Causes of Hair Loss

Nov 28, 2009 - Video: Hair loss Treatment   When someone realizes they are experiencing excessive hair loss, a struggle for an explanation usually ensues.  Several causes can contribute to the condition, but a few factors tend to stand above the rest.  Recent surgeries, illnesses or medications, improper hair care, and diet can all be factors in the hair loss you’re experiencing.   If you have recently had surgery or recovered from a major illness, the hair loss associated with it is probably due to stress and thus a temporary condition.  As your body resumes its normal state, stress levels will even out and hair growth will return to normal states.   Hormone imbalances from pregnancy or thyroid conditions may also cause hair loss.  Androgens and estrogens can become out of balance with a thyroid condition unchecked.  Usually, normalizing hormones with thyroid medication will stop the loss.  Many pregnant women notice hormone-related loss during and shortly after their pregnancy.  As time goes on, and hormones return to normal levels, the loss will stop and normal hair growth cycles will resume. - 0 Comments

Causes for Hair Loss in Women

Nov 28, 2009 - Video: Hair loss Treatment   Hair has always been considered a symbol of beauty and fashion for women.  This is why the problem typically associated with men causes so much anguish with women experiencing hair loss.  Instances have even been found where girls as young as 15 years old are victims of the condition.  Following are a few key reasons that women will experience excessive loss at some point in their lives:   Our hair typically grows at the rate of ½ inch per month.  After a growth phase of two to six years, the follicle then rests for two or three months.  At this point, the hair falls out, and the follicle grows a new hair.  This is why it’s normal to experience some hair loss on a daily basis.  One reason that some women experience thinning hair is an interruption in this typical growth cycle.   Hormones called androgens are usually the culprit in interfering with hair growth patterns.  Testosterone is the most widely known androgen, but androsteinedione and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) also belong to this group.  Androgens are found in large amounts in men, but smaller amounts in women.  When a woman is genetically predisposed to hair loss, testosterone is actually converted to DHT in the hair cell, and then resides within the hair follicle.  As time goes by, a buildup of DHT causes the natural growth and resting phases of hair to become erratic because the follicle is shrinking.   Female pattern baldness is much different than male pattern baldness.  Some cases are caused by androgens in women, but the pattern of hair loss is much different in women versus men.  Women typically lose their hair in a broader area, around the entire crown of the head.  Unlike men, advancing age has nothing to do with female hair loss; women may lose their hair at any point in life. - 0 Comments