Why is hair falling out

The causes of increased hair loss - alopecia - are very diverse. Among them are endocrine pathology, disorders caused by psychovegetative and immune diseases, gastrointestinal tract diseases, adverse effects of aggressive external factors (radiation, chemicals, etc.).

There are cicatricial and non-cicatricial forms of alopecia. Cicatricial alopecia occurs with secondary destruction of hair follicles due to inflammation, atrophy or scarring of the skin (within the bald spots and next to them, signs of the disease that caused the alopecia can usually be found). Non-cicatricial alopecia occurs without previous skin damage and in turn can be divided into androgenetic (androgenic), focal (nesting) and temporary - telogen (diffuse) and anagen (toxic). The most common form of baldness is androgenic and focal alopecia. Approximately 95% of all balding people are diagnosed with this.

Baldness is more of a medical problem that should be addressed by a qualified doctor who has specialized in trichology. Today, there are specialized medical institutions - trichological clinics, where people seeking hair restoration seek help. The advantage of clinics is the ability to conduct complex treatment that is impossible to carry out at home, as well as the availability of special equipment that allows combining medication with physiotherapy.

Before starting treatment, diagnostics are mandatory to establish the reason why a person began to lose hair. In addition to therapeutic treatment, clinics also perform surgical correction, which is generally called hair transplantation. As a rule, men resort to such a radical solution to the problem.

Some beauty salons also provide assistance to people suffering from excessive hair loss. In most cases, these are women - clients of the salon who, in addition to skin care, want to "treat" their hair. Women complain about progressive thinning and weakening of hair, talk about how after washing their hair the bathtub is covered with their hair, that a lot of hair remains on the brush, and as an illustration they pull their hair, showing how much of it remains in their hand. Quite often, hair is not the only problem of such clients.

Many of them suffer from acne, oily seborrhea and hirsutism. If all these symptoms are present at the same time, then the diagnosis is not difficult - we are dealing with hyperandrogen syndrome, which includes androgenetic alopecia, acne, oily seborrhea and hirsutism. However, even in the absence of any of these symptoms, androgenetic alopecia is the first thing to think about when listening to a visitor's complaints about hair loss (see Androgenetic alopecia).

So, androgenic alopecia in women can be suspected if:

• slowly progressive thinning of hair is observed;
• diffuse hair loss occurs. Hair loss becomes especially noticeable during combing after washing the head. In this case, bald spots do not occur;
• Along with hair loss on the head, there is excessive hair growth on the face and other parts of the body;
• Despite their mature age, the patients suffer from acne and oily seborrhea. Their hair, although dry and brittle, nevertheless quickly becomes greasy and has to be washed frequently.

Androgenic alopecia is very common in men and leads to gradual baldness. However, men prefer to treat themselves and secretly buy all kinds of anti-baldness products. They rarely visit a beauty salon, but more and more men are becoming clients of trichological clinics, where the problem of baldness is solved surgically.

Before starting a study to clarify the diagnosis of "androgenic alopecia", it is necessary to check whether it is temporary hair loss, which is often found in modern women. According to L'Ore'al, a significant proportion of women who seek medical advice about incipient baldness suffer from temporary hair loss, the most common cause of which is stress. Under stress, hair growth suddenly stops. As a result, most of the hair initially enters a resting phase and then simultaneously sheds the hair fiber.

The consequence of such unanimity is hair loss. Usually it does not cause objective thinning or thinning of hair, but women who remove entire strands from their combs are sure that they are going bald. Temporary hair loss caused by stress can be concluded if:

• the patient cannot remember "how long ago this started." She says that "lately I have begun to notice that my hair is falling out";
• there is no reason to claim that the hair has become thinner and weaker than it has been in the last few years;
• there are no signs of acne or hirsutism on the skin;
• In a conversation with the patient, it turns out that she has a lot of problems or that in the recent past she experienced a great shock.

Temporary hair loss can be caused by medications (chemotherapy), or it can be a symptom of an internal disease.

Another cause of hair loss, although quite rare, is focal, or nesting, alopecia. Focal alopecia is considered a disease and is subject to treatment in medical institutions. In this condition, all methods that provide temporary restoration of hair growth or mask their loss can be very useful. Since neither the causes of hair loss nor the causes of spontaneous restoration of hair in focal alopecia are yet fully understood, any factors, including psychogenic ones, must be taken into account. Unexpectedly, they can lead to an improvement in the condition and even a cure for the patient.

Alopecia areata may be suspected if:

• against the background of complete health, the patient begins to lose hair;
• bald spots appear on the head, usually in the form of clearly defined circles;
• within a short period of time, massive hair loss occurs, sometimes leading to complete baldness;
• In addition to the head, hair may also fall out on other parts of the body;
• The patient says, "I had this once before, but it went away on its own."

All other factors causing hair loss play a rather supporting role. These include vitamin deficiency, hair damage leading to hair shaft breakage, tight hairstyles, and even the reaction of hair follicles to frost. They usually overlap with one of the above reasons and increase hair loss.