Alopecia that causes severe hair loss is a condition brought on by a disruption in the body’s cycle of hair growth. It typically affects the scalp although it can happen anywhere on the body. There are between 100,000 and 140,000 hairs on the scalp, and they go through phases of growth, rest, falling out, and regeneration. You will always be in this cycle because the average hair only lasts three to five years. Though a number of medical and behavioral issues, medications can cause this condition, the most common cause of hair loss is heredity. Stress can also disrupt the growth cycle and result in hair loss. In this article we’ll focus on a few of the most typical ones.
Androgenetic alopecia
It is the most prevalent kind of hair loss in the US, affecting over 50 million men and 30 million women. Medications, surgeries, laser hair therapy, PRP, and other treatments can be used to manage androgenetic alopecia, also referred to as male pattern or female pattern hair loss. This condition is inherited. Genetic hair loss comes in two forms:
- Male pattern hair loss – Hair loss in men can start at any point following adolescence and advance over several years or decades. It often leaves a ring of hair along the base of the scalp, beginning above the temples and extending around the top and sides of the head. Baldness occurs in many men by the end of their life, resulting in male pattern hair loss.
- Female pattern hair loss – In females, the hairline typically doesn’t recede as the hair gradually thins throughout the scalp. This kind of hair loss can occur at any point after puberty. For women, it is a normal aspect of aging. While baldness is a rare result of female pattern hair loss, it can cause dramatic hair thinning.
Telogen effluvium
When a significant portion of the scalp’s follicles reach the telogen phase—a resting stage of the hair growth cycle—but the subsequent growth phase doesn’t start, it results in Telogen Effluvium. As a result, the scalp becomes completely hairless and new hair stops growing. You may lose 300–500 hairs a day and your hair may appear thin, particularly around the temples and crown. But complete baldness is not usually the result of telogen effluvium.
This kind of hair loss is usually brought on by a medical event or condition, such as a thyroid imbalance, childbirth, surgery, or a fever. In addition, a vitamin or mineral deficiency (iron deficiency in women) or the use of certain medications (such as blood thinner warfarin or acne medication isotretinoin) can also result in telogen effluvium. This kind of hair loss can also result from beginning or stopping oral contraceptives, or birth control pills.
Alopecia Areata
Being an autoimmune disorder, Alopecia Areata results in the body’s immune system attacking healthy tissues, including hair follicles. This stops new hair from growing resulting in hair loss. Hair loss can start abruptly in both adults and children. Scalp hair usually falls out in small patches and is painless. It’s possible for hair to fall out of other areas of the body, such as the lashes and eyebrows. Alopecia totalis, or total hair loss, is a possible long-term outcome of this illness.
Trichotillomania
Individuals who suffer from trichotillomania struggle to stop tugging at their hair. On the scalp or other parts of the body, this causes hair loss. If the behavior is stopped, hair usually grows back, but if the pulling persists for a long time, they may not recover the lost hair.
Traction Alopecia
Certain hairstyles, such as tight braids and ponytails, pull hair so hard away from the scalp that the hair strands break and fall out. Hair thinning or bald spots could result from traction alopecia if the hairstyle is not changed. The majority of the time, hair grows back after a haircut.
As soon as possible, get professional help from a hair and scalp consultant if you’re losing hair. Retaining what you have is far simpler than growing back what you have lost.
