An Overview of Hair Loss - Alopecia
For anyone experiencing hair loss, it can be devastating to see yourself losing hair every single day. You may not want to even admit that going bald bothers you, which is completely normal. However, it is happening, and for a lot of people it can be extremely embarrassing. There is nothing wrong with being concerned with your hair loss. Having hair or a lack of hair can be a momentous factor in your life, especially if you have always had a full head of hair.
Hair loss affects over 35 million men and 21 million women in the United States alone. By the age of 35 almost 40% of men have noticeable hair loss, and by the age of 60, almost 65% of men have seen significant hair loss. Women tend to develop hair loss just as frequently as men, but the difference is that because of their hormones they do not lose as much volume as men do. They also have a different pattern of hair loss then men so they may not notice it as much. Generally, there is no discrimination as hair loss happens to almost anyone regardless of race, sex, or ethnic background. It also has nothing to do with shampooing, wearing hats, or any of the other myths that surround hair loss. The fact is hair loss is mostly genetic.
The medical name for hair loss is called alopecia. Androgenic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss, which is also called male pattern baldness. Then you have traumatic alopecia which is hair loss due to hair being torn out, usually because of psychological issues. Drug induced alopecia is hair loss caused by medications that have side effects such as hair loss. Finally, you have alopecia areata which is patchy hair loss that is usually reversible.
During your lifetime there are three stages of hair growth. They include hair growth, resting, and shedding. The normal cycle of hair growth lasts for about two to six years with each hair growing less than half an inch per month during this phase. You have about 90% of your hair growing during this time, with about 10% of hair staying in the resting phase. After about two to three months, the hair that is resting falls out and new hair starts to grow. Also, it is completely normal to shed hair everyday as part of this cycle, but some people may experience excessive hair loss. When the balance of hair is disturbed and you are shedding more hair then growing it the result is alopecia or hair loss.
Hair loss in itself is not a life threatening illness, and in fact, it is so common that it is not even considered to be a disease. But that doesn't make it any less devastating for the people that it is happening to. The psychological after effects are much worse then what people think they are. Although there are quite a few men that accept their hair loss, many more are not, especially if it happens at a very early age such as what happens with some men.