Hair Loss Pal » About Hair Loss

Male and female pattern baldness

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:44:19 +0000

Male pattern baldness or hair loss is really common. But there are also female pattern baldness. Just like male pattern baldness, female baldness also can lose hair at the crown or hairline. In most cases, female baldness is thinning of hair all over the head.

It is permanent and unfortunately there are still not many treatment options available for female pattern baldness. The FDA has approved minoxidil 2% for female pattern baldness treatment. It work 20% of the time. However, it is costly and time consuming. Many women use hair weaving, hairpieces, or wigs to cover the baldness. Like the male pattern baldness, this is also caused by genes plus hormone changes. In most case, it is part of aging process.

Does hair dye cause hair loss?

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:07:39 +0000

Most people start getting gray hair around the age of 35. Around 40 many people, especially women start dying their hair to cover up the gray hair. However, many younger women also dye their hair just to get a different color. But does hair dye really cause hair loss? Yes, it can cause hair loss. Especially if you use it for many years.

Normally people lose roughly 100 hairs from their head every day and the average scalp contains around 100,000 hairs. That hair loss 0.1% of the hair an average person has. But the lost hair is replaced by new ones. You get a problem when the new ones stop growing. So hair loss itself is not a problem, the issues lies in your body’s failure to produce new hair.

The best way to void hair loss is not to do anything that could harm the growth of new hair. That includes unnecessary hair dyes.

Personal hair loss experience

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:54:15 +0000

I first started losing my hair in my early 20′s. I noticed that it started to get thin in the top front and someone once pointed out that I was getting a bald spot in the back of my head. I was shocked when I looked in the mirror at the barber and saw my scalp in a small round circle. But at the time I thought there was nothing I could do about it.

Then I read an article in the Readers Digest about a new hair growth product and how it came to be. The story was that the company had a request from one of their researchers about a new blood pressure medicine that was having an undesirable side effect. The blood pressure medicine grew hair and the researcher wanted to find out how to make it stop. The medication apparently encouraged the circulation in the tiny blood vessels around the roots of hairs ( along with improving circulation elsewhere ) that caused the hairs to revive and start growing again.

The company made some minor changes to the blood pressure medicine to be able to market a hair growth product. I have been using it for years now and I still have most of my hair. My brother ( who does not use the product ) is completely bald. Hair loss is not an easy problem to resolve, but it can be fought.

What Causes Hair Loss in Teens and Adults?

admin — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:57:30 +0000

Both men and women can suffer from hair loss, including teenagers. Many factors contribute to abnormal hair loss including nutritional deficiency, hormone imbalance, stress, or diseases. The most common cause of early hair loss is adrogenetic alopecia, meaning baldness.

Scientists do not yet know why and what causes adrogenetic alopecia. Men and women both produce androgenic hormones which include Dihydrotestosterone, androsteinedione, and testosterone (DHT). People do not go bald overnight. It is a rather gradual process that can be slow and fast.

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What Causes alopecia areata and hair loss?

megdilts — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:31:31 +0000

In alopecia areata, immune system cells called white blood cells attack the rapidly growing cells in the hair follicles that make the hair. The affected hair follicles become small and drastically slow down hair production. Fortunately, the stem cells that continually supply the follicle with new cells do not seem to be targeted. So the follicle always has the potential to regrow hair.

Scientists do not know exactly why the hair follicles undergo these changes, but they suspect that a combination of genes may predispose some people to the disease. In those who are genetically predisposed, some type of trigger–perhaps a virus or something in the person’s environment–brings on the attack against the hair follicles.

Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Alopecia areata can lead to hair loss on the scalp

megdilts — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:56:04 +0000

Alopecia areata is considered an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system, which is designed to protect the body from foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria, mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, the tiny cup-shaped structures from which hairs grow. This can lead to hair loss on the scalp and elsewhere.

