Hair loss is commonly known as ‘alopecia’ or baldness, it refers to the loss of hair from the scalp or your entire body. It may also cause disruption in the hair growth cycle of anyone, Well it may be caused due to three reasons or may occur due to:
Medical illness or hormonal changes that are not gender biased and may affect men, women, and children too. A normal human being sheds 50 -100 hair per day, but when you start losing more than that and your hair growth stops then it is an alarming situation.
Hair loss that occurs due to aging is usually hereditary and a very common reason for hair loss in women. Hairs are a very important part of their identity and they are more conscious about hair than men. Whereas in men hair are considered to be a sign of their youthfulness and their health. Hair loss effects once appearance and even cause psychological stress to them and may develop inferiority complex hence, it becomes very important to take care of your hair.
There are different types of hair loss:
Androgenetic alopecia
Androgenetic alopecia is a very common reason for hair loss in both men and women. It begins as early as in your teenage and with the age, the risk starts increasing. More than 50% of men above the age of 50 years suffer from some degree of baldness and in women hair loss starts during or after menopause. Androgenic alopecia is also known as a pattern hair loss that occurs due to hereditary conditions.
Alopecia areata
It is a form of hair loss that occurs when your immune system mistakenly starts attacking your hair follicles hence the damage is done to the follicles which may not be permanent, it is very common in people who are younger than 20 years. However, people of any age can be affected.
Traction alopecia
When your hair starts falling due to mechanical damage to your hair follicles by repeated pulling or tension then it is known as traction alopecia. People who keep their hair tight suffers from this condition more hence, this condition can be reversed by stop pulling of the hairs on the backside but if you don't stop soon then the hair loss may be permanent.
Trichotillomania
It is a type of traction alopecia that is caused by pulling disorder. It is a mental disorder in which you get tempted to pull out hair from the scalp or other parts of your body. In spite of trying to stop it, if you can't stop pulling hair from your scalp region it usually leaves spots which causes significant distress and may also affect your work and social functioning. In a few cases, this condition is mild and usually manageable but when your temptation to pull your hair is irresistible then you have to go through treatment.
Anagen effluvium
It is a hair loss condition where you are not able to grow your hair back even after growing stage of the hair. It may be caused due to various factors like environmental factor which blocks the required enzymes from converting into steroids that are necessary for the process of keratinization. Once you face this environmental shock your hair becomes brittle and breaks away even with minimal effort instead of shedding your hair from the root you start losing the hair from the hair shaft this condition might be acute or chronic and may affect the loss of hair on the entire body.
Telogen effluvium
It is a type of hair loss that may be characterized by the diffuse hair shedding and is in acute onset. It is a reactive process that is caused due to hormonal on metabolic stress and even by medicines too. However, the recovery is impulsive and may occur within 6 months if you don't have any genetic disorder.
Cicatricial alopecia
It is also known as scarring alopecia which refers to a hair loss disease that is diagnosed in about 3% of the people suffering from hair loss. It may occur in both men and women and is not age biased. It is a type in which the immune system of your body starts affecting the hair follicles.
Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia is also a part of this type. This is majorly seen in black women and occurs in the central region of the scalp. It causes damage to the hair follicles and scarring that leads to permanent hair loss.
Lichen planopilaris
It is a very uncommon condition which leads to patchy permanent hair loss and mostly occurs in the scalp. It normally causes tiny red pimples that appear around the cluster of hairs. The very common signs and symptoms are; increased hair shedding, tenderness, itching, burning and scarring. In this condition, the treatment is generally done with steroids Accutane and hydroxychloroquine.
It has three types :
Classic lichen planopilaris
Graham little syndrome
Frontal fibrosing alopecia
Folliculitis
It is a very common skin condition in which the hair follicles start getting inflammatory. This may be caused due to fungal or bacterial infection. Hence, when you start feeling some inflammation on your scalp you should always look out for white-headed pimple or small red bumps around hair follicles. This infection may spread and also leads to non-healing scars. Even if you are mildly affected by folliculitis then it is very likely to get clear in a few days by following a few safety measures. If the case is very serious you should visit a doctor so that you can get a prescribed medicine.
