Hair loss happens in people mostly due to genetic reasons, though illness - major illness especially - can be a contributory factor in this condition.
Experts have categorized hair loss as being of 6 types: Alopecia Areata, Androgenetic Alopecia, Anagen Effluvium, Telogen Effluvium, Scarring Alopecia, and Self-induced Hair loss.
- Alopecia Areata
- Androgenetic Alopecia
- Anagen Effluvium
- Telogen Effluvium
- Scarring Alopecias
- Self-induced Hair loss
This is an auto-immune disease, when the body works against itself, by attacking its' own hair follicles. There is no cure for this condition, but certain medications/products containing Dithranol, Retin A [Tretinoin], Topical Minoxidil, and Zinc are useful to contain the problem.
In Androgenetic Alopecia, the commonest kind of hair loss condition, individuals find they have got a receding hairline that finally leads to diminished growth at the top. This is genetic in nature, thus its name. Propecia and Minoxidil are best known to treat this condition.
Chemotherapy, given to cancer patients, leads to hair loss. Such patients start losing hair as early as after one week of chemotherapy. The chemicals in the radiation therapy take their toll, when such cancer patients start losing hair. The loss, however, lasts only as long as the chemotherapy in most patients, even bringing about a thicker hair growth than before, some time after the radiation therapy is over.
This condition happens due to stress. When some individuals face a traumatic event - be it bereavement, separation, any personal loss, failure in an exam, financial loss - they may start losing hair, a few months after the event. In some cases , the hair can grow back, but for some, it may result in permanent baldness.
Also called Cicatrichial Alopecias, this belongs to a rare group of diverse hair disorders, which are divided into primary and secondary alopecia. This disorder occurs when hair follicles are destroyed and replaced with a scar tissue, leading to permanent hair loss. Sometimes the hair loss can be gradual, with no symptoms present; while at other times, there can be immense pain, itching or burning. Men and women, especially young adults are prone to this condition. One such alopecia that occurs mostly in teenagers is Keratosis follicularis spinulosa decalvans. Another kind that afflicts black African women is called the Central Centrifugal Alopecia, while Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia can happen to post-menopausal women.
There are two types of this kind of hair loss, when the individual's actions lead to it. One is the Traction Alopecia that is caused by excessive pulling and tightening of hair, as in braiding. This also is found more in African women, who are known to tightly braid their hair or make corn-rows, so much so that the excessive pulling results in the hair breaking and hair-loss. The second kind is Trichotillomania, which is an impulse control disorder in which a person plucks out one's own hair. This normally occurs in infants and children from the age of 9-13; it may be due to some underlying anxiety, compulsion, or stress.
