Types of hair loss
There are many types of hair loss. It is often categorized according to when it takes place during the hair growth cycle: anagen, catagen, and telogen.
- The anagen phase is when your hair grows—your hair follicle forms a new hair shaft. Most (90%) of the hair on your scalp is in a growing phase that lasts from 2 to 6 years.
- The catagen phase follows the anagen stage. This is a 1- to 2-week transition stage between anagen and telogen. Less than 1% of your scalp hair is in this phase.
- The telogen stage is the rest stage. At the end of this 3- to 4-month phase, some of your hair falls out. Losing up to 100 hairs a day is normal. When a hair falls out, a new hair is grown in the same hair follicle, and the growing cycle begins again.
Androgenic alopecia is inherited hair loss. In this type of hair loss, the growth (anagen) cycle becomes shorter and shorter. The hair follicles sprout hairs that are thinner than normal. The hairs become thinner and thinner, and eventually the follicles wither away.
Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss that is caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles. This type of hair loss begins to get worse when hair follicles enter the rest (telogen) phase too soon.
Telogen effluvium has many causes. In this type of hair loss, large numbers of hairs enter the resting phase (telogen), which causes shedding and thinning. Usually no more than 50% of the hair is affected, and hair loss may occur up to 3 months after the event that causes it.1 Causes include:
- Mental stress or physical stress, such as recent surgery, illness, or high fever.
- Poor nutrition, especially lack of protein or iron in the diet.
- Side effects of medications, such as blood thinners (anticoagulants).
- Changes in hormone levels, such as those that occur after childbirth, when taking birth control pills, or at menopause.
Two types of hair loss not related to the hair growth cycle are trichotillomania and traction alopecia.
- Trichotillomania is a compulsive behavior in which a person pulls hair out of the scalp, eyelashes, or eyebrows. There is usually mounting tension before pulling the hair and a feeling of relief afterward.
- Traction alopecia involves hair loss around the edge of the hairline and is especially noticeable around the face and forehead. It is caused by your method of hairstyling. Certain hairstyles can pull hair too tight; for example, tight braids or tight ponytails can cause hair loss.
Hair Loss Prevention
Hair loss that is caused by medications, stress, lack of protein or iron, or hair care may be prevented. Avoiding certain medications, reducing stress, getting adequate protein and iron in your diet, and using hairstyles that do not damage your hair may reduce or prevent hair loss.
Inherited hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) cannot be prevented.
Is hair loss normal?
Everyone loses some hair every day. Losing up to 100 hairs a day is normal.
Hair loss is a natural daily occurrence. Every hair on your head adheres to a genetically programmed schedule that includes growth, resting and shedding. On the average, 50 to 100 hairs are lost each day, but most hair regrows because the follicle remains. When shedding significantly exceeds growth, baldness occurs.
But if hair loss runs in your family, you could lose a lot more hair. Over time, you may end up with bald spots or hair that slowly gets thinner. About half of all people have this type of hair loss by around age 50.
Other factors, such as diseases and medicines, also can cause you to lose more hair than normal.
Although hair loss is fairly common, it can be a tough thing to live with, especially when it changes how you look. But there are ways you can treat your hair loss.
What causes hair loss?
Common causes of hair loss include:
Heredity. In most cases, hair loss is inherited, which means it’s passed down from one or both of your parents. This is called male-pattern or female-pattern hair loss.
Stress, including physical stress from surgery, illness, or high fever.
Chemotherapy, which is powerful medicine that destroys cancer cells.
Damage to your hair from pulling it back too tightly, wearing tight braids or ponytails, or using curling irons or dyes.
Age, since you grow less hair as you get older. Hair also gets thinner and tends to break more easily as you age.
Poor diet, especially not getting enough protein or iron.
Thyroid diseases, like hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.
Ringworm of the scalp, which is common in children.
What are the symptoms?
Your symptoms will depend on what kind of hair loss you have.
If your hair is thinning, it happens slowly over time, so you may not notice the hairs falling out. If your hair is shedding, then clumps of hair fall out. You may lose hair all over your scalp, which is called general hair loss. Or you may lose hair only in one area, which is called focal hair loss.
With inherited hair loss, men usually get bald spots around the forehead or on the top of the head, while women have thinning all over the scalp.
Since your hair has a lot to do with your appearance, losing it may cause you to have lower self-esteem if you don't like how you look. This is especially true in women and teens.
How is hair loss diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask you some questions, like how much hair you're losing, when it started, and whether your parents have hair loss. He or she will look closely at your scalp and hair-loss pattern and may gently pull out a few hairs for tests.
If it’s not clear what’s causing you to lose your hair, your doctor may do a blood test or look at a sample of your hair or scalp with a microscope.
How is it treated?
How you choose to treat your hair loss depends on the cause. It also depends on your feelings. You may decide that you need treatment, or you may not be worried about thinning hair or baldness. The choice is up to you.
Hair loss that runs in the family can be treated with medicines or with surgery, such as a hair transplant. Some people choose to wear hairpieces, like wigs or toupees (say "too-PAYZ"). Finding different ways of styling your hair, like dyeing or combing, also can help. If hair loss is caused by something you can control, like stress or medicines, you can treat it by getting rid of the cause.
When you are deciding about treatment, think about these questions:
Which treatment is most likely to work?
How long will it take?
Will it last?
What are the side effects and other risks?
How much will it cost,?
Will your hair grow back?
When your hair loss is inherited, your hair won't grow back naturally.
Treatment can help some hair grow back and prevent more from falling out, but you probably won't get all your hair back. And treatment doesn't work for everyone.
When medicines, stress, or hair damage cause you to lose your hair, it often will grow back after you take away the cause. If this doesn't help, you may need other treatment.
If you're unhappy with how hair loss makes you look, treatment may boost your self-esteem. It’s natural to want to like the way you look.
Cosmetic approaches to hair loss include:
Wearing hairpieces or having weaves. Hairpieces are made from human or synthetic hair that is implanted into a nylon netting. Hairpieces may be attached to the scalp with glue, metal clips, or tape. Hair weaving involves sewing or braiding pieces of long hair into existing hair.