General Look to Alopecia Hair Loss
Hair loss in certain aspects of life is natural. But when it occurs at an early age it might be very stressful for people. Alopecia is an autoimmune condition that causes your hair to shed in small patches, or as areal loss, with sometimes noticeable and sometimes unnoticeable sizes. The amount of loss varies from person to person. But according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), it is normal to shed hair about 50 – 100 hairs each day. These hairs might shed mostly by washing, laying your fingers on them, or just brushing. Whereas some people get through the shedding with a small amount of breakage in their hairline or minimal thinning, some people find themselves in a position that they lose a huge amount of hair. Another thing about hair loss is, shedding cycle of women could be quite different than men.
Sometimes lost hair might come back by itself, without doing anything. Or it might be shed again even it comes back. But in most cases, it does not. Alopecia occurs when the immune system attacks the hair follicles. Severe and sharp hair loss might reveal on the scalp. Alopecia is not referred only with hair loss, you might also lose your hair in eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, or anywhere in your body. Of course, as well as fast and severe development, it could also occur slowly. The best way to detect hair loss in these kinds of situations is, checking and comparing your hairline between old and new photos. If you experience shedding, you will be able to that your hairline went through the back of your head in a noticeable amount.
Different Versions of Alopecia
There are different versions of alopecia. One of them is androgenic alopecia; it is also known in men as male pattern alopecia. Without a doubt, androgenic alopecia is the most common type of alopecia as it reveals in both men and women. Symptoms of this sort are generally thinning hair on your upper hair and noticeable or unnoticeable receding hairline. In some cases, both of them might be seen in one person. But in time, the hairline recedes go through from M shape to baldness anyway. The baldness might reveal as either partial or complete. However, women’s androgenic alopecia is quite different than men. Their hairline does not recede, unlike men. But their hair structure might get thinner and wider all around their head. Also, unlike men again, their hair shedding rarely leads them to total or partial baldness.
To some sources, today 50 million men and 30 million women in the U. S. suffer from androgenic alopecia. It begins at an early age, namely from puberty to old age. After some time (or after losing a huge amount of hair), loss speed decreases and sometimes stops. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of men experience this condition after their 40s. And the proportion increases even when you reach your 80s; it became more than 80 percent. For the treatment of this condition, one of the golden rules is seeing a dermatologist. The dermatologist would the one who could offer you the best treatment, or prescriptions. However, medicines are usually for decreasing the speed of shedding, but they don’t prevent or stop it entirely. The only permanent and solid solution for this issue is having a hair transplant.
Even You Lose All, Don’t Worry
Another kind of alopecia is alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition, which usually begins with sporadic patches in your head. It reveals as more like a few centimeters sized round or oval areas on the scalp. And it is not seen in only hair, you can also see alopecia areata in your beard, eyebrows, eyelashes, or even in pubic hair. Unlike male pattern alopecia, it does not happen in a noticeable path. Due to it could happen anywhere around your body, perhaps you might not be able to realize that you are experiencing the alopecia areata. Also, to it is an autoimmune disease, your immune system might attack your hair follicles. In other words, specific types of T cells (NKG2D+ T cells) come together around the aforementioned follicles. This coming together interrupts hair follicles’ work, and they stop producing more hair.
It appears that experts are still not sure why the immune system acts like it, and why these attacks prevent follicles from producing hair. But some genetic examinations show that it could be carried as hereditary. Like androgenic alopecia, there is no permanent medical cure for this condition. You can make it slow down, or disappear for a while, but soon it will come back. Also, it might take time to find decent treatment for you; perhaps you will come across a lot of errors and trials. Sometimes, sadly, some people experience even worse hair loss even with treatments. But there is no need to worry. Because no matter how many hairs you lose, you can have a hair transplant and solve it permanently. Especially, Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) method would be doing the best job for you.
Postpartum and Traction Alopecia
Another type is cicatricial alopecia. It is one of the rare forms of alopecia. Hair follicles on the scalp are eliminated by this condition. And there are scar tissues left behind. However, these scars reveal under the skin, so you can realize this condition as looking at lost patches in your hair. Treatment options above are also valid for this condition. Postpartum alopecia, as a quite different sort among other alopecia types, happens in women. After giving birth, women might experience it in a short time. Although for some of them, it reveals as unnoticeable, for some of them you can see from far away. However, it remains temporary, hair gains strength in time and reaches its former structure. So the best cure for you in this kind of situation is, taking care of yourself well.
The final one is traction alopecia. It usually occurs when you keep your hair in braids so long (long enough to make it damaged permanently). Of course, it does not occur with short-time braids but when you realize that your hair started to move back, then it is time to change your hairstyle.
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