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Hair loss
| Hair loss | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Alopecia, baldness |
 | |
| A bald spot on a man | |
| Pronunciation |
|
| Specialty | Dermatology |
| Symptoms | Loss of hair from part of the head or body.[2] |
| Complications | Psychological distress[3] |
| Types | Male-pattern hair loss, female-pattern hair loss, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium[4] |
| Treatment | Accepting the condition, medications, shaving of balding areas, surgery[4] |
| Medication | Pattern hair loss: minoxidil, finasteride[5] Alopecia areata: steroid injections[4] |
| Frequency | 50% of males, 25% of females (pattern hair loss by age 50)[4][6] |
Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body.[2] Typically at least the head is involved.[4] The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body.[7] Inflammation or scarring is not usually present.[4] Hair loss in some people causes psychological distress.[3]
Common types include male- or female-pattern hair loss, alopecia areata, and a thinning of hair known as telogen effluvium.[4] The cause of male-pattern hair loss is a combination of genetics and male hormones; the cause of female pattern hair loss is unclear; the cause of alopecia areata is autoimmune; and the cause of telogen effluvium is typically a physically or psychologically stressful event.[4] Telogen effluvium is very common following pregnancy.[4]
Less common causes of hair loss without inflammation or scarring include the pulling out of hair, certain medications including chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS, hypothyroidism, and malnutrition including iron deficiency.[3][4] Causes of hair loss that occurs with scarring or inflammation include fungal infection, lupus erythematosus, radiation therapy, and sarcoidosis.[3][4] Diagnosis of hair loss is partly based on the areas affected.[4]
Treatment of pattern hair loss may simply involve accepting the condition, which can also include shaving one's head.[4] Interventions that can be tried include the medications minoxidil (or finasteride) and hair transplant surgery.[5][6] Alopecia areata may be treated by steroid injections in the affected area, but these need to be frequently repeated to be effective.[4] Hair loss is a common problem.[4] Pattern hair loss by age 50 affects about half of men and a quarter of women.[4] About 2% of people develop alopecia areata at some point in time.[4]
- ^ "alopecia". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
- ^ a b "Hair loss". NHS Choices. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d Nalluri, R; Harries, M (February 2016). "Alopecia in general medicine". Clinical Medicine. 16 (1): 74–78. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.16-1-74. PMC 4954340. PMID 26833522.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Vary JC, Jr (November 2015). "Selected Disorders of Skin Appendages – Acne, Alopecia, Hyperhidrosis". The Medical Clinics of North America. 99 (6): 1195–1211. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2015.07.003. PMID 26476248.
- ^ a b McElwee, Kevin J.; Shapiro, Jerry (June 2012). "Promising therapies for treating and/or preventing androgenic alopecia". Skin Therapy Letter. 17 (6): 1–4. PMID 22735503.
- ^ a b Leavitt, M. (2008). "Understanding and Management of Female Pattern Alopecia". Facial Plastic Surgery. 24 (4): 414–427. doi:10.1055/s-0028-1102905. PMID 19034818. S2CID 260136951.
- ^ "Hair loss". DermNet. Archived from the original on 2016-06-25. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
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