Signs, Symptoms & Prevention of Alopecia Hair Loss
Signs and symptoms
Do you know someone who has Alopecia? Sure you do. This is the medical terminology for hair loss. Pattern baldness is the most common types of alopecia but there are other forms of this syndrome as well. It is estimated that about one third of men and women suffer from alopecia, which does not always entail the hair on the head.
Some hair loss is permanent, such as androgenic alopecia, which you see on men who are losing their hair most often. This is also called male pattern baldness, although both men and women suffer from this condition. Alopecia areata is temporary hair loss that can be caused by a number of different things.
Permanent hair loss
Male pattern baldness is very common in men. Most men experience some form of hair thinning and for some it can occur as early as their 20s. This can be traumatic for younger men who do not want to go through life bald. In some cases, the hairline recedes and then stops. In others, the man slowly becomes bald.
Some women also suffer from female-pattern baldness, although this is not as common as male pattern baldness. Although women with this type of hair loss lose hair at their front hairline similar to a man, they rarely ever go completely bald.
Cicatricial (scarring) alopecia. This is a very rare syndrome in which the person experiences permanent hair loss in patches. It is usually the result of inflammation or scarring.
Temporary hair loss
When you see hair loss occurring in small patches around the head, this can be the result of Alopecia Areata. This is a condition that causes round patches of hair loss on the total body or on just the head. This is temporary and brought on by many conditions, including stress.
When you see clumps of hair coming out, this is called Telogen effluvium. This is most commonly associated with hormonal changes and many women who are pregnant or who have just given birth suffer from this condition, which is temporary and will reverse itself.
If you wear a pony tail too tight or braids, you may suffer from Traction alopecia. This occurs from stress on the hair follicles. The hair being pulled tightly back causes it to break and thin out. This condition is reversed by stopping the damage.
If you want to keep your hair in healthy shape, make sure that you eat a proper diet, get plenty of exercise, avoid pulling or twisting your hair, minimize your severe hair styles so they do not damage your hair and go easy on chemical treatments as well as heating treatments, including electric hair dryers. There are some topical solutions, such as Rogaine, that can promote hair growth for those suffering from temporary hair loss.
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