Hair loss occurs in both men and women and neither gender is too happy about it. Some people embrace their baldness but for many, hair loss is embarrassing. The bad news is hair loss is unavoidable for some (we’ll touch on that more later); the good news is it’s treatable. Revive Medical Center works with both male and female patients to address their hair loss and help them enjoy a full head of hair once again. Here is some information on hair loss and what commonly causes it.
Hair Loss Symptoms
There are different types of hair loss that are caused by different things. Depending on the cause, you might experience one of the following hair loss symptoms:
- Top-of-the-Head Thinning: This hair loss is the most common and it causes the hair to recede from the hairline in men and older women and younger women to notice their part is wider than it used to be.
- Bald Spots: Men can experience patchy and/or circular bald spots on their heads, facial hair, and eyebrows. Women, too, can end up with circular or patchy bald spots on their heads and eyebrows.
- Loose Hair: If you are under tremendous emotional or physical stress, or if you have had a great shock lately, you might notice your hair coming out in clumps on your combs, brushes, and in your hands.
- Body Hair Loss: Those suffering from cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatments will often lose the hair on the top of their head and all over their body. Hair usually grows back once chemo ends.
- Scaly Patches With Hair Loss: If you have patchy scales on your scalp that are going bald, you might have ringworm. The hair falls out and you’re left with red, swelling, and oozing skin.
Hair loss isn’t always caused by something bad. It can be normal. Either way, baldness can also be treated. The key is to determine what’s causing the hair loss and then coming up with a treatment plan.
Hair Loss Causes
If you see hair in your brush and in the shower and bathroom sink every day, don’t panic just yet. Everyone loses up to 100 hairs a day. You don’t know that you’re losing that much hair because you grow more to replace it. When you stop growing hair to replace that which is lost is when you start having hair loss. Common causes of hair loss include
- Genetics: Your family history can affect your likelihood of losing your hair.
- Hormonal Changes: As we age and our bodies produce fewer hormones, we can start losing our hair.
- Medical Conditions: Alopecia areata and trichotillomania are just two medical conditions that cause hair loss.
- Medications: Certain medications and supplements can cause hair loss.
- Radiation: Chemotherapy and radiation treatments can make your hair fall out.
- Stress: Excessive stress can also cause hair loss, especially if you begin pulling out your hair (trichotillomania) to cope.
- Hair Treatments: Hairstyling chemicals, excessive pulling, tight hairstyles, hot oil treatments, and other hair treatments can cause hair loss.
- Malnutrition: Those who eat a poor diet and/or experience significant weight loss can also lose their hair.
You don’t have to lose your hair over losing your hair. Revive Medical Center is located in Lawrenceville, GA, and we help our patients avoid baldness and restore healthy heads of beautiful hair. Call us to set up an appointment.
