Homeopathy VS Ayurveda VS allopathy
Many of you have often pondered upon the indignity of hair loss that affects almost half of the world’s population, including you. Some hope they never come to face such an atrocity and prepare themselves well before hand by following a strict regime to maintain a proper balance between body and mind. Ageing is an integral part of our life process, we strive to achieve all that we can in hopes on one day leading a peaceful and serene retirement. Our stressful lives have many adverse effects on our bodies one being hair loss. Alopecia being general medical term for hair loss there are many types of hair loss with different symptoms and causes. Here the basics of all you need to know about the various kinds of hair loss that exist.
Common types of hair loss
Male and female pattern baldness
Male-pattern baldness affects half of all men by the age of 50. It usually starts around the late twenties or early thirties and most men have some degree of hair loss by their late thirties. It follows a pattern of a receding hairline, thinning of the hair on the crown and temples, leaving a horseshoe shape around the back and sides of the head. Sometimes it can progress to complete baldness. Male-pattern baldness is usually hereditary. It’s thought to be caused by oversensitive hair follicles, linked to having too much of a certain male hormone.
Female-pattern baldness the hair usually only thins on top of the head. It’s not clear if this is hereditary and the cause for this is still not clear, however, it tends to be more noticeable in women who have been through the menopause perhaps because of the loss of hormones.
Alopecia Areata – Causes small patches of baldness, they usually appear on the scalp but can occur anywhere on the body. It mostly affects teenagers and young adults and at any given age. Most cases the hair does grow back. Alopecia Areata is caused by problems with the immune system and can also be genetic. The more severe form of this hair loss is Alopecia Totalis, no scalp hair and Alopecia Universalis, no hair on scalp and the body. An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), diabetes or Down’s syndrome can also cause alopecia areata to occur.
Scarring alopecia – Also known as cicatricial alopecia, is when the hair follicles are completely destroyed which means your hair won’t grow back.
The causes of Scarring alopecia are:
Scleroderma – affects the body’s connective (supporting) tissues, resulting in hard, puffy and itchy skin
Lichen planus – an itchy rash affecting many areas of the body
Discoid lupus – a mild form of lupus affecting the skin, causing scaly marks and hair loss
Folliculitis decalvans – is rare and most commonly affects men, causing baldness and scarring of the affected areas
Frontal fibrosing alopecia – affects post-menopausal women where the hair follicles are damaged, and the hair falls out and is unable to grow back
