Hair los in women is general and ca...

Hair los in women is general and can be very upsetting. It can happen anywhere in succession the body but most frequently happens on the scalp.

The medical name for hair loss is alopecia. (Say: al-oh-pee-sha)

patterns of Hair Loss

There are four main kinds of hair los They have different causes.

Androgenetic Alopecia. (Say: an-droh-jen-et-ick al-oh-pee-sha) This is the greatest in number common type of hair los in men and women The hair los happens above the forehead and onward the top and back of the head. In men it is called "male pattern baldness."

In women the hair los has a similar pattern further is usually not as bad. Instead of slowly losing all the hair in the areas that men do, women's hair slowly thins in these areas. The hair los usually starts forward the crown of the head and act upons forward.

Men and women have one as well as the other male and female hormones, on the contrary in different amounts. A male hormone causes androgenetic alopecia. chiefly women with androgenetic alopecia do not have more of this hormone than other women However, they are more sensitive to the hormone.

Alopecia Areata. (Say: al-oh-pee-sha air-ee-ah-tah) This is a patchy mark of hair loss. People with alopecia areata might have common or two small bare taints or lose all of the hair upon their head.

the couple men and women get alopecia areata. It can begin at any age, moreover often starts in childhood. It happens when, for unknown reasons, the body's immune body attacks the cells that swell hair.

Telogen Effluvium. (Say: tell-oh-jen eh-floo-vee-em) This is a quick loss of hair. It is usually not permanent. Women with telogen effluvium notice a allotment more hair on their hairbrush or shower floor.

Telogen effluvium is caused from stress. It can be emotional stres as it is as from a death in the family; or physical stres similar as from an illness or surgery an women have hair loss after pregnancy. Also, many medicines can cause hair loss

In race who have telogen effluvium, a larger than normal number of hair follicles (roots) become inactive. Then the hairs growing from these follicles fall on the outside After a month or pair the follicles become active again, and recent hair starts to grow.

Traumatic Alopecia. Hair care practices, of that kind as braiding hair too tightly, can cause hair los Also, twisting and tugging at hair across and over again can cause the hair to fall out

Diagnosing Your Hair Loss

Your doctor will ask you about your hair los fresh illnesses, and the medicines you take. Your doctor will also check the pattern of your hair los If the cause is not clear, small pieces of your scalp might be remov and proofed This is called a biopsy.

Treatment

Androgenetic Alopecia. The sole recommended treatment is minoxidil solution (brand name: Rogaine). You apply minoxidil to your scalp twice a day for several month This treatment helps about half of women

Alopecia Areata. If your hair los is mild, you may not ne treatment. Sometimes alopecia areata come bys better or goes away forward its own.

If you ne treatment, your doctor might inject your bald reproach with a medicine called a steroid. Your doctor might also have you apply minoxidil solution, a steroid cream or lotion, or anthralin cream (brand name: Psoriatec). If your hair los is spreading quickly, you might ne to take a steroid pill.

If you have forfeited more than half of your scalp hair, your doctor might have you behold a dermatologist. A dermatologist is a doctor with special training in the treatment of skin diseases. The dermatologist might have you use medicines that could procure your hair to grow again.

Sometimes treatment does not improve alopecia areata. uniform when the scalp responds to treatment, it may take a hardly any months for new hair to grow

Telogen Effluvium. It is important to know the cause of your hair los If it was caused by means of a medicine, your doctor might be able to switch you to a different medicine. If your hair los was caused according to stress, your hair should begin to swell back in a few month after the stressful adventure is over.

Other Measures. If your hair los doesn't secure better with treatment, many tokens of wigs are available. Mini-graft hair transplants are another option.

Hair Care and Styling

You may wash your hair as ofttimes as you wish. Having your hair styl or teased will not make your hair los worse. Also, hair sprays, hair color, and permanents will not make you waste more hair.

For More Information:

If you have alopecia areata, you can obtain more information from this group:

National Alopecia Areata Foundation Telephone: 1-415-472-3780 Web address: www.alopeciaareata.com.

Information forward all kinds of hair disorders is available at this Web address: www.keratin.com.

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group