Most hair loss is a normal part of each person’s genetic program, but there are many types of hair loss that are indicative of larger issues. To determine your specific type of hair loss, consider the following information:
Pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia)
Androgenetic alopecia causes more than 95 percent of all pattern hair loss, including baldness in men and thinning hair in women. Pattern hair loss occurs in somewhat predictable stages and is relentlessly progressive, which means most sufferers will eventually progress from the early stages of loss to the advanced stages.
Patchy hair loss (alopecia areata)
This immune system disorder causes hair follicles to stop producing hairs. Approximately two percent of all people experience an episode of alopecia areata at some point in their lives. Sudden hair loss from small patches on the head is a common symptom. In the vast majority of cases, the condition goes away by itself within six to seven months, and hair growth in the bald patch resumes. About 10 percent of those who have an episode of alopecia areata experience long-term hair loss.
Advanced forms of the disorder include alopecia totalis, where all hair on the head is lost, and alopecia universalis, which results in the absence of all body hair. There is no sure cure for this condition, although some treatments help control the episodes. Because the condition most often goes away by itself, there’s a great deal of confusion about treatment effectiveness. Some “miracle cure” hair loss treatments use subjects with alopecia areata to “prove” the effectiveness of their product. When hair growth resumes, the “treatment” is given credit.
Delayed shedding from stress (telogen effluvium)
This common cause of hair loss is the result of sudden emotional, physical or hormonal stress (the death of a loved one, divorce or a personal relationship break-up, job loss, termination of pregnancy, major surgery). Normally, five to 10 percent of your scalp’s hair follicles are resting at any given time. With telogen effluvium, a stressful event induces a higher proportion of hair follicles to enter the resting stage simultaneously. A few months after the stressful event, all the now-resting follicles begin to shed their hairs at the same time. Because the stressful event happened months ago, most people don’t connect it to their hair loss. It’s a temporary condition, and new hairs should begin growing within a few months.
Broken hairs
Hair shaft breakage is when part of a hair breaks off but the growing end remains in the follicle and continues to grow, which results in thinner hair. This can be caused by excessive styling, chemicals, sun exposure and chlorine (in swimming pools).
