Hair loss problem is faced by both women and men. The pattern of hair loss varies in both the sexes. It is quite normal to loose 50-100 strands of hair everyday. But when this hair loss becomes excessive, it becomes a cause of worry for most of us. There are multiple reasons behind this but the prominent reasons behind hair loss are medications, hormonal malfunctioning, excessive use of chemical based hair products ,deficiency of nutrients, scalp infections and stress. The reasons behind hair loss in men and women are:
Hair loss due to Hormonal changes:
Hormonal changes affect hair in both men and women. The thinning of hair in men and women vary because the pattern is different. The thinning pattern of hair in males is usually from the front to the crown, but in women, there can be thinning in head overall. The cause of this is androgen DHT or Dihydrotestosterone which causes progressive thinning of hair and subsequently hair fall. The baldness thus caused is known as Androgenetic Alopecia.
Pregnancy:
Many women complain of hair loss after pregnancy, which is caused by the entrance of hair into resting phase. It occurs within 2-3 months of the child birth and continues till six months after the birth of the child. But this becomes normal and women get their hair back on the right track after 6 months or so.
Birth Control Pills:
The women who use contraceptives like pills, can suffer from hair loss at a very younger age even if there is genetic history of suffering from Androgenic Alopecia. If it is identified, the women should stop taking pills. After the pills are stopped, the hair growth may become normal in 2-3 months and they may regain the hair that was lost.
Hair loss due to sickness/illness:
Hair loss due to sickness does not lasts long because once the body becomes normal, hair starts growing in their normal way. Apart from illness, it is also affected by Thyroid disease, deficient diet etc.
Medications:
In certain treatments like of Arthritis, heart problems, blood pressure, depression, gout etc, the medicines used to treat them also cause hair loss. But the percentage is usually lesser in these cases. In the treatment of cancer, the chemotherapy or radiations cause a big amount of hair loss. During these phases, the patients loose even 90% of their scalp hair, but they re grow after the treatment is over.
Alopecia Areata:
It is a kind of hair loss that is caused by the immune system’s reaction to hair follicles. When immune system reacts to hair follicles treating them like antibodies, it starts shedding them off. In certain cases, it is so acute that the patient even looses complete body hair including eyelashes. But this too can be treated by using topical medicines, drugs and light treatment.
Hair loss due to mechanical damage:
These days, everyone wants to look good and for this sake, they keep on experimenting with their hair, resulting into excessive use of creams, colors, gels, treatments straightening, perming etc. But hair loss due to these can be reduced by adequate oiling of hairs and hair transplantation.
Hair Pulling:
Some adults including children have a habit to keep on pulling their hair or twisting it. This is a behavioral problem and if not taken care, this may result into permanent hair loss in a particular area.
