Hair Loss: Treatment, Types, Cause and Prevention of Hair loss (Alopecia)

Posted by Oke omotayo June 13, 2016

Hair Loss: Treatment, Types, Cause and Prevention of Hair loss (Alopecia)

Hair loss is medically called Alopecia. Hair loss can be prevented and treated. Different types of hair loss exist with their different causes and symptoms. Normally, humans lose about 50- 80 strands daily and its becoming abnormal when you start losing about 120 strands daily

Types of Hairloss (Alopecia)

Baldness-(male pattern and female pattern) this is the common type of hair loss we see around. At about 50 years of age, 50% of men is affected. It commonly begins in men around the early thirties and some at the late thirties. Complete baldness may occur in some but it is not always common.

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Hair loss-men; male pattern baldness is mostly inherit from parents. It may be by hereditary. Sometimes it is caused by highly sensitive hair follicles caused by too much of a particular male hormone.

Hair loss in female- it’s called female pattern baldness when it affects female. They experience hair thinning at this stage. Female pattern baldness may also be hereditary. It is common in women who have reached their menopause stage, commonly around the age of 52 probably because their hormone level is now low.

Alopecia areata

This is a condition whereby patches of baldness appear like a small circle, coin-like shape. It appears not only on the scalp but also other part of the body. It affects anybody irrespective of age. It can be seen in adolescents. In alopecia areata, hair regrowth occur in about 2 months. It is mostly occur when the immune system is compromised and the body natural defense is unable to fight against illness and infection. People with diabetes and some autoimmune condition are prone to having alopecia areata

Alopecia universalis- this is a condition of no hair present in both the body and scalp

Alopecia totalis- this is a condition of no hair present on scalp only.

Cicatricial alopecia- it is also called Scarring alopecia. It is a situation whereby the hair follicle is totally destroyed and thus the hair may not grow back. It occurs as a complication of another medical condition. This includes sclerodema that affects body tissues and thus have a hard, itchy and puffy skin; folliculitis decalvans, lichen planus and discoid lupus that forms lupus on skin. It occurs in both sexes.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia – it occurs after menopause when hair follicles are damaged ,thus hair falls out and regrowth could not occur.

Telogen effluvium is an alopecia condition where hair thinning spread widely. It is caused by diet change, cancer, emotional stress, liver disease, hormonal changes and some medications.

Causes Of Hair Loss

Hair loss is caused by the following;

Medical condition like thyroid disorder, dermatitis, and anemia
Menopause
Chemical treatment of hair with dyes, relaxer, etc
Heredity
Stress –emotional or physical stress
Diet

Hair Loss Prevention

Hair loss prevention is determined by the cause. Below are different ways of preventing hair loss;

Eating of balanced diet will greatly prevent hair loss. Eat plenty of iron-rich food like chicken, red meat, green vegetables and fish. Eat sufficient proteinous foods that help in making amino acid readily available for hair strengthening. Eat more of sea foods, yoghurt, dairy products and beans. Take vitamins especially vitamin C that helps in iron absorption. Food that contains vitamin C includes oranges, baked potato, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries.
Good hair hygiene by washing with good hair shampoo and contidional regularly.
Treatment of medical condition that might contribute to hair loss like anemia, hyperthyroidism and hormonal imbalance is a useful tip. Other important include;
Reduce the use of relaxer used in curling or straightening hair which can cause hair damage and thus hair loss. The mechanism of relaxers action is by loosening the inner hair bonds and this causes hair weakness. Over time, hair becomes brittle and adds to hair loss.
Avoid hair bleaching- hair bleaches are chemical that remove the natural hair pigment by penetrating hair cuticles. It thus interrupts with the hair structure and makes it weak and thus contributing to hair loss.
Choose a good soft hair hairbrush and don’t comb your hair while it is wet.
Avoid pulling your hair tightly.

Hair Loss Vitamin

Hair loss vitamins include multivitamins that can help promote hair growth. These include our day multivitamins that contains iron, vitamin B, calcium, zinc, folic acid, and biotin. The use of vitamin D can also be helpful. Biotin and other food supplement for hair would also do a great job.