Different Types Of Alopecia
Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, and there are two main types: alopecia areata and androgenic alopecia. Alopecia may cause hair loss only on the scalp or all over the body. It may result in thinning hair, patches of hair loss, some balding, or total baldness, and it may be permanent or temporary. There are numerous causes, including genetics. Talk to your doctor about possible treatments.
When Should I See A Doctor About My Hair Loss
Its a good idea to see a healthcare provider if your hair loss lasts more than 6 months or if you have any other symptoms like patches of hair loss, itching, or other irritation. You may need an additional workup for other causes of hair loss such as hormonal causes, nutritional deficiencies, or autoimmune hair loss. There may also be some treatments available while you wait for the hair to regrow.
How Long Does It Take For Hair To Grow Back After Telogen Effluvium
Telogen effluvium occurs when a large number of hair follicles on the scalp enter the telogen phase of the growth cycle at the same time, but the next growth phase doesnât start. Hair starts to fall out all over the scalp but new hair doesnât grow. Itâs usually triggered by a medical event, like childbirth, surgery, or a high fever, or starting or stopping medications, like birth control pills.
Telogen effluvium usually starts about three months after the event. Hair may appear thin, but you likely wonât go completely bald.
The condition is fully reversible. Once the triggering event is treated , your hair may start growing back after six months. However, this type of hair loss can last for years in some people.
If youâve experienced hair loss, and youâre trying to grow your hair back, many factors can affect the rate of hair growth, including:
- genetics
- stress and anxiety
- other diseases or conditions
You canât always control these factors. Your best bet is to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and drink plenty of water.
Thereâs no surefire way to make your hair grow faster overnight. You should try to keep your hair as healthy as possible to prevent breakage as your hair goes through its natural growth stages.
Tips for keeping your hair healthy include:
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Are There Complications/side Effects Of Treatment
Minoxidil may irritate your scalp and cause dryness, scaling, itching and/or redness. See your dermatologist if this happens.
With Minoxidil you might also see hair growing in other places other than your scalp . Wash your face after you apply Minoxidil and make sure you avoid other areas when you apply it.
The Negative Side Effects Of Hair Thinning And Loss
In advertisements, movies, TV, and even in our social circles we see those with good hair rise to the top and those who struggle with thinning or balding hair taking a back seat. As progressive as Hollywood isand as much as they may make token protests that encourage the embracing of your own bodiestheres no denying that the fashion magazines are quick to pounce on the slightest hairline infraction and condemn it with all the indignation of the Spanish Inquisition. We live in a world where the causes of hair loss are becoming more and more understood, but the appearance of hair loss is condemned by tabloids, reporters, and yes, even our coworkers.
Sure, there are some people who can rock a bald head but for most people, thinning hair is long-term annoyance where you vacillate between shaving it all off and seeking a treatment to get it back. And in the past there just havent been good options to get it back, to restore the fountain of youth.
Unfortunately, there can be negative side effects when someone is experiencing hair thinning. At times, hair loss has been known to lead to mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and feelings of inferiority. All of these can lead to medications, therapy, counseling, and dangerous behaviors in pursuit of reclaiming lost youth.
The good news is that you can find your freedom despite losing hair. There are so many options now to help you get back to a full head of hair that you need never worry about hair loss again.
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Use Scalp Massages & Exercises
Now that you learnt the basic approach to using a dermaroller to stimulate collagen production and increased blood flow, its time for one of the most powerful methods to you can use to naturally reverse hair loss.
This method involves using very specific scalp exercises and massages to increase blood flow directly to the hair follicles. Blood flow is the most important factor in hair loss/growth.
When the hair is starved of blood, the lack of oxygen and nutrients/minerals cause the hair follicle to wither and die.
The bottom line is that hair needs blood and this is the fastest and most direct route to increasing blood to the hair.With everything else in place youll really start to notice a difference as new hairs start to grow.
The goal of the massages/exercises is to reduce fibrosis and calcification of the scalp, whilst increasing blood flow and elasticity.
In 2012 a study in Hong Kong used massage to stimulate new hair growth in the participants.Participants where given scalp massages for twenty minutes per day for 300 days and the results were absolutely remarkable.
As you can see from the chart below, taken from the study, the % hair loss before and after the treatment has got significantly better.
One of the reasons that hair loss is more common for people with sedentary lifestyles is that sitting down rounds the shoulders and tightens the muscles at the back of the neck.
Hair Loss Due To Hormones: Will It Grow Back
Hair loss due to hormones is a reality for many people after menopause as well as during pregnancy. But will it grow back? The answer is yes, but there are also things that can help the body along.
Wash hair regularly with a mild shampoo. Treat hair gently. Dont comb or brush hair when its wet. Using the fingers to detangle is a gentler option. Putting hair up in a tight bun or ponytail can cause added stress on the hair and its follicles.
Finally, try to limit the use of hair dryers or irons on hair, as they can dry and damage it.
Here are five tips to prevent hair loss during the menopausal transition and after menopause:
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Identifying The Cause Of Your Alopecia
There are many possible causes of hair loss. The symptoms and treatments of hair loss vary depending on the cause, so seeking a professional diagnosis is the best way to get a treatment plan that addresses your needs.
Everyone experiences hair shedding, but if youre losing more than 50-100 hairs per day, it could be due to an underlying condition. Traumatic or stressful events, illness, surgery, and pregnancy can all cause temporary hair loss.
But hair loss that continues and gets worse could indicate alopecia. The two most common forms of alopecia are alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that triggers hair loss in patches across the body. It can affect people of all ages and genders, but the good news is that hair often grows back on its own with the help of immune-suppressing medication.
