When you lose your hair
Hormonal disorders, under nutrition, taking some kinds of medicine, stress are just a few reasons which can cause thinning and hair loss.
Extensive falling out of hair is one of the most common causes of consulting a dermatologist by men and often by women these days.
Often there is no reason to be anxious and, in fact, there is no need to panic. You should be concerned about your hair loss only if you lose more than 100 hairs a day.
Why do we lose our hair?
There are various factors responsible for our hair loss.
- The mechanical reason for losing one’s hair is, for example, the hair style, like: a pony tail or a bob. Such hairstyles make the hair to be pressed too much. In such cases you should simply consider changing your hairstyle. If you change it early enough, your hair will grow up again completely. However, if you wait for too long, your hair loss may remain because of the disappearance of your hair follicles.
- Falling out of hair happens also for various toxic reasons, mainly if a body gets intoxicated with arsenic (As), thallium (Tl) or mercury ((Hg). In case of talasemia there are some characteristic changes in the hair structure which can be observed under the microscope. Alopecia development appears about two weeks after taking the toxin in, and eventually hair loss is almost complete. However hair usually grows again within following six to eight weeks. In cases of body intoxication, first of all a patient is given an antidote to save his/her life.
- Exceeding hair loss during and after contagious diseases is caused mainly by high body temperature and, in addition, some toxic factors and food deficiency which may appear a disease is developing. Exceeding hair loss would usually appear between 2 and 4 month after the fever is gone. Hair grows back on its own accord. As body reinforcement, some vitamins and minerals are also given to patients. People who suffer from syphilis also deal with hair loss, which may be extensive or rather focal in its character. Of course, this type of disease needs specific kind of treatment which helps in growing hair again, too.
- Systemic illnesses which cause baldness are, for example, lupus erythematosus, but also hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. The treatment of hair loss in such cases is strictly connected with the treatment of the basic illness.
- Drug-induced baldness is caused by, for instance, cytostatics and immunosuppressants which are used in not only treating chronic cancer cases but also in dermatology in dealing with such illnesses as: difficult cases of psoriasis, systemic collagenosis or pemphigus. Hair loss is likely to appear in about third week after the drug is given. After we stop giving the medicine, and in some cases, in spite of further giving it to a patient, hair grows back again. Hair loss may be also caused by taking antithyroid drugs, anticoagulants and contraceptives. When we take contraceptives, however, the hair growth is never fully stopped.
- Hair loss is also connected with some skin diseases and scalp diseases. For example, in mycosis baldness would usually appear in the type of hairless inflammatory focus (es). The treatment in such cases means giving the patient oral and local antimycotic remedies.
Baldness of women
Women can suffer from two characteristic types of baldness: female androgenic alopecia, which is quite rare and appears mainly after menopause, and progressing baldness.
Androgenic alopecia is conditioned with both hiperandrogenism, i.e. higher level of androgens, and genetic condition. Hair loss takes place usually at the forehead ankles and on the top of a head. It is often accompanied by the saturation with fat of a scalp. When hiperandrogenism has been diagnosed, it is necessary to continue the diagnosis and to follow the endocrynological treatment.
In other cases, it is supposed that hair follicles may become oversensitive to the normal level of androgens in a body. This type of "oversensitivity" may be connected with uncongenial factors, e.g. genes. Some contraceptives of estrogenic or antiandrogenic action may be taken in (e.g. Diane 35). For external use one should take tablets with estrogens, for example Alpicort E, and Loxon or Regaine, which help to cure baldness of men. Any medicine, for oral and external use, should be taken under the strict control of a dermatologist. If you have seborrhoea diagnosed, you may try out on your own accord Seboren or seboradin which lower the production of tallot.
Extended form of alopecia may be a symptom of various diseases, for instance the lowered level of iron in the blood serum, which sometimes appears with no symptoms of anaemia, or neuroses, or hormonal disorders. Those women, who have genetic predisposition for growing bald, may find out that some detergents in many hair cosmetics such as: hair sprays, shampoos or paints can provoke the hair loss. This chronic illness often causes the feeling of a scalp tension.
Extensive alopecia treatment of women must start from excluding all other possible diseases. Then you may try to use contraceptives as in the case of androgenic alopecia. If there is some stress in the scalp’s skin, the patient may be given larger doses of vitamin E. Some drugs with sterydes like, Alpicort or Neril lotion may be used in certain parts of a scalp. In all cases one should stop getting one’s hair waved or dyed. For washing one’s hair one should use only very mild shampoos without any dyes or fragrances, for instance Freederm PH Balance.
Each case of alopecia should be carefully examined by a dermatologist and other specialists in order to decide on the best treatment. It is also important to remember that re-growth of hair may take 2 to 3 months because of the specific cycle of hair growth.
Do you know that…?
- Epilation of hair, both chemical and mechanical, causes only the change of the stage the hair is in, i.e. moves from the phase of resting to the phase of growth.
- Cutting hair has got no influence on the hair growth.
- Trichotillomania, the pulling out of one’s hair is the psychopathic symptom and it is characteristic only for neurotic children.
After-birth alopecia
In pregnancy the secretion of estrogens gets higher which stops falling out of hair. After the childbirth the level of these hormones gets lower. This, and the labour itself, causes that many hair bulb go to the catagen phase. Extensive alopecia may thus occur between 11th and 16th week after the childbirth. Yet, the hair grows again within the following six months with no treatment whatsoever.
Destructive factors
Falling out of hair may become extensive due to some hormonal disorders, e.g. dysadrenocorticism or malfunctions of: thyroid, hypophysis or sexual glands. Hair loss is also caused by under nutrition, and some amino acids and some deficiencies of metals, like zinc or iron.
There are types of hair loss which may cause stress and some psychic disorders. Another damaging factor is ionizing radiation. The high dose of this radiation, i.e. 350 R, results in the total hair loss after several days. Hair will grow again, however, after six weeks. The dose which causes permanent hair loss is 1500 R.
Other damaging factors, for instance, hair paints or hair lotions for permanent etc., they usually damage the part of a hair which grows out of the hair bulb and not a hair bulb itself.
Alopecia areata
It usually happens to men and children, but occasionally it also occurs to women. In this type of alopecia, there are a few hairless areas around a scalp. The cause of this has not yet been found. The probable explanation is that this disease has got auto immunological or genetical source. Treatment must be taken under the full doctor’s guidance and lasts for many months.