Causes Of Hair Loss In Men
Men can experience baldness or hair loss for different reasons.
While there are many causes of hair loss, the most likely cause is genetics. Finding out whether hair loss is due to genetics or another factor can help a doctor determine the best course of treatment.
Male pattern baldness is a hereditary condition and the most common cause of male baldness. It can start as early as puberty or develop much later in life. It often occurs gradually and in predictable patterns, affecting the temples and the front of the middle of the scalp.
Most often, a man will be left with a horseshoe pattern of hair. Heredity affects how fast, at what age, and to what extent someone will experience baldness.
Men with male pattern baldness inherit hair that is sensitive to DHT, the hormone that can shorten the lifespan of the individual hair follicles.
Some of the other more common causes of hair loss for men include:
Some less common causes of hair loss include:
- Radiation treatment: If a man receives any sort of radiation treatment near the scalp, the hair may fall out and grow back in a different way than before.
- Hairstyles or treatments: Wearing hair in ways that pull it excessively or treating it with oils and color can cause permanent hair loss.
- Natural triggers:Stress, childbirth, fever, surgery, or extreme trauma may result in loss of hair. Often, the thinning will reverse when the triggering event is over.
What Steps Can I Take To Prevent Or Slow Hair Loss
Unfortunately, certain types of hair loss are genetic, and very little can be done to prevent them. Genetic types of hair loss include alopecia areata and female pattern hair loss.
But other types of hair loss can be brought on by stress and a poor diet. Do your best to eat a balanced diet, and find ways to take care of your mental health.
For added benefit, stay up to date with your routine checkups. Anemia, low levels of vitamin D and abnormal thyroid hormones can all affect the health of your hair. Simple bloodwork from your primary care physician can determine if these conditions are contributing to your hair loss.
Black women in particular are prone to a type of hair loss called traction alopecia, which is caused by heat, chemicals and tight styles that pull at the hair root, including some braids, dreadlocks, extensions and weaves.
What Is The Relationship Between Hair Loss In Women And Menopause
During menopause, you might see one of two things happen with your hair. You might start growing hair where you didnt before. Or, you might see the hair you have start to thin. One cause may be changing levels of hormones during menopause. Estrogen and progesterone levels fall, meaning that the effects of the androgens, male hormones, are increased.
During and after menopause, hair might become finer because hair follicles shrink. Hair grows more slowly and falls out more easily in these cases.
Your healthcare provider will do a thorough examination and take a detailed history to help you deal with changes in hair growth. You may be directed to have your iron levels or thyroid hormone levels tested. Your medications might be changed if what you take is found to affect hair loss or growth.
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When To See A Doctor For Thinning Hair
Although its common to lose hair throughout the day, its a good idea to speak with your doctor if youre losing more than 100 hairs per day.
You should also talk with your doctor if youre worried about persistent hair loss or a receding hairline, or if you notice sudden patchy hair loss. Patches of hair loss could signify an underlying medical condition.
What Are The Common Causes Of Hair Loss In Women
What causes hair loss?
- Hair style: Your style of hair can cause hair loss when your hair is arranged in ways that pull on your roots, like tight ponytails, braids, or corn rows. This type of hair loss is called traction alopecia. If hair follicles are damaged, the loss can be permanent.
- Vitamin deficiency.
- Over processed scalp hair .
What causes anagen effluvium hair loss?
- Toxic substances, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and some medications. These cause sudden hair loss that can occur anywhere on your body. It happens to hair in the growth stage. Sometimes, this type of hair loss can be permanent if your hair follicles are damaged.
What causes telogen effluvium hair loss?
- Extreme physical stress or shock to your body: This causes temporary hair loss. This category includes events like losing a lot of weight, surgery, anemia, illness and having a baby.
- Extreme emotional stress: mental illness, the death of a loved one, etc.
- An abnormal thyroid.
- Medications and supplements: blood pressure medicines, gout medicines and high doses of Vitamin A.
- Hormone changes caused by pregnancy, menopause or birth control pills.
What causes FPHL ?
- Genes: Your familys genes can cause thinning of hair along the top of your head.
- Aging: Hormone changes as you age can cause balding.
- Menopause: This type of hair loss often gets worse when estrogen is lost during menopause.
There are also some conditions that affect hair loss:
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A Receding Hairline In Boys
As we age, our hairline changes. There are two types of hairlines to be aware of: a maturing hairline, and a receding one. A maturing hairline is a natural process that takes place during late adolescence. It is normal and will happen in all boys, much like a deeper voice and hairy torso.
On the other hand, a receding hairline is problematic and signals a deeper issue. This is usually male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia . Unless treated in time, a receding hairline will keep on getting worse with time.
The main way to discern between a maturing and receding hairline is by looking at the pattern.
An even hairline one that keeps a consistent line from temple to temple is the main sign of a maturing hairline. An uneven hairline that is more recessed at the temples is a sign of a receding hairline, unless you have a natural widows peak, which further complicates the issue .
Losing your hair?
What Is The Difference Between Hair Loss And Hair Thinning
Your hair is an important part of who you are.
If you are facing hair loss or thinning, you may feel anxious and confused.
You may be asking why is my hair thinning? or can I stop premature hair loss?
From discovering bald spots to shedding at alarming rates, you may be concerned about the thickness and health of your hair.
There are a number of things that can trigger hair to lose its volume / thickness and understanding these causes can help you take action.
Is There a Difference Between Hair Loss and Hair Thinning?
If you are losing an alarming rate of hair, you may wonder if you are experiencing hair loss.
On the other hand, you might not notice losing more hair, but you are definitely feeling the change in a lower hair volume.
There are some key differences between true hair loss and hair thinning.
Hair thinning is a change in the hair shaft.
