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ALOPECIA
:
Loss of hair (especially on the
head) or wool or feathers; in humans it can result from heredity
or hormonal imbalance or certain diseases or drugs and
treatments (chemotherapy for cancer)
Alopecia: A Look at Abnormal Hair Loss
Our hair grows in cycles, and at any given time, a small
percentage of our hair
follicles are at a point in the growth cycle where the hair is
shed in preparation for new hair to begin growing. Normal
individuals lose some hair every single day. While
previous estimates on what constitutes 'normal' hair loss have
been quoted as high as 100 to 150 hairs a day, recent studies
show that number to actually be closer to 35 to 40 hairs a day.
This means that you will see evidence of some shedding of hairs
as part of your normal grooming routine.
Yet what concerns us here isn't the normal shedding of the
hair, but rather
abnormal hair loss, also known as alopecia [al-oh-PEE-shah].
Alopecia is commonly found in three forms: androgenic alopecia
[an-druh-JEN-ik al-oh-PEE-shah], alopecia areata [al-oh-PEE-shah
air-ee-AH-tah], and postpartum alopecia. Each of these types of
alopecia is characterized as follows:
Androgenic Alopecia:
Androgenic alopecia, also called Androgenetic [an-druh-je-NET-ik]
alopecia, is
the most common form of alopecia and is the result of genetics,
aging, and hormonal
changes that combine to cause changes in the hair follicle.
These changes result in
the miniaturization of the terminal hair into vellus hair. The
condition can found in
individuals from their teens and upward in age. It is frequently
seen by the age of
forty.
By the age of thirty-five, some forty percent of both men and
women show some
degree of hair loss. With men, androgenic alopecia is often
evidenced by the thinning of the hair in the front and at the
crown of the head, progressing to the traditional horseshoe
shaped fringe of hair around the sides of the head. When it
occurs in men, androgenic alopecia is referred to as
'male-pattern baldness' and the condition affects approximately
forty million men in America alone.
In women, androgenic alopecia progresses as a generalized
thinning of the hair
all over the crown and top areas of the head. Among American
women, some twenty
million cases of androgenic alopecia are reported.
Alopecia Areata:
Alopecia areata is a skin disorder wherein the body's autoimmune
system
suddenly begins to attack the hair follicles. The hair loss from
alopecia areata is
typically seen in patches on the head and or body, and can
progress to the complete loss of hair from the head (called
alopecia totalis) and can even spread to result in loss of all
hair on the head and body (called alopecia universalis).
Alopecia areata can occur in both men and women of any race, and
any age, although it usually begins in childhood. In men, about
ten percent of the cases of alopecia areata result in loss of
facial hair (called alopecia barbae).
Alopecia areata is a fairly common disease affecting about 1.7
percent of the
world's population, with over 4.7 million cases reported in the
United States. Its
progression is often sporadic and can seem capricious. Patches
of hair can be lost in one location, and then re-grow normally,
and be lost again. It might also seem as
though the patches "move" over time, as an area of lost hair can
re-grow while new
patches of loss form on other places. Other people may find that
their alopecia areata begins as a small spot of hair loss, and
suddenly spreads, with or without re-growth in previously
affected areas. Still others find that their alopecia only ever
affects a single, small area.
Although alopecia is a common disease, it is not widely known,
and even though it is not life-threatening, its sporadic nature
and tendency toward recurrence often has profound psychological
effects on the sufferer. It can impact the person's life and
ability to function at school, work, and in social settings.
Postpartum Alopecia:
Another common form
of hair loss, postpartum alopecia is caused by hormonal
changes during the course of a pregnancy. The changes cause an
alteration in the
growth pattern of the hair follicles. There is usually very
little sign of these changes
during the pregnancy itself, but rather a sudden and very
excessive loss of hair from
three to nine months after the birth of the child. While this is
often very traumatic for
the new mother suffering from the hair loss, the hair's growth
cycle typically returns to normal within a year after the end of
the pregnancy.
There is a form of
alopecia related to postpartum alopecia called telogen
effluvium [TELL-oh-jen eh-FLU-vee-um], which refers to a
condition in which the growth cycles of the hair follicles have
shifted in such a way that abnormal numbers of follicles move
into the telogen (or resting) phase of the growth cycle. The
diffuse hair loss caused by telogen effluvium results in the
loss of as many as 400 hairs a day - around ten times the normal
rate of hair loss. The resultant hair loss is often difficult to
spot until about 25 percent of the hair has been lost. Telogen
effluvium can be aggravated by stress.
Other Forms of Alopecia:
While androgenic alopecia, alopecia areata, and postpartum
alopecia are the
most common causes of hair loss, there are others. These
conditions include:
Endocrine conditions:
Hypo- and Hyperthyroidism
Hypopituitarism
Hypoparathyroidism
Drug-induced conditions:
Oral contraceptives
Antibiotics
Vitamin A excess
Anticoagulants
Iron deficiency
Malnutrition:
Crash dieting
Severe chronic illnesses
The conditions listed above tend to result in diffuse
hair loss (an even loss of
hair from all over the head) and are usually not identifiable as
the cause of the hair
loss. For this reason, any time you suspect that you are
suffering from any abnormal hair loss, you should consult your
physician for proper and thorough testing of possible causes and
a clear diagnosis of the cause.
Through a wide
range of medical testing - including blood-chemistry tests and
skin biopsies - your physician can determine what is causing
your condition and offer treatment options and prognoses based
on the findings. You should never attempt to diagnose the cause
of abnormal hair loss on your own unless you are a qualified
medical professional. In some cases, abnormal hair loss can be
symptomatic of conditions that can have serious repercussions if
not treated. In other words, remember that your goal is to cure
the problem, not simply treat the symptom. |
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