The Initial Causes Facial Hair Loss In Patches
The main cause of hair loss is stress. While most of us shed about 50 to 100 strands of hair daily, we also continue to grow new ones at the same rate. This shedding is normal, and its perfectly natural to replace lost hair with new ones. However, if youre losing hair that is excessively slow or isnt growing back, youre experiencing hair fall. There are many possible causes for this condition, but theres no one single solution.
Tinea capitis, also known as scalp ringworm, is a fungal infection that affects the scalp. Symptoms include bald spots and patches of hair loss. Infection may be caused by fungus, and scaly, red patches may develop. In severe cases, sores may develop on the scalp and oozing pus may be present. Treatment with a prescription may be necessary, but the long-term results of taking these medications are not always permanent.
In some cases, temporary hair loss may be the result of a hormonal imbalance. While some women experience hair loss due to hormonal fluctuations, others may experience permanent loss of hair. These changes can be caused by hormones in the body, such as those produced by the thyroid or by the adrenal glands. In severe cases, the loss of hair is caused by medical conditions. Inflammatory diseases can cause an excess of androgen, a male hormone. High levels of vitamin A in the blood and in the body can also result in hair thinning.
Will I Have Graves Disease For The Rest Of My Life
cure. Thyroid problems can all be treated, and normal thyroid function may be achieved. By removing the thyroid, radioactive iodine and surgery may also cure hyperthyroidism. However, since these therapies frequently have little effect on thyroid stimulating antibodies, the fundamental etiology of Graves illness continues.
What You Need To Know About Hair Loss
If your condition is not due to a hormonal imbalance, your doctor may recommend treatment that includes topical corticosteroids. Topical corticosteroids may lead to red or puffy face and can reduce your immune systems ability to fight infection. In some cases, fungal infections, such as tinea capitis, can lead to hair loss. Fortunately, you can take antifungal medications to treat it and get a full head of hair again.
Hair loss is a normal part of aging, and there is no need to worry. In fact, it is perfectly normal for most people to lose a bit of hair every day, and it will grow back eventually. Some men and women experience hair loss as they age, while others simply have a genetic predisposition to the problem. If youre experiencing a lack of hair, you may have a weakened immune system, which can lead to hair loss.
For more severe cases of hair loss, a dermatologist may recommend a hair transplant. This procedure involves a surgeon removing plugs of hair from your scalp. It may take several hours and multiple sessions to complete the process. Its an invasive treatment, and may not be the best option for everyone. Your doctor will need to examine your scalp to determine the cause of your condition. In addition to a healthy diet, your doctor may recommend taking supplements of various vitamins and minerals.
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Too Aggressive With Beard Care
If your beard care is aggressive, it could also be one of the reasons for your beard hair falling out.
For example, using a normal comb as a beard brush or using a low-quality brush are some causes of beard thinning. On top of that, when you wash your beard too often, the skin underneath will get damaged and turn dry. Experts suggest washing the beard just a couple of times per week and not on a daily basis.
Moreover, other things like blow-drying your beard or using heated beard brushes excessively also can also cause hair loss. Keep the usage to a minimum and stick to using beard nourishing products such as beard oils or beard balms
Causes Of Hair Loss In Women
Many factors can cause women to lose their hair, from hormones to stress to going on or off birth control. Here are some of the main causes of hair loss in women:
Hair loss can be devastating for women, so early intervention is key, advises Dr. McMichael. As with most medical conditions, the key to controlling the hair loss cycle is to seek treatment early.”
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When To See A Doctor About Bald Patches On The Beard
Your doctor is the best person to judge if the bald patches on your beard should be a reason for health concern or not. The doctor can perform diagnostic tests such as skin biopsy or blood test to determine the exact reason for the hair loss from your beard. Depending on the outcome of the tests, he or she can suggest the best treatment options for you.
Therapies including steroid injections or UV therapy should only be performed by a certified medical professional. Also prolonged fungal infections should be checked by a doctor to avoid future complications.
Wrapping Up
Bald patches on the beard may be caused due to a number of reasons. It usually does not pose any serious health risks. But it can affect how you feel about yourself. So it is important to know about your hair, and the exact reason behind the hair loss. This in turn will help treat the condition. The extent of hair regrowth and the time taken depends on the underlying reason and severity of the hair loss.
How Common Is Alopecia
Alopecia is a common autoimmune skin disease that affects 6.8 million people in the U.S. alone.
According to the American Hair Loss Association, 2 out of 100 people will get alopecia areata later in their lives. Approximately 60% of people under 20 experience the first incident of hair loss due to alopecia areata.
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What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider
- How can you tell that I have hirsutism?
- If I dont have hirsutism, whats causing my hair growth?
- What medications or treatments do you recommend?
- Whats the complete list of side effects for the medications and treatments?
