Various Forms of Hair Loss

Baldness is of different types, and this is because there are different factors responsible for these various types of hair loss. Most of the types of hair loss are, however, temporary. In this write-up, we are going to look into the various types of hair loss that commonly affect people.

Involutional Alopecia

This is a completely natural condition. In this condition, the affected person loses hair gradually, and this is due to advancement in age. The problem occurs because many of the hair follicles are going into resting phase and only a few of the hair follicles are producing hair. Consequently, the hair thins out and only a few hairs remain on the head. This condition can affect both male and female equally.

Androgenic Alopecia

This type of alopecia occurs due to the accumulation of alopecia due to excess production of the hormone. This type is a genetic type of alopecia, and it can affect both male and female since both of them produce androgen. When it occurs in the male, the affected person can start experiencing baldness (male pattern baldness) in his early 20s. Some affected individuals even experience it as teenagers. The hair line will recede, and the hair at the crown and the frontal scalp will disappear gradually.

When it occurs in females, they do not start experiencing baldness until in their 40s; some experience it at a later age. In women, the hair starts thinning on the scalp, and most of the hair at the crown will be lost. It is called female pattern baldness in the female.

Alopecia Areta

This type of hair loss starts without warning. It can occur in both young adults and children. They start experiencing patchy hair loss. If care is not taken, the baldness will become permanent and result in a condition known as alopecia totalis. Research showed that hair grows back in 90% of cases after few years of experiencing baldness associated with this condition

Alopecia Universalis

This is a more expensive form of alopecia. While most of the others mentioned earlier affect only the scalp and one or two other parts of the body, this type of hair loss affects every part of the body; this means hair loss occurs in virtually every place where hair grows on the body. Hairs will disappear from the scalp, the eyebrow, the eyelashes, and so on.

Trichotillomania

This is a self-inflicted kind of hair loss. In this type of alopecia, the individual pulls out his or her hairs with his or her hands. However, it is a psychological condition, and the affected person does the pulling without realizing what he or she is doing. It can occur at any age, but it occurs most frequent in children.

Telogen Effluvium

This is another form of hair loss, and it is a temporary type. The affected person starts experiencing thinning of hair on the scalp, and it is simply due to change in the growth cycle of the hair. So many hair follicles go into resting phase at the stage, and this will cause the hair to shed off, leading to thinning subsequently.