As you age, the hair may change in thickness and texture.
You might notice that a baby often has wispy hair that is replaced by thicker strands when they are just a few months old.
Sometimes with puberty, the hair will thicken more and even become coarser.
But, once you pass early adulthood, the hair may begin to thin again.
This typically occurs due to changing hormones, missing nutrients or products that impact the health of the hair.
Build-up on the hair from ingredients in your hair products could lead to unnatural hair thinning.
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Why Hair Falls Out
Hair grows and eventually falls out as part of its normal cycle. It can build up on hair brushes, pillows, or shower drains.
Most people will not notice the natural hair loss that occurs daily. Hair thickness and the hairline usually remain the same.
People are more likely to notice excessive hair loss. This is a good time to take action as it may be due to an underlying condition. Symptoms of excessive hair loss include:
- sudden loss of hair
- noticeable thinning
There are several possible reasons for excessive hair loss.
One of the most common causes is due to genetics. According to a 2019 review, pattern baldness affects up to 50% of men and women.
Commercial products could help to slow and treat this type of balding. One example of these products is Rogaine.
Pattern baldness occurs slowly with aging. Some more immediate causes of hair loss include:
How To Stop Thinning Hair: Hair Loss Treatment For Women
Medications are the most common treatment for hair loss in women. They include the following:
Minoxidil . This drug was initially introduced as a treatment for high blood pressure, but people who took it noticed that they were growing hair in places where they had lost it. Research studies confirmed that minoxidil applied directly to the scalp could stimulate hair growth. As a result of the studies, the FDA originally approved over-the-counter 2% minoxidil to treat hair loss in women. Since then a 5% solution has also become available when a stronger solution is need for a woman’s hair loss.
Clearly, minoxidil is not a miracle drug. While it can produce some new growth of fine hair in some not all women, it can’t restore the full density of the lost hair. It’s not a quick fix, either for hair loss in women . You won’t see results until you use the drug for at least two months. The effect often peaks at around four months, but it could take longer, so plan on a trial of six to 12 months. If minoxidil works for you, you’ll need to keep using it to maintain those results. If you stop, you’ll start to lose hair again.
Some women find that the minoxidil solution leaves a deposit that dries and irritates their scalp. This irritation, called contact dermatitis, is probably caused not by the minoxidil itself, but rather by the alcohol that is included to facilitate drying.
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Noticeable Hair Loss In Women Can Be Deeply Distressing Here Are Some Medical Treatments That May Help
About one-third of women experience hair loss at some time in their lives among postmenopausal women, as many as two-thirds suffer hair thinning or bald spots. Hair loss in women often has a greater impact than hair loss does on men w, because it’s less socially acceptable for them. Alopecia can severely affect a woman’s emotional well-being and quality of life.
The main type of hair loss in women is the same as it is men. It’s called androgenetic alopecia, or female pattern hair loss. In men, hair loss usually begins above the temples, and the receding hairline eventually forms a characteristic “M” shape hair at the top of the head also thins, often progressing to baldness. In women, androgenetic alopecia begins with gradual thinning at the part line, followed by increasing diffuse hair loss radiating from the top of the head. A woman’s hairline rarely recedes, and women rarely become bald.
There are many potential causes of hair loss in women , including medical conditions, medications, and physical or emotional stress. If you notice unusual hair loss of any kind, it’s important to see your primary care provider or a dermatologist, to determine the cause and appropriate treatment. You may also want to ask your clinician for a referral to a therapist or support group to address emotional difficulties. Hair loss in women can be frustrating, but recent years have seen an increase in resources for coping with the problem.
What Are The Cycles Of Hair Growth
Hair goes through three cycles:
- The anagen phase can last from two years to eight years. This phase generally refers to about 85% to 90% of the hair on your head.
- The catagen phase is the time that hair follicles shrink and takes about two to three weeks.
- The telogen phase takes about two to four months. At the end of this phase, the hair falls out.
Your shorter hairs like eyelashes, arm and leg hair and eyebrows have a short anagen phase about one month. Your scalp hair can last up to six years or even longer.
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Key Points About Normal Hair Loss
How Is Hair Loss Diagnosed
If you suspect that you may have excessive hair loss, talk to your doctor. He or she will probably ask you some questions about your diet, any medicines youre taking, and whether youve had a recent illness, and how you take care of your hair. If youre a woman, your doctor may ask questions about your menstrual cycle, pregnancies, and menopause. Your doctor may want to do a physical exam to look for other causes of hair loss. Finally, your doctor may order blood tests or a biopsy .
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What About Surgery
One way to combat hair loss is to transplant hair follicles from the sides and back of the head to the top of the head. This surgery has evolved over the years, Kaufman says.
“In the late 1980s, the standard of care was to take large grafts, plugs of 12 to 20 hairs, and implant them,” he says. “It would give either a very good or acceptable result. But some men, as they got older and lost some more hair, they got that doll’s-hair or corn-row phenomenon: Little poles of hair jutting out.”
Today’s hair grafts are called follicular unit hair transplants of one to four hairs, transplanted very close together for a more natural look.
Another mostly out-of-favor technique is scalp reduction.
“Scalp reduction is to cut balding scalp out and suture the remaining skin together to reduce the bald area,” Kaufman says. “After several of these, you have a smaller area to transplant. But you leave a scar that is visible and needs to be transplanted into to be invisible.”
Similarly out of fashion are flap-type procedures, where a flap of hair from a hair-bearing area is partially removed, swung around, and attached to a frontal area. But this can lead to scarring or death or a portion of the scalp.
How well do hair transplants work? That depends. It depends on how much healthy hair a person has available for transplant. And it depends on a person’s expectations.
Although most people who seek hair replacement surgery are men, Kaufman says women make excellent candidates.