Whats Hair Loss In Women
Hair loss in women is just that when a woman experiences unexpected, heavy loss of hair. Generally, humans shed between 50 and 100 single hairs per day. Hair shedding is part of a natural balance some hairs fall out while others grow in. When the balance is interrupted when hair falls out and less hair grows in hair loss happens. Hair loss is different than hair shedding. The medical term for hair loss is alopecia.
Hair grows on almost all of your skin surfaces not the palms of your hands, soles of your feet, lips or eyelids. Light, fine, short hair is called vellus hair. Terminal/androgenic hair is thicker, darker and longer.
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The Emotional Impact Of Hair Loss
Hair loss can be traumatic in part because its so visible. You may feel that it reveals to the world that youre a cancer patient, threatening your privacy. And you may have to deal with it around the same time that youre facing other unwanted changes to your body and appearance due to treatment.
Of course, not everyone reacts to treatment-related hair loss in the same way. For some, it can be devastating, especially at the beginning. For others, its a big inconvenience but it doesnt affect them as deeply.
Styling Could Be Harder Or Easier
I took for granted how easily my natural hair texture styled. It held curls without any spray, and I could put it in a braid or a bun and instantly get texture and movement without any heat, but once I thinned it out? Not so much. It was harder to style, and when I did get a style, it fell flat much quicker. However, it’s not always the same for everyone. “For some people who have extremely thick, course hair it can make styling easier, or at least cut down on blow dry time,” Streicher says. “But sometimes over thinning can change the shape of the haircut making styling more difficult.”
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Can Hair Grow Back After Thinning It Depends
Read on to help figure out which type of hair thinning you may be experiencing, and if it is possible to help it grow back or become thicker again.
Noticing progressively or quickly thinning hair on your head can be a stressful time for men and women.
You may just notice a few more strands here and there, lodged in your shower drain, or getting caught in your hairbrush, or the changes in your hair might be developing rapidly.
However, not all hair loss means that you are permanently âlosingâ your hair. Hair loss can develop from health issues, age, genetics, hormonal fluctuations, or conditions like scalp psoriasis and alopecia areata.
Read on to help figure out which type of hair thinning you may be experiencing, and if it is possible to help it grow back or become thicker again.
Yes Women Experience Thinning Hair Too Heres Why And Possible Treatments
At first, I blamed the hairstylists. For several years, my hair had been flat, the cowlick too pronounced, the texture different. I kept switching salons in search of the perfect cut, the miracle product or, ideally, both. Then, as I ticked off my complaints to a new stylist, he ran his fingers through my hair and shrugged. It happens, he said. We get older. The hair thins.
What?
Just a few months later, Ricki Lake, 51, revealed her own struggle with hair loss an irony for the actress who found fame as the star of Hairspray. My fixation kicked into high gear, and I started searching online for answers. I learned that its normal to shed 50 to 100 hairs a day, and that new ones should grow in their place. But a variety of factors, including genetics, illness and poor nutrition, can disrupt that growth cycle, not just in men, but also in women of all ages. The American Hair Loss Association reports that 40 percent of all hair loss sufferers are women.
Genetics is the leading cause of hair loss for both sexes, said Marc Avram, a New York dermatologist who specializes in the condition. The American Academy of Dermatology reports that 30 million women in the United States suffer from hereditary hair loss, compared with 50 million men, though Avram suspects the numbers are much higher.
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Cosmetic Options For Hair Loss
When medical treatments fall short, women can also consider cosmetic options to make up for lost hair, such as wearing a wig. At the other end of the spectrum is hair transplantation, a surgical procedure that moves active follicles from the back of the scalp to areas where the hair is thinning. Once transplanted, the hair grows normally.
Hair transplantation is typically performed as an outpatient surgical procedure. In appropriate patients, it can be extremely successful, but it wont work for everyone, says Dr. Scott. One drawback is the expense: it can cost thousands of dollars and is not covered by insurance. The procedure also requires recovery time. And it may not be appropriate for women who have diffuse thinning across the whole scalp. Its more effective in treating smaller, more defined areas of balding.
Are There Any Risks To Hair Loss
Male pattern baldness generally isnât a sign of a serious medical problem, but it has been linked with some other conditions including coronary heart disease, an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.
If you notice your hair starting to fall out, keep track of the pattern and how much youâre losing. You can talk to your doctor to rule out a more serious problem.
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When To See A Doctor For Stress
Stress does cause hair loss, but it isnt the only cause. If youre experiencing sudden and ongoing hair loss, visiting your family doctor is a good first step. Your doctor can evaluate the hair loss, review your medical history, and refer you to a dermatologist if necessary.
You might think of a dermatologist as just a skin doctor, but this doctor also specializes in problems of hair and nails. Visiting a doctor sooner, rather than later, can improve your outcome.
What Questions Might Your Healthcare Provider Ask To Diagnose And Categorize Your Hair Loss
Your healthcare provider might ask about your habits:
- What kinds of hair products do you use?
- What kinds of hair styles do you wear?
- What types of food do you eat ?
- Do you have a habit of pulling your hair out ?
They might ask about your history:
- Has anyone in your immediate family experienced hair loss?
- Is there anything stressful going on in your life?
- What medications and supplements do you take every day?
- Has hair loss ever happened to you before?
- What foods are in your diet?
And, they might ask about your observations:
- How long have you been losing hair?
- Have you been shedding more?
- Have you noticed hair loss in places other than your scalp, like your eyebrows? Leg and arm hair?
- Does anything worsen your hair loss?
- Does anything improve your hair loss?
- Have you noticed hair loss occasionally or has it been going on continuously?
- Have you noticed if your hair growth has changed?
- Has your hair been breaking more often?
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