If you notice more hair than normal in your hairbrush, you might be suffering from hair loss. Hair loss affects both men and women and can be a devastating blow to your self-esteem. It can be caused by certain medical conditions or scalp injuries, and treatment can involve medication or hair-replacement options.
Identification
It's normal to lose up to approximately 100 hairs each, day according to MedlinePlus. When you lose more hair than normal, you might be experiencing temporary or permanent hair loss. You also might suffer from hair loss even if hairs don't fall out, but instead become shorter and fail to grown beyond a certain length. This type of hair loss occurs in female pattern baldness, a condition characterized by thinning hair over the entire scalp, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Hormonal Hair Loss
Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male or female pattern baldness, is a hormonal form of hair loss that can be inherited from your mother or father. Male hormones, called androgens, are to blame for hormonal hair loss. The male hormone testosterone converts to dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, harming hair follicles, according to the American Hair Loss Association. Men who experience this condition notice a bald spot on the crown of the head, while women who have the condition experience thinning hair all over the scalp due to miniaturization of hairs.
Considerations
While men might experience androgenetic alopecia as early as their 20s or 30s, women usually begin noticing thinning hair after menopause, when hormone levels naturally decline. MedlinePlus reports that approximately 25 percent of men begin to bald by age 30 and two-thirds are bald or have a balding pattern by 60.
Other Causes
When injuries or trauma to the scalp damage hair follicles, new hair cannot grow from the follicles. Damage to the follicles can be temporary or permanent, depending on the severity of the injury. In addition to injuries from accidents or burns, follicles can be damaged if you consistently wear tight hair styles that pull on the hair follicles, develop fungal infections or ringworm of the scalp or purposely pull out your own hair as part of a psychological condition called trichotillomania. Temporary hair loss can occur if the hair spends more time than normal in the resting phase following a major illness, surgery or extreme stress.
Treatment
If you are a man who has androgenetic alopecia, you might benefit from taking the prescription medication finasteride. Finasteride inhibits the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, according to the American Hair Loss Association. The drug causes new growth and reduction in hair loss. Women who suffer from androgenetic alopecia might benefit from using minoxidil, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. Minoxidil is a topical medication that helps regrow hair. Minoxidil is not recommended as the first line of attack for me suffering from male pattern baldness, according to the American Hair Loss Association, but men who don't respond favorably to finasteride might wish to try minoxidil. Medications such as spironolactone and hormone replacement therapy might be helpful in reducing hair loss in women.
Treating underlying conditions can help resolve hair loss if it is due to a disease or infection. When medication isn't effective or hair loss is due to permanent damage to the hair follicles, a hair transplant might be recommended. During a hair transplant, doctors remove tiny sections of healthy hair from your scalp and transplant them to balding areas.
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