Hair loss is a condition that occurs when the amount of hair that is shedding is more than that of daily growth. Most of the time, hair doesn’t continue to grow, leading to baldness, which occurs very common among men. However, there are ways to cure hair shedding such as medications, hair transplant therapy or laser therapy can be used.
1. Who often suffers from hair loss?
Hair loss may occur on only the scalp or the entire body. The cause is often hereditary, hormonal changes, pathology or unwanted effects of the drug. Anyone can experience hair loss. However, it happens more to men than women. The following people are at an increased risk of hair shedding, including:- People who has family members with baldness, possibly father, mother, grandparents or even a relative;
- The elderly people;
- People who lose weight fast;
- People who have certain medical conditions, such as diabetes and skin lupus;
- People who are under a lot of stress and pressure.
2. Causes of hair loss
The average person loses about 100 hairs a day, but this is usually not a big deal because new hair will grow in parallel. Thus, hair loss occurs when this hair growth cycle is interrupted or when hair follicles are destroyed and replaced with scar tissue, resulting in more hair loss than daily hair growth. Hair loss is usually related to one or more of the following factors:- Family factor (genetics): The most common cause of hair loss in men is decided by genetics, which causes baldness. Sometimes women also suffer from hair loss by genetics. This problem often occurs in parallel with aging and is nearly predictable in hair morphology over time: for men, bald spots appear on their head and the hair gets thinner and thinner for women.
- Hormonal changes and pathology: A variety of hormone-related disorders can cause permanent or temporary hair loss, including hormonal changes during pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, and thyroid problems. Causes include alopecia areata, a scalp infection such as roundworm infection and a syndrome called “trichotillomania”;
- Medicines and supplements: Hair loss can be caused by side effects of certain medications, such as cancer medications, arthritis, depression, heart disease medications, high blood pressure, and gout medications;
- Radiation therapy to the head: Hair is at risk of not being able to regrow as before;
- Stress: Many people experience heavy hair loss after a physical or emotional shock. This type is only temporary;
- Some exotic hairstyles and treatments to the hair: It happens when tying the hair too tight, such as braids or cornrows (hair that sticks to the corn-shaped scalp) may be the cause of hair loss. Also, long-term application to hair treatments (such as hot oils) can cause folliculitis, leading to hair loss. If scarring occurs, permanent hair loss will occur.