The Different Types of Hair Loss

There can be many causes for hair loss, and hair loss can be temporary or permanent. It is important to identify the type of hair loss and its root cause in order to determine the best treatment for it.

Hair Loss Types and Causes

Hairloss can have many causes like pollution, exposure to heat and dust, infections, heredity, hormonal causes etc.

Alopecia is the medical term for baldness. There are many forms of alopecia and general hair loss. Before we look at this, let us take a brief look at hair growth cycle, as this is a factor in many hair loss conditions

Hair Growth Cycle

Hair normally goes through a growth cycle, and groups of hair on your scalp may be in different stages of growth. The first stage is Anagen or growth phase which can last for up to seven years. Around 70 to 80% of your hair is in this phase at any time.

The second is the Catagen or transitional stage, when hair slowly progresses from growth to the rest phase. Catagen usually lasts only up to a week or so.

The third is the Telogen stage which is the resting phase for hair, hair shafts and follicles become thin and eventually fall out, inducing new hair growth This period lasts for upto 3 months, after which these hair return to the Anagen or growth phase.

Involutional Alopecia

This occurs normally with age. As you become older, more of your hair goes into the resting or telogen phase. Because of  age related factors, even the hair that is not in the telogen phase become thinner and brittle, causing more hair loss.

Anagen Effluvium

This condition is normally the side-effect of chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to treat cancer. This causes hair in the growth phase to fall out. This condition is mostly temporary and the lost hair grows again after two or three months.

Telogen Effluvium

A sudden disruption in the growth cycle causes more hair to enter the resting or Telogen phase, resulting in thinner hair that soon fall out. This is generally caused by physical stress that is the result of factors like an accident, surgery, severe illness, etc. This is also usually a temporary condition.

Traction Alopecia

Constantly wearing your hair in tight ponytails pinned up at the top, wearing hair buns, wearing your hair in multiple tight braids etc., can all cause too much stress on the hair, making it more prone to breakage and hair loss.

Trichorrhexis Nodosa

These are weak points on the hair shafts increasing hair breakages. This is caused by too much styling - using heat to straighten hair, using curlers, using harsh chemicals on your hair and so on. Identify the triggers and avoid them.

Alopecia Areata

Bald patches show up on the head, usually round patches scattered around the scalp. This condition is an autoimmune disorder. The body’s immune system fails to recognize healthy hair follicles and begins to attack them as intruders. This condition may be hereditary.

There are three forms of this condition the most common being Alopecia Areata or scattered patches of hair loss on the scalp. Alopecia Totalis results in complete hair loss on the scalp. Alopecia Universalis causes complete hair loss, both on the head and throughout the body, including eyebrows and eyelashes.

Androgenic Alopecia

This is the most common form of baldness, more prevalent in men, but can also affect women due to hormonal imbalance. This is a hereditary form of baldness. In those who are prone to this condition, the hormone dihydrotestosterone destroys healthy hair follicles, causing permanent hair loss. This creates a pattern baldness, with receding hairlines in men, and thinning hair density in women.

There are also other causes for hair loss, like fungal or bacterial infection which attack the scalp and weaken the hair follicles. Protein deficiency and other nutritional deficiencies can also lead to hair loss.

Identifying the hair loss type and causes helps determine the solution for your hair loss. Depending on the severity and causes, you may just need a good hair rejuvenation treatment. In severe baldness, you may have to go for hair transplant.

If you are looking for hair revitalizing and hair regrowth solutions, visit Kaya Clinic. A consultation session will involve hair and scalp examination, and identifying the type of hair loss and the root cause. Kaya has many hair restoration therapies, hair care products, and also offers a hair regrowth by hair transplant treatment. Kaya uses the Follicuar Unit Extraction method for hair transplantation.