The 5% Of Hair Loss

As you probably know by now, 95% of all male and female hair loss is caused by a genetic predisposition called androgenetic alopecia. Hormones begin to attack predisposed hair follicles, constricting them. The resulting hairs begin to thin and ultimately fall out permanently as the follicles become no longer viable. There are solutions to androgentic alopecia in the form of surgical hair transplantation and certain preventative remedies known to slow the thinning process.

But what about the other 5% of hair loss causes suffered by millions of Americans every year. What are they? What causes them? Which are temporary and which are permanent? What, if anything, can we do about them?

Here’s an overview. And remember, if you or someone you love is suffering from hair loss, don’t wait. Give us a call. We can educate, assess and provide a treatment plan designed specifically for your individual loss pattern.

Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium involves widespread hair thinning over the scalp or other areas of the body. It is caused by changes in the growth cycle of hair. Large numbers of hairs enter the resting phase of hair growth (telogen), which causes shedding and thinning. This change in the growth cycle of hair is often caused by mental stress or physical stress, such as poor nutrition, injury, or surgery. This is a noninflammatory condition, so the skin appears normal.

Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is a mental illness in which a person feels a strong urge to pull out his or her own hair, most often in the areas of the head and face (eyelashes, eyebrows, or beard). This illness is most often seen in teenage girls, although children and adults of all ages and both sexes can be affected.

The exact cause is not known. Contributing factors may include stressful events, drug abuse, or a chemical imbalance in the brain similar to that seen in people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Symptoms may include:

• Patches of baldness.
• Broken pieces of hair.
• Denial of a hair-pulling problem and attempts to conceal the problem.

Treatment usually involves medication and psychotherapy.

Traction alopecia

Traction alopecia involves hair loss around the edge of the hairline and is especially noticeable around the face and forehead. It is caused by a person's method of hairstyling. Certain hairstyles can pull hair too tight; for example, tight braids or tight ponytails can cause hair loss.

To prevent future traction alopecia, stay away from tight braids and hair styles. If two years pass and there is no new hair growth in the areas of loss, there is a good chance that the loss is permanent – that the follicles have been destroyed. Treatment for permanent loss is surgical hair transplantation.

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss without a known cause. It is most common in people under the age of 20, but children and adults of any age may be affected.

• Hair usually falls out, resulting in totally smooth, round patches. In some cases the hair may become thinner without distinct patches of baldness. There may be several episodes of hair loss.
• Rarely, complete loss of scalp hair and body hair occurs.
• Hair may regrow completely, partially, or not at all. In most people with the condition, the hair does regrow.

Although there is no cure for alopecia areata, depending on the extent and pattern of loss, surgical hair transplantation may still be a viable treatment plan. Some dermatologists believe that injecting certain medications into the scalp can help, but there is very little clinical data to support this.

Disease or illness

Certain diseases or an illness can cause hair loss. The diseases may include ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis), thyroid diseases, such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, or lupus. The illness may include a severe infection, high fever, or lack of protein

Ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis)

Ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis) is a fungal infection that grows in the outer layer of the scalp and in the hair. The name "ringworm" is commonly used because the infection can have a round shape with small, blisterlike bumps on the edges that look like worms. It is not caused by worms. Ringworm is contagious and can be spread easily by contact with people, objects, or animals infected with or carrying the fungus.

Common symptoms of tinea capitis include:

• One or more round or oval patches of baldness.
• Flakes of dead skin (dandrufflike scaling) on the hair.
• Redness, sores with pus (abscesses), and irritation of the scalp.
• Broken, crusted, matted hair.
• Hair loss.
• Swollen areas and blisterlike bumps with pus.

Some people, called carriers, can have and spread ringworm without actually having symptoms of infection.

Standard treatment for ringworm of the scalp includes special shampoos and, sometimes, prescription antifungal medication.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism develops when there is too much thyroid hormone circulating in the body. This may be the result of:

• Thyroid overactivity, which causes the thyroid to produce too much hormone.
• Taking too much replacement hormone to treat an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).

Thyroid hormone affects many body systems, and excess amounts of it can cause symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, increased heart rate, heat intolerance, sweating, irritability, anxiety, muscle weakness, and thyroid enlargement.

Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland and eye muscles, is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. This type of hyperthyroidism can also cause various eye problems called thyroid eye disease, including Graves' opthalmopathy.

