Hair loss is a condition characterized by shorter anagen phases and prolonged telogen phases. The disrupted cycle and balance between the phases causes rapid hair loss that in most cases cannot be naturally counteracted or compensated for by the diminished anagen phases.
While the causes are versatile, and the times different, the feelings of emotional distress caused by hair loss are a constant against all the changing variables. It’s common to attribute hair loss as a conundrum of vanity associated mostly with our vanity-succumbed society, however, hair loss has been and still is an ordeal that threatens our aesthetic appearance since the start of time. In some cases, it is an adverse symptom that is indicative of a more serious condition.
Whether your motives are to restore your aesthetics or to seek a remedy for your underlying condition, read along. Without further ado, below are 10 of the most popular hair loss causes of alopecia and their treatments.
1- Alopecia Aerate
Alopecia aerate is an autoimmune disorder where the body’s first line of defense against foreign invaders loses its vigilance and filtering abilities to include in its targets the body’s own cells as well. Various organs and tissue is damaged in the process after prolonged periods of sporadic attacks.
Follicular units are not exception; the cellular units can be damaged as well resulting in hair loss. Unlike alternative Alopecia, alopecia aerate is not characterized by a distinct pattern. Instead hair loss occurs in a scattered manner creating bald patches around the scalp.
Unless the underlying cause of alopecia aerate is addressed, hair loss will persist.
2- Androgenic alopecia
Androgenic alopecia is an inherited x-linked disorder characterized by hypersensitivity to androgens exhibited by follicular units post puberty. The condition affects men and women and is the primary cause for hair loss among the population. The treatments for the condition are split into two primary categories that later branch out: female pattern hair loss and male pattern hair loss.
Female pattern hair loss is alopecia that occurs in a diffuse pattern with no distinctive or predictable trait of the sporadic hair loss nature of the condition. Minoxidil and finasteride are the two FDA approved medications for female pattern hair loss. The former comes in solution form that is applied twice per day on affected scalp. Minoxidil encourages hair growth in treated areas through promoting blood circulation and consequently oxygen and nutrition levels. Finasteride, on the other hand, is a pill that hamstrings the enzymatic of 5-alpha-reductase, a protein that catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to the more aggressive version DHT.
Male pattern hair loss, possesses polar opposite traits. Androgen alopecia in male pattern hair loss occurs in the notorious M or U shaped pattern. The remaining hair, usually located closer to the back of the scalp, are adapted with androgen resistant follicular units. The treatments for male pattern hair loss vary in accordance to the progression of androgenic alopecia. In non advanced male pattern hair loss, both Finasteride and Minoxidil are capable of paralyzing the progression of symptoms. It is important to be consistent with the application of tropical medications and pills because upon the terminated use of either, hair loss will presume.
However, if the condition has evolved past the permanent miniaturization of follicular units, the remedial attempts of either medications will be nothing more than feeble attempts at rescuing the remaining follicular units. In which case, the one single permanent solution is FUE hair transplants. FUE is a minimally invasive micro-surgery that puts androgen resistant follicular units to use.
Instead of a dense strip of stable hair growth, FUE disperses the follicular units around for uniform growth throughout the scalp. In prosaic language, follicular units are first extracted and later relocated to balding scalp to dress it up in a blanket of grafts. With time, the scars heal to be invisible concealing any traces of the procedure. Results are permanent and natural looking. For more information on hair transplants click here
3- Ringworm
The name may be misleading for some, but contrary to popular belief, ringworm is not caused by a ring. The imagination-free solid explanation is a fungal infection that causes hair loss. In most cases, hair loss is not permanent and will presume after 6-12 months after treatment. If scarring is present, hair loss may be irreversible with ointments and remedies and therefore might require the intervention of FUE hair transplants to restore hair.
In closing
Hair loss has its significant negative effects on the individual affected by it. Fortunately, it is not a dilemma that cannot be treated, regardless of the underlying cause and the progression of the condition almost in all cases your lost hair can be restored.
