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Why hair falls out

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
 
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The causes of increased hair loss - alopecia - are very diverse. Among them, endocrine pathology, disorders caused by psycho-vegetative and immune diseases, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, adverse effects of aggressive external factors (radiation, chemicals, etc.).

There are cicatricial and non-scarring forms of alopecia. Scar alopecia occurs when secondary destruction of hair follicles due to inflammation, atrophy or scarring of the skin (within the foci of baldness and next to them, you can usually find signs of the disease that caused the alopecia). Non-scarring alopecia occurs without previous skin lesions and in turn can be divided into androgenetic (androgenic), focal (nesting) and temporal - telogen (diffuse) and anagenic (toxic). The most common form of alopecia is androgenic and focal forms of alopecia. Approximately 95% of all bald people have this diagnosis.

Baldness is more of a medical problem, the decision of which should be handled by a qualified doctor who has received a specialization in trichology. Today there are specialized medical institutions - trichological clinics, where people who want to restore their hair turn for help. The advantage of clinics is the ability to carry out complex treatment that is unrealistic at home, and also equipped with special equipment that allows combining the medicamental effects with physiotherapy.

Before starting treatment, it is mandatory to carry out a diagnosis to determine the reason why a person began to lose hair. In addition to therapeutic treatment, clinics are also performing surgical correction, which in general is called hair transplantation. As a rule, men resort to such a radical solution to the problem.

Some beauty salons also help people suffering from excessive hair loss. In most cases, these are female clients of the salon, who in addition to skin care want to "heal" the hair. Women complain of a progressive thinning and weakening of the hair, they say that after washing their head the tub is strewn with their hair, that a lot of hair remains on the comb, and as an illustration they pull themselves by the hair, showing how much they remain in their hands. Very often, hair is not the only problem of such clients.

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

So, androgenic alopecia in women can be suspected in the event that:

  • slowly progressing thinning of hair;
  • there is a diffuse hair loss. Especially noticeable hair loss is during combing after washing your head. Thus prolysin does not arise;
  • along with hair loss on the head, excessive growth of hair on the face and other parts of the body is observed;
  • despite the mature age, the patients suffer from acne and oily seborrhea. The hair, although it looks dry and brittle, nevertheless quickly sits down, and they often have to be washed.

In men, androgenic alopecia is very common and leads to gradual alopecia. True, men prefer to heal themselves and secretly buy all kinds of baldness remedies. In the beauty salon they rarely look, but more and more men become clients of trichological clinics, where the problem of baldness is solved surgically.

Before starting the study to clarify the diagnosis of "androgenetic alopecia," you should check whether it is a temporary hair loss, which is often found in modern women. According to L'Oré'al, a significant proportion of women who see a doctor with complaints of a beginning baldness suffer from temporary hair loss, the most common cause of which is stress. When stress occurs, a sudden stop of hair growth occurs. As a result, at first most of the hair enters the rest phase simultaneously, and then simultaneously discards the hair fiber.

The consequence of this unanimity is hair loss. Usually it does not cause objective thinning or thinning of hair, however, women who remove hair from the comb are sure that they are balding. On the temporary loss of hair caused by stress, we can conclude, if:

  • the patient can not remember "long ago it began." She says that "lately she began to notice that her hair falls out";
  • there is no reason to assert that the hair has become thinner and weaker than it has been in the last few years;
  • on the skin there are no manifestations of acne or hirsutism;
  • in conversation with the patient it turns out that she has many problems or that in the recent past she suffered a great shock.

Temporary hair loss can be caused by the action of medications (chemotherapy), and may be a symptom of internal disease.

Another reason for hair loss, although quite rare, is focal, or nest, alopecia. Alopecia areata is considered a disease and is treated in medical institutions. In this condition, all methods that provide temporary restoration of hair growth or masking their loss can be very useful. Since neither the causes of loss, nor the reasons for spontaneous hair restoration in focal alopecia are not 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 cure the patient.

Focal alopecia can be suspected if:

  • on a background of complete health, the patient begins to lose hair;
  • Prolysins appear on the head, usually in the form of clearly delineated circles;
  • for a short period of time, massive hair loss occurs, sometimes up to complete alopecia;
  • except the head hair can fall out and in other parts of the body;
  • the patient says that "once I already had it, but it passed by itself."

All other factors that cause hair loss, play a rather auxiliary role. This and avitaminosis, and hair damage, leading to a broken hair shaft, and tightened hairstyles, and even the reaction of hair follicles to frost. Usually they are superimposed on one of the above reasons and increase hair loss.

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