Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, which can affect people of all ages. There are different types of alopecia:
Androgenic Alopecia
This type is caused by the male hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is made from testosterone. It is more common for men to be affected by this type of hair loss, but women can get it too, usually after menopause.
Androgenic Alopecia
This is when hair loss may come and go. It occurs mainly in young people (teenagers and young adults) and is thought to be caused by a problem with the immune system.
Telogen Effluvium
This is hair thinning, rather than hair loss. It is caused by stress or by an adverse reaction to medication. It usually corrects itself.
Scarring Alopecia
This is when scarring of the scalp destroys the hair follicles. Without follicles, hair cannot grow. This can occur as a result of various medical conditions, for instance, shingles.
Hair loss can also be caused by chemotherapy.
Treatments for Hair Loss
Your treatment will depend on the type of alopecia you have. If you have androgenic alopecia, you may be given a hormone blocking medication called finasteride that works by preventing testosterone from converting into the hormone dihydrotestosterone. This oral treatment is only suitable for men.
There is also a lotion that you can rub into your scalp to promote hair growth. It is called Rogaine (or may be known by other trade names such as minoxidil, avacor or mintop, depending on the country).
Rogaine was originally developed to treat high blood pressure, but doctors noticed it had a side-effect of inducing hair growth so it began to be used as an alopecia treatment. It can be used by women too.
If your alopecia is caused by scarring, it may be permanent but can sometimes be corrected by surgery.
Alopecia Areata is normally treated with corticosteroids to suppress the over-active immune response. This can be given as an ointment to put on the affected area. It is not known whether this treatment is actually beneficial.
Corticosteroids can be given by injection and this is thought to be more effective for treating small areas of alopecia.
Add a Comment6 Comments
Too much stress can send a large number of your hair follicles into resting phase or Telogen effluvium, which causes them to fall off in clumps, this always refer to as alopecia. The initials symptoms of stress alopecia are waxy hair strands caused by the overactive sebaceous glands. Hair also becomes dull at closer look. ~ Australian Institute of Hair Restoration
July 31, 2012 - 12:16amThis Comment
Hi Alisha, Have you been to a endocrinologist for such matter? May I ask how old are you? I also have hair loss and I was told it's alopecia. I have done so much to figure out what more I should do about this matter and I found a certain doctor who specialize in such matter and I'm waiting to hear from him. He has said so many incredible information to me so far and I'm waiting on what I should do about this matter. I sent you a private message here and I hope you get it. Let me know if your interested to know more about what I mentioned and I can give you more information about it.
Melissa
November 23, 2011 - 11:15amrecommend asking your doctor whether making any dietary changes could help. Plus make sure you're getting enough vitamins - a good diet can contribute to the health of your scalp or balding hair http://balding-hair.weebly.com
November 23, 2011 - 6:11amHi,
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October 4, 2011 - 3:23amhttp://www.thebeautyinsiders.com/marini-lash.html
Hi, For women androgenetic alopecia is common hair loss. I also do have this problem and I'm 27. I have found out many thing to the cause of my problem and I thought I'd share with you in what I know and what I'm doing.
I was told hair loss is due to thyroid problem and I had blood test done for it and I was told everything is normal. I spoke to a hormone specialist about it and he told me if thyroid shows normal and you still have this problem means your thyroid hormone is very low and sensitive. I was told to use progesterone cream. Progseterone cream helps all thyroid symptoms as well as hair loss. I have started using progesterone cream and says it takes few weeks to see results. So far so good.
Their is this doctor by the name of John Lee and speaks about many hormone issues. This is his website www.johnleemd.com.
Melissa
September 16, 2011 - 9:36pm