- Should I see a dermatologist?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Hirsutism is a common condition that mainly affects women and people assigned female at birth . It doesnt cause any pain, but it may be a symptom of another condition, including polycystic ovarian syndrome, Cushings syndrome, an adrenal gland disorder or an ovary disorder. Unwanted hair can also make you feel embarrassed, which can affect your mental health.
Its a good idea to reach out to your healthcare provider as soon as you notice signs of hirsutism, especially if it causes stress, anxiety or depression. Medications and treatments are available to limit your unwanted hair growth.
Who Can Get Alopecia Barbae
Most beard alopecia areata patients are middle-aged men . Studies suggest that 20% to 42% of alopecia areata patients have a family history of the condition . The risk of developing alopecia barbae is also higher if you have relatives with other autoimmune conditions, such as :
- Type 1 diabetes learn more about the link between diabetes and hair loss
Atopy, alcohol abuse, and smoking may also be risk factors for developing beard alopecia, though more research is needed to establish this . Find out more about hair loss and alcohol consumption.
Many people who have alopecia barbae go on to develop alopecia areata in other areas of their body, such as the scalp. You might see a bald spot on your crown or elsewhere on the head. In one study, this affected almost half of patients .
While its not always possible to prevent the condition from spreading, its important to get the right professional support to manage your beard alopecia.
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Sparse Or Spotty Hair Growth
If youre dissatisfied with a beard or a mustache thats too thin, its probably dad or moms fault. The ability to grow thick facial hair, it turns out, tends to run in families, says Dr. Leffell, creating challenges for men who want a beard but arent genetically gifted in that department. And, according to a survey by the grooming company Braun, 77 percent of New York men surveyed who dont have facial hair say they would grow it if they could.
Its also important to know that hair loss can affect the beard. Some men with male-patterned balding successfully undergo beard transplants from human donors.
Other men may discover they have complete or spotty hair loss in the beard area, which could be a sign of alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease. Men with this condition will notice a faintly spotted face early in the day after shaving thats impossible to ignore by noon when there is a shadow of stubble, says Dr. King, who is an expert in alopecia areata. If you are concerned about hair loss in your beard, read on for some advice.
What You Should Do:
- Have a dermatologist evaluate the cause of your hair loss and suggest treatment that may work for you. For example, Dr. King has led groundbreaking research on an arthritis drug called Xeljanz. In clinical trials, it has been shown to successfully regrow scalp hair, but Dr. King reports that facial hair often responds to treatment, too.
What You Should Not Do:
Facial Alopecia Aerata & Alopecia Barbae
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disorder which causes inflammatory cells to attack the hair follicle.
This results in round bald patches in various parts of the body, and the condition impacts about 2% of the population at some point in their lives.
When this happens in the facial hair area, its often called either alopecia areata barbae or alopecia barbae.
Like with many autoimmune diseases, the treatment is difficult, and a full understanding of the causes are not well understood.
In some cases, alopecia lasts through the lifetime, but in others, it can come and go in waves.
Most commonly, alopecia is treated with corticosteroid injections or cream. And some evidence suggests that removing gluten from the diet can help in the normalization of the immune response6.
Minoxidil the most potent hair and beard growing agent currently known also provides help for some people depending on the severity of the autoimmune response.
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When To See A Doctor
If you find that alopecia barbae is affecting your quality of life or youd like to figure out whats causing it, see a dermatologist or doctor. You can connect to a dermatologist in your area using the Healthline FindCare tool. They can assess the severity of your symptoms, determine if there are other underlying causes, and come up with an appropriate treatment plan.
Heres a list of questions that you may be asked or want to ask at your appointment.
Alopecia Barbae Is The Condition That Causes Beard And Facial Hair Loss In Men
Alopecia areata is a health condition that causes hair loss. Its an autoimmune disease, which means your bodys immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells. In this case its attacks your hair follicles.Alopecia barbae is a specific form of alopecia areata that affects the beard. Usually, it comes on suddenly and you begin losing beard hair in small circular patches.
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Other Medications For Acne And Hair Loss
Isotretinoin
Isotretinoin can only be prescribed in Australia by a dermatologist for severe acne. It works by shrinking the sebaceous glands and by reducing sebum production .
This should be used only in women who are not trying to conceive, and effective contraception such as the oral contraceptive pill must be used when taking this treatment, as there is a possibility of foetal abnormalities . Side effects include dry skin and eczema.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a liquid or foam that is massaged into the scalp and helps to prevent hair loss. Side effects include scalp dryness and itchiness. Some dermatologists prescribe minoxidil in tablet form, often together with spironolactone.
Your Testosterone And Dht Might Be Dropping
Its not a big secret that facial hair growth is triggered and regulated by androgenic male hormones.
More specifically, testosterone primes the follicles for growth increasing their size, while a hormone called DHT fuels the linear growth1.
