Causes of hair loss and their remedies

The causes of hair loss may be many. Very often some internal malady may be the root cause. This needs to be ascertained. Bringing into effect the proper preventive treatments can stop hair loss even before it begins by detecting the symptoms. Diseases like lupus or diabetes are a cause for hair loss. The hair loss serves as an early indication of the disease. The hair loss gets treated alongside the treatment of the disease.

Hair loss can also be the side effect of certain medication. When the administration of such medicines producing hair loss is discontinued the hair loss also stops.

Lack of proper nutrition- inadequate intake of vitamins, minerals, proteins etc. may cause hair loss. Ensuring proper nutrition usually checks such hair loss.

As after effect of a major surgery or illness you may lose much hair. However, this loss is considered to be temporary and is associated to the illness or stress borne by the surgical operation carried out. Post pregnancy hair loss is also commonly heard of. This is due to some temporary hormonal changes which soon ceases. Otherwise the help of a doctor is required.

Hormonal imbalances may result in hair loss. The malfunctioning of the thyroid glands may cause hair loss. Attending to the particular type of hormonal problem and adequate treatment provided for it helps overcome the excessive hair loss too.

Treatments of hair loss are carried out as per the nature and correct cause of the problem. A proper diagnosis which may include blood tests and biopsy needs to be done for detecting the problem.

Hair loss arising from some infection of the scalp can be treated as per prescription from a doctor. Medicines are available for retarding or preventing the development of baldness by hair loss. It takes some time to find out the efficacy of such drugs.

It must be borne in mind that there is a hereditary factor too which may be working behind hair loss and baldness. This is also observed to be more prevalent in case of men. This is not easy to counteract.

It may be that no suitable treatment can stop the hair loss and baldness develops. In such cases persons concerned about their personal beauty and aesthetics with regards to their crowning glory may opt for a wig or a hairpiece. New techniques of hair grafting and hair weaving can also be sought resort to.

Cause of hair loss in men:

DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) is a highly active form of testosterone that causes hair follicle to degrade thereby shortening the anagen phase. 5-alpha reductase is the enzyme that affects the conversion of testosterone to DHT. A shorter anagen stage results in more hair fall as well as rapidly thinning hair. However, the sebaceous glands attached to the hair follicles remain unchanged. The glands continue to secrete oil and therefore it will be noticed that thinning hair results in flatter and oilier hair.

Types of hair loss:

Telogen Effluvium: Hair loss of this kind begins with overall thinning of hair from the entire scalp. A condition of this kind starts manifesting itself after an extremely stressful condition such as pregnancy, major surgery or any life-changing event. Hormonal fluctuations can also result in Telogen Effluvium. Synchronized shifts from Anagen to Talogen phases will result in this kind of sudden hair loss. Once the underlying cause is identified and suitably addressed, the hair cycles will revert to their unsynchronized patterns resulting in a normal hair growth cycle.

Androgenetic Alopecia: Females suffering Androgenetic Alopecia rarely bald completely. Androgenetic alopecia can result from thinning of hair due to genetic factors. The hair on the crown area shows a marked thinning. Female pattern Baldness (FPB) is characterized by general thinning of hair all over the head. This typically begins around the age of 30 and becomes prominent around 40. Linked to menopause, this condition leads to a balding area around the head or sometimes a receding hairline.

Alopecia Areata: This kind of balding pattern appears as small round patches of hair loss. It is a hair loss disease that appears to be set off as an autoimmune reaction when the cells prevent hair follicles from producing hair. This condition is characterized by sudden hair loss followed by patches of baldness and finally the hair growth is restored.