Hyperthyroidism can be treated with medication, radioactive iodine, or with surgery. In most cases, treatment brings thyroid function back to normal. However, lifelong follow-up with a health professional is needed because hyperthyroidism can come back, or problems due to lack of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) may develop as a result of treatment.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism develops when there is too little thyroid hormone circulating in the body. This is most often the result of a problem in which the body's own natural defense (immune) system attacks the thyroid gland, a condition called autoimmune thyroiditis or Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Surgery to remove the thyroid or radiation treatment of the thyroid may also cause hypothyroidism.

Untreated hypothyroidism can cause fatigue, lethargy, weight gain, depression, memory problems, constipation, dry skin, intolerance to cold, and other symptoms. In newborns, untreated hypothyroidism can lead to mental retardation. While still in the hospital, all newborns are checked for hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is treated with medications to replace the thyroid hormone. Symptoms usually disappear within a few months after treatment begins, but most people need to continue taking thyroid hormones for life.

Lupus

Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect almost any organ. It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks normal body tissues as if they were foreign substances.

Inflammation caused by lupus can affect the skin, the joints, and most other organ systems in the body, including the kidneys, heart, lungs, and nervous system. It causes a variety of symptoms, depending on which organ systems are affected and how severely they are affected. The disease is more common in women than in men.

The most common symptoms of lupus include fatigue, fever, skin rashes (a butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks is common), and muscle and joint pain. Other symptoms may also occur, depending on which organs are affected.

Symptoms of lupus may come and go in episodes called flares. Some people may have severe episodes; others may have a milder form of the disease. Home treatment and, if needed, medications to control inflammation are the primary treatments for lupus. There is no cure for lupus.

Medications & Treatments

Surprisingly, over 90% of all prescription drugs list “hair loss” as a potential side effect. In most cases, this form of hair loss is temporary, and hair tends to regrow rather quickly once use of the drug ceases. Certain medical treatments, such as chemo-therapy, can result in rapid and dramatic hair loss. Again, the loss is usually temporary, and hair regrowth begins almost immediately following treatment.

Hair loss from medications and treatments can exacerbate a predisposition to androgenetic alopecia, accelerating the process and, in essence, causing permanent loss. There are effective treatment options for this type of hair loss including surgical hair transplantation as well as certain natural remedies and possibly minoxidil.

Pregnancy, Hysterectomy & Menopause

Women of any age can suffer from hair loss when hormonal changes occur in the body. In most cases, hair loss resulting from pregnancy, menopause or hysterectomy is temporary.

Temporary hair loss generally starts to improve within 2 years. After two years if the hair loss is continuing without improvement, there is great likelihood that the loss is permanent.

Treatment may include female strength minoxidil to help stimulate hair growth and certain medications to help control the hormonal balance. If loss is ultimately permanent, surgical hair transplantation is viable treatment option.

Lack of Nutrition

Although nutritional deficiencies are usually not a direct cause of hair loss, lack of nutrition is often an underestimated factor. Lack of proper hair nutrition can lead to a condition called Nutrition Deficient Follicle (NDF) as well as to the stress of hair follicles, thus shortening the life and durability of hair. Stressed hair is also more susceptible to hair loss due to physical damage.

Fad diets often cause not only stress on the body, but stress on your hair as well. Similarly, crash dieting, rapid changes in eating patterns and extremely low protein diets can also lead to hair loss. Extreme lack of overall nutrition, such as anorexia nervosa, can also cause severe hair loss. Here, the body switches hair from its growing phase into resting phase to conserve energy. The hair would fall out 3 to 4 months later.

Iron deficiency, which leads to the reduction of the number of red blood cells in a condition called anemia, can also cause general thinning of the hair. Zinc deficiency, often accompanied by skin diseases such as psoriasis, can also lead to hair loss and diffuse loss of the hair. Vitamin B12 deficiency, commonly found in vegetarians because plant-derived foods do not have this vitamin, can also be a cause.

Sebum and Cholesterol Plugs

Sebum is an oily secretion of the sebaceous glands, which open out into hair follicles. In most women and some men with hair loss, sebum builds up at the root of the hair. Over time, sebum combines with cholesterol to create a hardened plug which cuts off oxygen from the hair follicle, thus starving it of air.

Hardened sebum and cholesterol plugs also provide breeding grounds for bacteria and create accumulation of dirt. These two factors often exacerbate or cause hair loss and general thinning of the hair.

If we can help you or someone you know who is suffering from hair loss, please give us a call.

800.242.6900

Best regards,



24520 Hawthorne Blvd.
Suite 240
Torrance, CA 90505

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