Hair Loss - Baldness

Hair loss can be caused by many factors, the most common being Male Pattern Baldness, which affects more than 40% of the male population. Women also suffer from hair loss, although the causes can be quite different than in men - almost 40% of women will suffer some type of hair loss by age 60.

Baldness can be quite a degrading condition for millions of men and women, and can lead to psychological problems and feelings of self-worthlessness. But the scientific discoveries in recent years have made the treatments for balding more effective, and like all medical conditions, if you act on the problem when it is in it's infancy, you've got a better chance of minimizing the affects, or even reversing the condition.

The causes for hair loss are many and varied. Genetic (Male/Female Pattern Baldness) is obviously the most common, but there are other very common causes such as

1. hormonal imbalance (especially in women)
2. illnesses
3. poor diet
4. poor hygiene
5. drug abuse
6. stress

But these are just the core issues that contribute to the hair loss. To get a better understanding of exactly how the hair stops to reproduce entails a bit of a light scientific look at how hair grows in the first place.....

Hair grows in 3 stages. In the first stage (Anagen) a new hair is produced and this is the stage where growth occurs. In the Catagen (Regressive) stage, the hair has stopped growing but is yet shed. The final stage (Telogen) the hair is resting and eventually falls out, and a new one begins to grow. In males, DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) miniaturizes hair follicles by shortening the Anagen stage and at the same time can also lengthen the Telogen stage. This is usually a gradual process, and the end result is an increase in the number of short, thin hairs which are barely visible above the scalp.

There is hope, because while any hair is growing then various treatments can be administered to re-balance/block the DHT and promote healthier hair growth once again.

 Footnote: some of the known causes of hair loss (courtesy hlcc).

• Androgenetic Alopecia - male or female pattern baldness
• Auto immune diseases - an immune reaction attacks the hair follicles, producing antibodies that attack these tissues as if they were foreign invaders.
• Androgenic Alopecia - the body's immune system is sensitized to increased levels of DHT in the scalp causing hair loss in these high concentrated DHT areas. 
• Alopecia totalis, universalis - immune sensitivity to a substance other than DHT. 
• Connective tissue disease - causes scarring of skin, loss of circulation to hair follicle and autoimmune reaction leading to temporary or permanent loss of hair 
• Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Scleroderman, MCTD.
• Exposure to toxic chemicals - Tobacco smoke contains hundreds of lethal and damaging chemicals which can accelerate normal hair loss and retard effects of medication and surgical restoration. This effect can result either from being a smoker or from second hand smoke.
• Radiation exposure - Irradiation therapy or exposure to radiation from any source can cause localized or total hair loss, which may be permanent if the dose is high enough.
• Iron deficiency anemia - very common with woman but also can affect men.
• Hormonal changes - due to pregnancy, birth control pills and menopause.
• Thyroid disease - either hypothyroid or hyperthyroid disease causes hair to become brittle and break resulting in localized or generalized loss. Correction of the thyroid condition usually causes hair to regrow.
• Stress - usually temporary and transient of the alopecia areata type.
• Drug interactions - certain vitamins prescription and over the counter, may have individual and non specific side effects of hair loss. Usually, when the medication is discontinued, the hair regrows. Tell your health care provider all medications you are taking and try to have one pharmacist fill all prescriptions and over the counter products. 
• Excessive Vitamin A 
• Individual reaction to illness or a personal sensitivity to the environment - Alopecia can be a reaction to your environment where hair loss is almost like an allergic reaction.
• Chemotherapy
• Fungal and Bacterial Infections - impetigo and tinea capitis.