In most cases, hair falls out in small, round patches about the size of a quarter. In many cases, the disease does not extend beyond a few bare patches. In some people, hair loss is more extensive. Although uncommon, the disease can progress to cause total loss of hair on the head (referred to as alopecia areata totalis) or complete loss of hair on the head, face, and body (alopecia areata universalis).

Source: the National Institutes of Health

How do people inherit androgenetic alopecia?

megdilts — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:53:04 +0000

The inheritance pattern of androgenetic alopecia is unclear because many genetic and environmental factors are likely to be involved. This condition tends to cluster in families, however, and having a close relative with patterned hair loss appears to be a risk factor for developing the condition.

Source: the National Library of Medicine

What genes are related to androgenetic alopecia (hair loss)?

megdilts — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:40:03 +0000

The AR gene is associated with androgenetic alopecia.

A variety of genetic and environmental factors likely play a role in causing androgenetic alopecia. Although researchers are studying risk factors that may contribute to this condition, most of these factors remain unknown. Researchers have determined that this form of hair loss is related to hormones called androgens, particularly an androgen called dihydrotestosterone. Androgens are important for normal male sexual development before birth and during puberty. Androgens also have other important functions in both males and females, such as regulating hair growth and sex drive.

Hair growth begins under the skin in structures called follicles. Each strand of hair normally grows for 2 to 6 years, goes into a resting phase for several months, and then falls out. The cycle starts over when the follicle begins growing a new hair. Increased levels of androgens in hair follicles can lead to a shorter cycle of hair growth and the growth of shorter and thinner strands of hair. Additionally, there is a delay in the growth of new hair to replace strands that are shed.

Although researchers suspect that several genes play a role in androgenetic alopecia, variations in only one gene, AR, have been identified in people with this condition. The AR gene provides instructions for making a protein called an androgen receptor. Androgen receptors allow the body to respond appropriately to dihydrotestosterone and other androgens. Studies suggest that variations in the AR gene lead to increased activity of androgen receptors in hair follicles. It remains unclear, however, how these genetic changes increase the risk of patterned hair loss in men and women with androgenetic alopecia.

Researchers continue to investigate the connection between androgenetic alopecia and other medical conditions, such as coronary heart disease and prostate cancer in men and polycystic ovary syndrome in women. They believe that some of these disorders may be associated with elevated androgen levels, which may help explain why they tend to occur with androgen-related hair loss. Other hormonal, environmental, and genetic factors that have not been identified also may be involved.

Source: the National Library of Medicine

How common is androgenetic alopecia?

megdilts — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:37:45 +0000

Although androgenetic alopecia is a frequent cause of hair loss in both men and women, it is more common in men. This form of hair loss affects an estimated 35 million men in the United States. Androgenetic alopecia can start as early as a person’s teens and risk increases with age; more than 50 percent of men over age 50 have some degree of hair loss. In women, hair loss is most likely after menopause.

Source: the National Library of Medicine

What is androgenetic alopecia?

megdilts — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:28:19 +0000

Androgenetic alopecia is a common form of hair loss in both men and women. In men, this condition is also known as male-pattern baldness. Hair is lost in a well-defined pattern, beginning above both temples. Over time, the hairline recedes to form a characteristic “M” shape. Hair also thins at the crown (near the top of the head), often progressing to partial or complete baldness.

The pattern of hair loss in women differs from male-pattern baldness. In women, the hair becomes thinner all over the head, and the hairline does not recede. Androgenetic alopecia in women rarely leads to total baldness.

Androgenetic alopecia in men has been associated with several other medical conditions including coronary heart disease and enlargement of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland in males that is located below the bladder. Additionally, prostate cancer, disorders of insulin resistance (such as diabetes and obesity), and high blood pressure (hypertension) have been related to androgenetic alopecia. In women, androgenetic alopecia is associated with an increased risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is characterized by a hormonal imbalance that can lead to irregular menstruation, acne, excess body hair (hirsutism), and weight gain.

Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine