Why does hair fall out?
Table of Contents
Hair loss stems from several factors but principally from a genetic disposition that acts through hormone receptors which provoke the hormones or enzymes to attack and weaken the hair.
Moreover, stress, pollution and poor nutrition are factors that also contribute to this predisposition and cause the problem to increase.
Types of alopecia
Androgenetic alopecia
Androgenic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss. It shows when the mother or father provides their son or daughter with a chromosome that has a dominant gene for it. More than 40% of men suffer from hair loss due to the transferred gene. In a word, if a member of the family suffers from the condition, there’s a high probability that the same will happen to you.
Symptoms
According to the specific kind, this type of alopecia causes different symptoms. Doctors talk about a typically male pattern and another female. Men usually lose their hair initially in the forehead area and in the areas above the temples, which form the so-called entrance ways.
If this kind of alopecia advances, there will be hair loss in the area above the nape, the lower back of the head, and in the forehead area. Finally, the empty areas gradually meet and form a central bald area. The speed of the hair loss varies greatly from one man to another.
Women usually lose their hair in a more diffuse way. The scalp frequently becomes more visible, for example, in the area where the hair is parted.
Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata or spot baldness shows when there are disease entities related to stress, sickness or infection which attack the hair-producing follicles. In most cases, tufts of hair fall out and leave empty areas. However, sometimes all the hair is lost.
Symptoms
Usually it begins with one or two spots without hair. The loss shows on the scalp, beard, eyebrows, arms or legs. If the alopecia areata leads to the loss of all the hair, it will occur six months after the first signs of symptoms.
Alopecia universalis
It ́s an immune system sickness which produces antibodies that fight against the hair-producing follicles not only on the head but on the entire body. It ́s a more extensive form of alopecia areata, which is believed to be related to a hereditary gene.
Symptoms
This type of hair loss is characterized by the total loss of hair on the scalp and body. Most people with this kind of alopecia don’t have any other symptoms. Some may experience a burning or itching sensation in the affected areas. It can also be associated with such conditions as atopic dermatitis or thyroid or nail disorders.
The importance of getting an expert opinion
It’s essential to count on an evaluation by an expert to determine each patient’s condition. He studies the root of the problem and offers the most effective solution in each case.
Today a high percentage of patients have had an earlier hair transplant with negative results principally due to the fact that the people who carried out the procedures didn’t have the appropriate credentials or didn’t carry out the transplant in an adequate place or with the right instruments.
Unfortunately transplanted hair is a non-renewable resource. Therefore patients lose their investment, waste their time and what’s worse they lose their hair forever.