Men who have lower levels of androgenic hormones, cant really grow a beard, and women who have abnormally high levels of androgens due to PCOS for example, will start seeing beard growth on their faces .
If you had a full thick beard naturally, chances are that when the beard developed and grew on your face, you had fairly high levels of androgenic hormones.
If you suddenly start seeing your facial hair falling off and significantly thinning, then it is possible that your testosterone and DHT levels might be falling.
Small fluctuations in these hormones dont really cause facial hair loss, and its common to gradually lose some of your testosterone as you age, but if your levels dip down low enough, its likely that your beard hairs will start shedding at a much faster and more noticeable rate.
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Why Does Alopecia Barbae Occur
Just like alopecia areata, experts arent completely sure why alopecia barbae occurs. However, there are a few things that are believed to be potential risk factors and triggers:
-
Autoimmune diseases. People with autoimmune diseases, such as psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, lupus and vitiligo are more likely to develop alopecia barbae than people who arent affected by autoimmune diseases.
-
Family with autoimmune diseases. Your risk of developing alopecia barbae is also elevated if you have family members with autoimmune diseases.
-
Other genetic factors. Alopecia barbae occurs more frequently in people with asthma, allergies and other forms of alopecia, as well as people with family members who have these conditions.
Although its not yet confirmed, experts believe that alopecia areata and alopecia barbae could be triggered by an external, environmental factor, such as stress or an injury.
Most of the time, hair loss from alopecia barbae occurs over the course of several weeks, with the patches similar in size to a quarter. Its often preceded by itching in the areas of your beard that lose hair, as well as irritation and redness.
Like alopecia areata, its common to get exclamation mark hairs with alopecia barbae. These are small, short hairs that are narrower at the bottom than at the top, which grow in and around the bald patches.
The Initial Causes What Coud Causes Facial Hair Loss
The main cause of hair loss is stress. While most of us shed about 50 to 100 strands of hair daily, we also continue to grow new ones at the same rate. This shedding is normal, and its perfectly natural to replace lost hair with new ones. However, if youre losing hair that is excessively slow or isnt growing back, youre experiencing hair fall. There are many possible causes for this condition, but theres no one single solution.
Tinea capitis, also known as scalp ringworm, is a fungal infection that affects the scalp. Symptoms include bald spots and patches of hair loss. Infection may be caused by fungus, and scaly, red patches may develop. In severe cases, sores may develop on the scalp and oozing pus may be present. Treatment with a prescription may be necessary, but the long-term results of taking these medications are not always permanent.
In some cases, temporary hair loss may be the result of a hormonal imbalance. While some women experience hair loss due to hormonal fluctuations, others may experience permanent loss of hair. These changes can be caused by hormones in the body, such as those produced by the thyroid or by the adrenal glands. In severe cases, the loss of hair is caused by medical conditions. Inflammatory diseases can cause an excess of androgen, a male hormone. High levels of vitamin A in the blood and in the body can also result in hair thinning.
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Changes In Hormonal Balance
Some women seem to experience extra hair growth during puberty, pregnancy, or as they age, especially after menopause, due to shifts in hormonal balance, with an increase in male hormones.
When you are pregnant, the levels of testosterone in the blood serum rise naturally, which may lead to hirsutism. The symptoms resolve after the babys birth when the testosterone levels go back to normal. During menopause, the ovaries secrete less and less estrogen while the production of testosterone continues unhindered. As a result, the levels of androgens in the body rise abnormally and lead to virilization or masculine features.
Aging Changes In Hair And Nails
Your hair and nails help protect your body. They also keep the temperature of your body steady. As you age, your hair and nails begin to change.
HAIR CHANGES AND THEIR EFFECTS
Hair color change. This is one of the clearest signs of aging. Hair color is due to a pigment called melanin, which hair follicles produce. Hair follicles are structures in the skin that make and grow hair. With aging, the follicles make less melanin, and this causes gray hair. Graying often begins in the 30s.
Scalp hair often starts graying at the temples and extends to the top of the scalp. Hair color becomes lighter, eventually turning white.
Body and facial hair also turn gray, but most often, this happens later than scalp hair. Hair in the armpit, chest, and pubic area may gray less or not at all.
Graying is largely determined by your genes. Gray hair tends to occur earlier in white people and later in Asians. Nutritional supplements, vitamins, and other products will not stop or decrease the rate of graying.
Hair thickness change. Hair is made of many protein strands. A single hair has a normal life between 2 and 7 years. That hair then falls out and is replaced with a new hair. How much hair you have on your body and head is also determined by your genes.
Nearly everyone has some hair loss with aging. The rate of hair growth also slows.
Women can develop a similar type of baldness as they age. This is called female-pattern baldness. Hair becomes less dense and the scalp may become visible.
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