So You Want To Know All You Can About Hair Loss

Hair loss has become something that people have come to expect from age 30 on, so much so, that it is no longer thought of as something that is "not normal". There are more than one type of hair loss that a person can suffer from including androgenic alopecia which is also called male pattern baldness, traumatic alopecia which is when the hair is loss due to it being torn out, hair loss caused by medication, and alopecia areata which is when the hair is lost in patches.

Individual ethnic groups vary regarding the occurrence rate of hair loss. Males of Japanese descent tend to develop balding 10 years later than males of Caucasian ethnic background, they are also less likely to have hair loss. Males with darker skin tones are less likely than those of lighter skin tones to develop hair loss.

Females also experience hair loss with the same frequency but they tend to have thinning hair instead of going bald. Women tend to have longer hairstyles, which also give them greater flexibility when it comes to styling the hair to cover thinning areas of hair.

Hair loss can be a symptom of a medical condition so in that respect the presence of hair loss should be discussed with your doctor.

Each hair on our head goes through cycles (growth, resting, and then shedding). Everyone sheds hair and then starts the process of growing new hair every day. The balance that makes up this cycle can be disturbed by various factors which results in more hair being shed than grown. This results in hair loss that becomes noticeable as thinning hair or if it continues as balding. The common reasons the balance can be disturbed might be by the hair products we use that cause inflammation of the scalp, or by poor diet, stress, medication or even by certain illnesses such as being diabetic. Medications used in chemotherapy can also cause hair loss. The more uncommon reasons for hair loss would be poor blood circulation, infections such as fungal scalp infections or syphilis or medical skin conditions such as lupus. Certain cancers and hormone imbalance can also contribute to hair loss. It is also possible to experience hair loss when you suffer from liver or kidney failure.

Hair loss is usually noticed when more hair than normal appears on your brush or in your comb, or found on your pillow. There may also be more hair found in the shower drain. The real clincher is when you look in the mirror and notice a real difference in the thinning appearance of your hair or in the look of your receding hairline.

At this time, when the realization hits you that you are having a hair loss problem, this is the time to make an appointment to see your doctor to discuss what this means and find the cause for your hair loss. Hair loss can be stopped with treatment, future hair loss may even be preventable. Your doctor will be able to discuss the possibilities with you after examining you, running some tests and taking a medical history that includes recent and current medications and illnesses.

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