Cause To Hair Loss

Hair loss is a common disorder a number of women and men experience as they grow older. Sometimes extreme hair loss lowers a person's self confidence. Normally men are more accepted being bald than women. Men are more visibly bald because of their typical receding hairline not seen in women. On the other women hand have a more generalized type of balding. Both of these cases are referred to as common baldness. Unfortunately, this form of hair loss and baldness is beyond cure.

However intensive the researches are to find cure for this curse, still no perfect treatment has been discovered yet. Aside from common hair loss and baldness, there are also other kinds of hair loss that people should be aware of. Alopecia areata is a form of hair loss where all the hairs in one small area get completely lost. However, the scalp underneath is generally normal. The contributory factor related to alopecia areata is still unknown. Luckily, people affected with this type of hair loss can usually expect hair re-growth within a year.

Yet, an estimated 40 percent of patients with this type of hair loss problem will encounter similar hair loss within the next four to five years. Doctors often prescribe cortisone creams to make the hair grow back sooner. However, discontinued use of the cortisone cream will make the new hair fall out once more. Abnormalities in the scalp skin or hairs themselves can also result to hair loss and baldness. When these happen, treatment by a competent medical practitioner is required. One of the most common scalp skin problems that cause hair loss and baldness is ringworm. This is characterized by a scaly or red scalp, which may contain oozing pustules. The hairs infected by the ringworm fungus will become so thick and can simply break.

Abnormality in the scalp and hair appearance can often be remedied with a physician's specialist care. Ringworm is often identified by just mere scalp and hair examination. Some instances may need a few samples of hair to be examined under the microscope. Ultraviolet lamp is often used to determine ringworm of the scalp since some types of ringworm generally fluoresce under Ultra-violet light. Oral drugs like griseofulvin are often the medication of option for ringworm. Lotions and Creams applied to the affected area are often not used to treat ringworm because these are not sufficient enough to penetrate into hair follicles and kill the fungus.

One or two decades ago, X-rays were used to cure ringworm. Today, however, this form of treatment should no longer be used. If the physician suggests this form of treatment, people should reject it and find a better practitioner. Innocent children may also suffer from massive hair loss. This may not be related to any ailment or health disorders. A friend while playing may accidentally pull the child's hair, which can result to hair loss. Ponytails and tight braids can also cause hair loss. If people notice their child frequently pulling his or her hair, the physician should be informed about the behavior. Finally, hair loss or baldness can also be attributed to a lot of other factors including major surgery or illness, hormonal problems like over-active or under-active thyroid glands and hormonal changes in pregnancy.

• John Palsson
• 10/12/2008, 6:59 AM
• 0 Comments