Hair Loss

Hair is quite meaningful to our sense of self. This is true for both men and women. Hair loss, although often considered a “male” problem, may affect both genders and may lead to self-consciousness, frustration, and distress.

There are several reasons for hair loss and, in fact, numerous different types of hair loss.

Androgenic alopecia

Male pattern baldness is one of the most recognized conditions related to hair loss. Women may also develop this condition. Male pattern baldness, which may begin as early as the teen years, is characterized by recession that begins at the front hairline, with gradual loss expanding up and over the crown of the head. Female pattern baldness occurs differently. In addition to beginning later in life, usually after the age of forty, this condition generally involves thinning that affects the entire scalp. Women who experience pattern baldness may notice hair loss primarily at the crown of the head.

Involutional alopecia

This condition is associated with age and the entry of more follicles into the resting phase of hair growth. Inactive follicles coupled with the natural thinning of hair leads to hair loss.

Alopecia areata

This sudden loss of patches of hair may affect children and young adults. In most cases, about 90 percent, afflicted patients regain normal hair growth within a year or two. In some cases, however, the loss of small patches of hair may advance to alopecia totalis, which is the loss of all hair on the body, including the eyebrows and eyelashes.

Telogen effluvium

Some people experience a temporary thinning of hair because of changes to the natural hair growth cycle. When a large number of follicles enter the resting phase, excessive hair may be shed, leading to the appearance of thinning.

Additional conditions that lead to hair loss include traction alopecia, in which tight hairstyles pull on hair excessively. Finally, the psychological disorder, trichotillomania, causes a person to pull out their own hair.

Causes of hair loss

There are several factors involved in the various types of hair loss, including fluctuating hormones  which occurs during pregnancy or menopause, medical conditions and infections of the scalp, certain medications, such as those for cancer, and even sudden physical or emotional stress.

Help for hair loss

In our Highlands Ranch dermatology office, we provide comprehensive dermatologic care through which we can ascertain the type of hair loss you may have and the solutions that are available to you. We are fortunate that advances in medicine have brought about the development of hair loss solutions such as topical and systemic medications.

The care we provide is tailored to your needs. Learn more about hair loss and possible treatments at 303.888.6426.