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

Hair Loss

Provided by A.D.A.M.

Definition

Overview & Considerations

Common Causes

Home Care & Treatment

Call your Health Care Provider if

What to Expect at your Health Care Provider's Office

Pictures & Images

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Alternate Names : Alopecia, Baldness, Loss of Hair


Definition

Partial or complete loss of hair is called alopecia.

Pictures & Images

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
Overview & Considerations

Hair loss usually develops gradually and may be patchy or diffuse (all over). Roughly 100 hairs are lost 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 half an 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. 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 require the presence of 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 that tend to increase in women after menopause. The pattern is different from that of men. Female pattern baldness involves a thinning throughout the scalp while the frontal hairline generally remains intact.



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Definition
Hair Loss: Overview & Considerations
Hair Loss: Common Causes
Hair Loss: Home Care & Treatment
Call your Health Care Provider if
What to Expect at your Health Care Provider's Office
Pictures & Images

Topics that might be of interest to you

Diseases & Conditions

Alopecia Areata
Female Pattern Baldness
Male Pattern Baldness
Ringworm
Thyroid Diseases
Tinea Capitis
Trichotillomania

Tests & Exams

Skin Lesion Biopsy
Testosterone

Other Topics

Chemotherapy
Radiation Therapy

Review Date : 11/4/2003
Reviewed By : Jacqueline A. Hart, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Boston, Ma., and Senior Medical Editor, A.D.A.M., Inc. Previously reviewed by Michael Lehrer, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (4/15/2003).

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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.

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Page Last Updated: 19 Jul, 2008