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CAUSES OF HAIRLOSS
Natural SheddingTemporary Hair Loss Permanent Pattern Hair Loss Hair Loss in Women Identify Your Hair Loss Home   
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Causes of Hair LossNatural Shedding | Temporary Hair Loss | Permanent Pattern Baldness Before you consider a solution to your hair loss problem, it is important for you to understand the difference between natural daily shedding, temporary hair loss and permanent pattern baldness.Natural Shedding
At full maturity, the human scalp maintains an average of 100,000 hair follicles. At any given moment, about 90 percent of these follicles are in the anagen, or growing phase. During this phase, which lasts between two and six years depending on genetic factors and age, hair grows approximately a half-inch each month. As the end of the anagen phase approaches, the follicle enters a transitional period called catagen, during which it begins to shrink and become dormant. During this catagen phase, which lasts a few days, the hair remains intact. When the hair's growth stops, the follicle enters the telogen, or resting phase, which lasts approximately three months. Shedding occurs during this phase when the root of the hair, which is held in place by the contracted follicles, is pulled loose by brushing or shampooing. These are often the hairs that we find in our sinks and hairbrushes.
At the end of the telogen phase, the follicle spontaneously reenters the anagen phase and new emerging hair begins to grow. Most individuals shed between 50 and 100 hairs each day. This hairloss does not have a negative effect on a person's appearance because simultaneously, between 50 and 100 hairs enter the growing phase. Excessive daily shedding may either be caused by some contributing factor. When all aspects of person's life are in harmony, the balance between telogen and anagen usually remains stable. Temporary Hair lossEmotional turmoil, medications, skin conditions, poor nutrition and illnesses can cause hair follicles to enter the telogen phase prematurely, resulting in increased shedding which presents itself as temporary diffuse thinning. Treatment to remove or alleviate the inciting stress factor will often encourage the growth of new hair in a few months.
Permanent Pattern Baldness The Root of the ProblemSeventy percent of all American men and fifty percent of American women will experience some degree of pattern baldness in their lifetimes. The cause of baldness is no longer a mystery. Research has confirmed that hair loss is inherited like the color of your eyes. While you were still forming in your mother's womb, your hair follicles were genetically coded. If hair loss genes were present, the hair follicles on top of your head are sensitive to the hormone dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. These hair follicles were genetically "programmed" to begin shrinking in adulthood. When this occurs, the hair follicles grow finer hair that is lighter in color, shorter and less deeply rooted than their predecessors. In most cases, this "thinning hair" will progress to "baldness" when the shrinking follicles finally stop producing hair. The pattern of progression, and the extent and speed of male pattern baldness is largely dictated by genetics, hormones and age. For men, permanent baldness generally follows a specific pattern as suggested in the Hair loss Classification Chart. Even in the most extensive cases, a horseshoe-shaped fringe of hair remains. This hair-bearing fringe is insensitive to the balding process and usually will last a lifetime. Because hair is genetically programmed in the hair follicle, the hair in the donor fringe area provides the basis for surgical hair restoration. These hairs, when transplanted into thinning or balding areas, will take root and grow, and continue to grow for the rest of a person's life. |
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