Follicular unit transplantation combined with dense packing in megasessions are providing patients with previously unimagined results in a single surgery. At Hasson & Wong we believe this type of surgery represents the future of surgical hair transplantation and we continue to push the envelope to achieve even more profound results.
Baldness, also known as alopecia, is hair loss, or absence of hair. Baldness is usually most noticeable on the scalp, but can occur anywhere on the body where hair grows. The condition is more common in men than in women.
There are a number of hair replacement techniques that are available, although hair replacement surgery cannot help those who suffer from total baldness. Candidates for hair replacement must have a healthy growth of hair at the back and sides of the head. The hair on the back and sides of the head will serve as hair donor areas where grafts and flaps will be taken.
There are many causes of hair loss in men and women, including disease, nutritional deficiency, hormone imbalance, and stress. However, by far the most common cause is what is called adrogenetic alopecia. Alopecia is simply the medical term for hair loss. Androgenetic refers to the fact that both a genetic predisposition to balding, and the influence of androgens, or male hormones, play a part in this type of hair loss.
In fact, there is a third factor, which is the passage of time, or aging.
Hair does not really serve any important function since a person can certainly live without it! Yet, our hair and how it looks is a very important part of our self-image. So when a person loses their hair, it is a disturbing event.
The life cycle of a single hair can be divided into a period of active growth, lasting several years, and a resting stage, which last 60 to 90 days. Of the normal scalp's 100,000 hairs, as many as 15 percent are in the resting mode, soon to be lost at the rate of about 75 hairs per day (hardly noticeable to people). The rate of hair loss does increase dramatically when the growing hair follicle is subjected to different types of internal stress, such as high fever, severe flu, surgery, crash diets, and certain medications.
Most abnormal hair loss in younger people is caused by one of five conditions: alopecia areata, tinea capitis, traction alopecia, trichotillomania, and telogen effluvium. (Dermatologists love fancy names for their diseases!)
We normally have, on average, 100,000 hairs on our scalp. And as evinced by our changing hair lengths, roots and visits to our hairdressers, those hairs grow; in fact, 90 percent of our hair is actively growing at any given time. Hair is the second fastest growing tissue in our body after (I'd love for you to guess) ... bone marrow. To keep its place on your head, your hair needs the right conditions. (Note I didn't say conditioner.) You may find that you're unexpectedly losing hair if you impose restrictions on hair growth or if your genes are such that continued hair growth is not in your destiny.
There's a simple test you can do to help determine whether you are losing hair, it's just thinning or you are damaging it by abusive hair products or pulling it too tight (which can occur with braiding). Pull on several strands of your hair - do they come out easily at the root? If so, it suggests that the hairs are indeed "shedding" and have gone into what we call an excess telogen phase.
For men who are concerned at the earliest indication of hair loss, it might be well to consider the last question first: “If I begin to develop male-pattern baldness, how soon should I begin to consider hair transplants?”
The decision to have hair transplantation should not be made as a snap judgment. No ethical physician hair restoration specialist would allow you to do so. No one should use your concern about hair loss to sell or pressure you into a decision to have hair transplants.
Hair loss and baldness, which doctors call alopecia, is a common problem for both men and women and has many causes.
People's reaction to hair loss is a very personal issue - different people react differently. Some people become very distressed as they believe it makes them look older and less attractive, affecting their body image and self-esteem. Others are not as concerned. However, treatments are available for many of the different types of hair loss.
When used with oral contraceptives, the male hair-loss medication finasteride (brand-named Propecia) may also help improve hair loss in women, Italian researchers report.
"This treatment was well accepted by the patients, who judged the results to be even better than the investigators," a team from the University of Bologna reported in the March issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.
The study included 37 women, ages 19 to 50, who took 2.5 milligrams of finasteride by mouth daily, along with an oral contraceptive. The contraceptive was necessary because finasteride is known to cause birth defects. The contraceptive used in the study was a type that also reduces levels of male hormones (which also circulate at small amounts in women). The researchers believed that might also help reduce hair loss in the women.
