Alopecia

Alopecia is simply a medical term that describes hair loss, or baldness, as well as, still not very well understood hair loss disease alopecia areata, which affects male and female, young or old. Androgenic alopecia or pattern baldness is the most common condition that mostly affects adult male of all ages.

• The Types of Alopecia
• Treatment of Alopecia
• Regaining Confidence
• The Types of Alopecia

There are several types of Hair Loss or Baldness (alopecia) in men and women which are listed below:

Pattern baldness (Androgenetic Alopecia): Accounts for over 90% of all pattern hairloss in both men and women. It is the progressive and gradual loss of hair in certain areas of the scalp. Affects men from early twenties and in some cases earlier, but generally 40’s are the worst period. After menopause Women can also be affected. The hair follicles in certain areas are thought to be affected by the hormone Dihydrotestosteron (DHT). These areas are commonly in the front and the top of the scalp. The rest of the hair follicles on the sides do not seem to get affected at all. Pattern baldness is hereditary, can be inherited from either parent and is due to atrophy (A decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse) of hair follicles.

Patchy baldness (alopecia areata): This condition presents itself as patchy areas of the scalp clearly defined. Can happen in both sexes. Large chunks can come off while brushing. The cause is believed to be nervous stress and mostly following infectious diseases such as pnumonia, influenza, typhoid. It can also follow operations and childbirth. Hair will, in most cases grow back, usually in white color first, regaining its natural color gradually. Cortisone injections or pills can help to treat the condition, although new patches continue to occur. Minoxidil (5% Solution) is also used for treatment with some degree of success. Many Creams or ointments are available, but these should be looked at with a lot of scepticism.

Seborrheic alopecia: Resulting in excessive dandruff and scales and excessive hair loss while brushing. Dandruff is not the cause of this disorder and is associated with excessive consumption of oily foods and vitamins primarily vitamin A.

Senile baldness (involutional alopecia): This is the normal loss of hair around the crown and temples, both in men and women, as the age starts advancing. Men are a larger target for this condition then women.

Toxic baldness: This condition is due to certain toxic substances, chemicals and drugs taken into the system. Certain treatments for cancer or liver diseases — chemotherapy or radiation therapy, steroids –and oral contraceptives are main culprits. Industrial chemicals such as neoprene is known to cause this condition also.

Trichotillomania (Traction alopecia): Caused from abuse by pulling or twisting of the hair resulting breaking of the hair shaft. Children are most affected because of their habit of playing with their hair. Certain hair dressing practices such as hair curling or straightening can also cause this condition.

Telogen Effluvium: Caused by certain events in life that alter the hair growth and simultaneously force follicles start resting phase. This can result in a moult or major hair loss that can be quite traumatic. The condition can follow certain life-events such as stress, severe illnesses, some medications, surgery, childbirth, poor nutrition, discontinuation of contraceptives, hemorrhages. The condition may reverse in time leaving less dense hair in most cases.

Treatment of Alopecia

Roughly two percent of the whole population suffer from alopecia areata half of which resolve within the first year. Around ten percent become totally bald, and another one percent end up losing all their body hair as well, inclusive of eyelashes and eyebrows.The latter is referred to as Alopecia Universalis. Treatment of alopecia areata is practiced through many ways which include injections of triamcinolone acetate, Topical steroids, minoxidil, finestride and anthralin. In severe cases treatment such as topical immunotherapy, or phototherapy may be employed. There are literaly thousands of products out on the market that subtly claim that they will grow hair. These range from shampoos to ointments to vitamins to herbal concoctions.

Only two products (minoxidil and finestride) are approved by FDA in USA,that are considered to help grow hair and as such they can advertise that they do. FDA approval, apart from being tough is also very expensive; so only very large drug companies can afford the cost. This may disadvantage other products that may actually work. But logically and practically thinking, if there was a product out there that grew hair in majority of the cases, everyone soon would hear about it. Our personal opinion is that almost all hair growth products out there are a total waste of time and money and dissillusionment for the desperate sufferers, that only benefit the owners of these products who fill in their pockets selling 20 cents worth of questionable ingredients for $20, and that, in many cases includes the FDA approved products. One must also not forget the unknown or known long term nasty side effects of all these products.

With DNA research advancing at the current rate, it is inevitable that soon there will be a solid answer to hair loss problem, especially Pattern Baldness which is obviously genetic in nature. It may be wise to wait for this discovery another few years before making a mistake that may have nasty consequences. Meanwhile, it may be safer to consider many visual and temporary harmless solutions available at little cost.



Regaining Confidence

Alopecia or baldness can be tough on self confidence, especially towards the other sex. Embarrassment at work place or social events can be psychologically trying. Certain professions that rely heavily on looks such as entertainers, actors and to a certain degree sales professionals and managers are more affected than other professions. Today’s fashion accepts baldness in men as trendy; however the way one feels about hair is a personal thing and no two people feel the same way. Wigs are used widely; however they are mostly detectable and can cause more stress due to this fact. One must also think about the cost in terms of not only the purchase price but also, in most cases, monthly maintanence costs. The types that are glued to the scalp should be avoided as these will do more harm than good. Unscrupulous businesses use fancy phrases to make these sound like integration or strand by strand, etc., but the fact is they are just wigs stuck or tied to the scalp and come with a hefty maintanence cost.

Expensive Hair transplants are rarely satisfactory and a risk factor is associated with bad jobs done by bad surgeons. Horror stories can be found on every hair forum and should be read by anyone who is entertaining the idea. In most cases the transplanted hair is sparse and has to be complimented with hair thickening sprays. Also in many cases the hair will not stay on and fall out, leaving scarring. The transplant hair is cut out of the back of the scalp in a long strip and the area stitched back, leaving a scar in all cases. If one contemplates shaving his head one day, these scars may not be the look they may be after.

However transplants that are more for filling in and where the hairs are singly planted — not plugs or multi grafting (see photo) — may be an answer to add extra hair to the existing non-bald head. Of all the ways that are available to alopecia sufferers the easiest, cheapest and quickest one to gain confidence back may be using cosmetic products that will in most cases eliminate the visual effects of hair loss and return the original fullness back. Hair thickening sprays are easy to use, the results are instant and there are no side effects associated.

Enlarged samples with fine detail that can be viewed in Photos page show what can be achieved with hair thickeners. However, it is important to make sure that the product is well proven to be safe — preferably with natural ingredients — to avoid any irritation that may cause problems. It is also important that the spray is not just a messy spray paint but one that is formulated to thicken and bring back to life the invisible fine hair fibers that are your own, with a totally natural look.