AllRefer Health - Caring for your Well Being

Home | About | FAQs | Contact Us

AllRefer Channels :: Yellow Pages | Reference | Health  

Symptoms Guide
Select & Go
 Diet & Nutrition
 Diseases & Conditions 
 Injuries & Wounds
 Poisons & Overdoses
 Surgery & Procedures 
 Symptoms Guide
 Special Topics
 Tests & Exams
 Pictures & Images
 Medical Encyclopedia

You are here : AllRefer.com > Health > Medical Symptoms > Hair loss

Hair loss

Alternate Names : Loss of hair, Alopecia, Baldness, Telogen effluvium

Definition

Partial or complete loss of hair is called alopecia.

Overview & Considerations

Hair loss usually develops gradually and may be patchy or all over (diffuse). You lose roughly 100 hairs from your head every day. The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs.

Each individual hair survives for an average of 4 1/2 years, during which time it grows about 1/2 inch a month. Usually in its 5th year, the hair falls out and is replaced within 6 months by a new one. Genetic baldness is caused by the body's failure to produce new hairs and not by excessive hair loss.

Both men and women tend to lose hair thickness and amount as they age. Baldness is not usually caused by a disease. It is related to aging, heredity, and testosterone. Inherited or "pattern baldness" affects many more men than women. About 25% of men begin to bald by the time they are 30 years old, and about two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60.

  • Typical male pattern baldness involves a receding hairline and thinning around the crown with eventual bald spots. Ultimately, you may have only a horseshoe ring of hair around the sides. In addition to genes, male-pattern baldness seems to need the male hormone, testosterone. Men who do not produce testosterone (because of genetic abnormalities or castration) do not develop this pattern of baldness.
  • Some women also develop a particular pattern of hair loss due to genetics, age, and male hormones (which tend to increase in women after menopause). The pattern is different from that of men. Female pattern baldness involves a thinning throughout the scalp. The front hairline generally remains intact.
Common Causes

A sudden physical or emotional stress may cause one-half to three-quarters of the hair throughout your scalp to shed (called Telogen effluvium). You will notice hair coming out in handfuls while you shampoo, comb, or run your hands through your hair. You may not notice this for weeks to months after the episode of stress. The hair shedding will decrease over 6 - 8 months.

Cause of this type of hair loss are:

  • High fever or severe infection
  • Childbirth
  • Major surgery, major illness, sudden blood loss
  • Severe emotional stress
  • Crash diets, especially those that do not contain enough protein
  • A number of medications, including retinoids, birth control pills, beta-blockers, certain antidepressants, NSAIDs (including iburpofen) and calcium channel blockers

Some women ages 30 - 60 may notice a thinning of the hair that affects the entire scalp. The hair loss may be heavier at first, and then gradually slow or stop. There is no known cause for this type of hair loss.

Other possible causes of hair loss, especially if it is in an unusual pattern, include:

Pictures & Images

Hair follicle
Hair follicle

Ringworm, tinea capitis - close-up
Ringworm, tinea capitis - close-up

Alopecia areata with pustules
Alopecia areata with pustules

Alopecia totalis - back view of the head
Alopecia totalis - back view of the head

Alopecia totalis - front view of the head
Alopecia totalis - front view of the head

Alopecia, under treatment
Alopecia, under treatment

Trichotillomania - top of the head
Trichotillomania - top of the head

Folliculitis, decalvans on the scalp
Folliculitis, decalvans on the scalp

   
      See all Pictures & Images


Quick Jump
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Next
Treatment

Jump To Another Page

Review Date : 5/7/2009
Reviewed By : Michael Lehrer, MD, Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pa. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Main Page of Hair loss



    Featured Topics    

Allergies

Breast Cancer

Depression

Diabetes

High Blood Pressure

Weight Management

ADAM

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial reviewers. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2003 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify.
This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
Copyright © 2011 AllRefer.com All Rights reserved.
Health Topics: 0-9 A-AID Air-Aor Aor-Azo B-Blo Blo-Bys C-Cha Cha-Col Col-CSF CSF-Cyt D-Dis Dis-Dys E-Ess Est-Eye F-FSP FTA-Fus G H-Her Her-Hys I-Iod Ion-Ivy J K L-Luc Lud-Lym M-Min Min-Myx N O P-Pes Pes-Pre Pre-Pyr Q R-Rig Rig-RVA s-SID SID-Spu Spu-Sys T-Too Too-Typ U V W X Y Z
About Us | Help | Privacy Policy | Editorial Policy | Advertising Policy | Accessibility | Terms of Use
Contact Us | Link to Us | User Satisfaction Survey | Healthopedia.com
Page Last Updated: 09 Feb, 2012