What type of hair loss do you have?

The average scalp contains about 100,000 to 150,000 hair. The normal hair life cycle lasts for 2 to 3 years. At any given point of time, about 90% of the hair on your scalp is growing and about 10% of the hair is in a resting phase. After 2-3 months, the resting hair is shed and new hair starts to grow in its place. It is normal to shed some hair every day. You lose roughly 100 hair strands every day. But, some people may experience more than normal hair loss. Partial or complete loss of hair is called alopecia.

If your hair loss is distinctly noticeable. you need to find out what kind of hair loss you are suffering from. The various different kinds of hair losses are:

Natural hair loss

The rate of hair growth slows as you age. Both men and women tend to lose hair thickness and amount as they age. If you notice gradual thinning of hair with age, then you have Involutional alopecia. More and more of your hair follicles go into a telogen (resting) phase. The remaining hair becomes shorter and fewer in number.

Temporary hair Loss

You may experience temporary hair loss over the scalp weeks to months after a stress episode like child birth, fever, severe illness, stress and sudden weight loss. The hair shedding will decrease after few months. Such type of hair loss is called Telogen effluvium. This happens due to changes in the growth cycle of hair. A large numbers of hairs are in the resting phase (telogen) at the same time. After 2-3 months, there is massive shedding and subsequent thinning.

 Male or female pattern baldness

If you are a male with a receding hairline and gradual disappearance of hair from the crown, you may be suffering from Androgenic alopecia referred to as male pattern baldness. In this condition, you may experience hair loss as early as in your teens or early 20s. Men with androgenic alopecia may notice hair loss at the top of the scalp and a receding hairline particularly along the temples. The typical pattern begins at the hairline which then gradually moves backward and forms an ‘M’ shape. Finally the hair becomes finer, shorter, and thinner, and creates a U-shaped pattern of hair around the sides of the head. Miniaturization is the progressive decrease of the hair shaft’s diameter and length in response to hormones causing thinning of hair. It is characteristic of androgenic alopecia. Hair follicles that are producing healthy hair begin to produce thinner (decreased in diameter), shorter, more brittle hair with weaker shafts. It is a genetically predisposed condition that can affect both men and women. If you are a woman with general hair thinning over the entire scalp and most extensive hair loss at the crown with front hairline intact, you may be suffering from androgenic alopecia referred to as female pattern baldness. The central hair part may become wider with time. As hair thinning occurs, the scalp becomes progressively more visible. The hair loss rarely progresses to total or near total baldness. You may notice hair thinning in your 20s but you are not very likely to experience noticeable thinning until your 40s or later because the pace of hair loss tends to be gradual.

Patchy hair loss

If you are a child or young adult with one to two totally smooth, round patches of hair loss, mostly on the scalp, you may be sufferinf from Alopecia areata. The hair loss may also be seen in the eyebrows, and arms, legs or beard. It is often sudden in onset. The hair usually grows back in 6 months to 1 year in one area but will fall out in another area. In some people the hair may become thinner without any patches of baldness. In some, it may grow and break off, leaving short stubs which resemble exclamation point. Alopecia areata is generally considered an autoimmune condition, in which the body attacks its own hair follicles. In alopecia totalis, an extensive form, the entire scalp goes bald. If you have complete loss of scalp hair and body hair, you have alopecia universalis. It is the most severe form of alopecia areata and can occur at any age. For severe forms, treatment includes injecting small amounts of steroids like triamcinolone into affected patches to stimulate hair growth. Other treatments such as oral steroids, immunosuppressives, Contact immunotherapy or Psoralen with Ultraviolet A Light (PUVA) therapy are available.

Tinea capitis or ringworm of the scalp

It’s fungal infection of the scalp which usually affects school-age children and goes away at puberty. It’s rare in healthy adults. It involves only parts or whole of the scalp. Hair breaks off at areas that are infected causing bald scalp with small black dots. The skin has inflamed (red swollen) round, scaly areas and pus-filled sores called kerions. You may have a low-grade fever or swollen lymph nodes in the neck. The scalp is itchy. It is contagious from sharing combs and hats.Once the infection is cured, the hair grows back. Griseofulvin, terbinafine or itraconazole are used for 4 – 8 weeks to treat ringworm in the scalp

Traction alopecia

This is a type of hair loss caused by force applied to the hair because of particular hairstyles. You may notice small, localized hair loss in certain areas caused by persistent pulling or force on hair roots. Tight braids and ponytails can pull hard enough on hair to make them fall out.

Hair pulling disorder

Some people have the habit of voluntarily twisting or pulling their own hair often the scalp and eyelashes. This is referred to as Trichotillomania. It is a psychological disorder seen most frequently in children. Hair patches in trichotillomania show broken-off hair.

Laser Therapy for Hair Loss

Laser therapy for hair loss treatment is very popular nowadays. The number of people facing the problem of hair loss or thinning hair is increasing. The reasons for this hair loss can be many. It can be due to the insufficient nutrients in the body, environmental pollution, unhealthy lifestyles, and even hereditary causes. Whatever the reason, hair loss can weaken a person emotionally the thought that you look older can be depressing.

If you are losing hair you need to analyze the cause of the problem and for most it is genetics, the good news is there are some effective treatments for hair loss One of the most popular treatments for hair loss is the Laser therapy for hair loss treatment. This is found to be very effective on the majority of the people and does not have any side effects.

How Laser therapy hair loss treatment works is based on the emission of laser beams. These laser beams of low energy are emitted onto the scalp of the person with hair loss. The hair follicles instantly pick up this energy and get stimulated. The blood circulation on the scalp also increases. This helps in the regrowth of your hair.

The laser therapy for hair loss treatments are being used after lot of research and studies. Research was first conducted on tissue cultures and lower organisms. This then evolved into the form of treatment for hair loss and is now prevalent and has been proven effective on most of the people undergoing the treatment.

Sometimes if a low level laser is being used for the treatment, you will be given supplements as part of the treatment. Laser therapy for hair loss treatments cannot be done in one session. It will require a minimum of 12-16 weeks using the laser 3 times per week.

Long Term Treatment for Hair Loss

A lot of people have been asking of an effective hair loss treatment that doesn’t have any harmful side effects. Presently, there are a lot of hair loss treatments on the market today, basically there are two types, ones that are taken internally and the ones applied topically or put on directly on the scalp.

A lot of doctors, would prescribe oral hair loss treatments because of its effectiveness in stopping hair further hair fall and stimulate new hair growth, but the downside of these treatments are its side effects, particularly on males which could eventually cause impotence. This causes a lot of men to make a very difficult decision to choose between their looks or sacrificing their mojo.

This occurs because of the inhibition dihydrotestosterone or DHT, an important male hormone. DHT comes from testosterone when acted upon by an enzyme called 5 alpha reductase. DHT contribute to a lot of functions in a male body, it literally transforms a boy to a man during puberty and it also strongly influence a mans mojo, without this hormone you will never get Charlie to stand when you need it.

Luckily, there are alternatives to oral treatments. Topical hair loss treatments like shampoos and tonics are directly applied on the scalp and its anti DHA properties affects only the scalp and does not enter systemically, therefore, not affecting the production of DHT whatsoever. This makes topical hair loss treatments safe even after years of use.

What’s great about topical treatments is that it can be use safely every day, even children can use it. When these treatments are used early, they can prevent hair loss from ever occurring.