Recent evidence indicates that male-pattern baldness is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Since most people reading this book suffer from androgenic alopecia, it's a good idea to review what the current medical literature has to say about the association between male pattern baldness and heart disease. In addition, what we can do to lower the risk of heart disease will also be discussed.
I would like to clarify one thing before proceeding. As an author, my primary goal in the process of writing this book was to provide the reader with as much information as possible on the subject of hair loss. As a physician, I cannot ignore the association between heart disease and androgenic alopecia. Although this chapter does not directly discuss hair loss, I strongly urge you to read it. In many ways, it just might be the most important chapter in this book.
Taking full care of your hair but can't stop it from falling? Scared, that you might just end up going bald, but don't know the reason behind hair loss? Well, the reason, if you are a woman, is your stressful life.
A survey into women's attitudes concerning health, beauty and celebrity culture carried out by vitamin supplement makers Vitabiotics Perfectil, has found that a large number of women are going bald and it is all because of their busy lifestyles and modern diets.
Alopecia, which means hair loss, is of epidemic proportion for many women of color. Although there have been magazine articles and television segments about alopecia, it continues to be poorly understood by many women. There are many different causes of alopecia that affect women with brown skin. However, there are two types of hair loss that women with curly or tightly coiled hair are plagued with: central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.
Alopecia is a devastating condition for all women, despite the cause. All women want to have their own healthy hair. Hair loss effects self-esteem, social interactions and relationships.
People whose skin has been scarred by burns, certain diseases, radiation therapy, or other injuries may develop cicatricial alopecia.
Scar tissue forms when some part of the dermis is destroyed. The dermis is the second layer of the skin, and contains the hair follicles. In addition to burns and other injuries, cicatricial alopecia can be caused by certain types of infections, called granulomas; lupus erythematosus; recurring bacterial or fungal infections; a skin disease called lichen planus; and scalp ringworm.
Results released today from an informal investigation conducted over the last four years indicates that individuals who suffer from hair loss believe their appearance negatively impacts virtually every part of their lives.
Conducted by Farrell Hair, an international company with salons that specialize in custom, non-surgical hair replacement systems, the study reinforces the trend which Richard Farrell, President of Farrell Hair, has been witnessing first-hand.
"The pain of hair loss knows no age limits, no ethnic or gender exemptions," said Farrell. "Imagine waking up one day and realizing you are drastically losing your hair, or worse, that you are bald? These people feel disfigured and devastated!
While your mom will tell you it's what's inside that counts, the simple fact is that appearance has an important impact in both business and social situations. For men, one of the key factors in projecting an air of youth, power and virility is a healthy head of hair.
Unfortunately, for 50 million men in the United States, male pattern baldness, the most common cause of hair loss in men, is in their genes. Some men experience male pattern baldness while still in their teens, and it becomes more common as men age. Forty percent of men have noticeable hair loss by age 35; by age 60, it's 65 percent.
About 90 percent of hair on the scalp grows continually. The other 10 percent of scalp hair is in a resting phase that lasts two to three months. At the end of the resting stage, this hair is shed.
Shedding 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. When a hair is shed, it is replaced by a new hair from the same follicle and the growing cycle starts again. Scalp hair grows about one-half inch a month.
As people age, the rate of hair growth slows.
(CBS) The average person loses between 50 and 100 hairs a day. But, as we know, many folks lose a whole lot more than that. And while some are comfortable with that prospect, others are not.
We've all know some of them: the men and women coping with thinning or balding hair any way they can. While there have long been many options to choose from, never before have the results been so realistic. Technology's come a long way, but then again, never before has a shaved head been so sexy.
Telly Savalas may have kicked off the trend in the 1970s as the bald police detective with the lollipop in Kojak, but today everyone seems to be taking it off.
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