What are the main causes and treatment of hair loss?
Hair loss in men and women can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, including androgenetic alopecia which is influenced by heredity and is more severe in men, alopecia areata and other forms of alopecia. Additionally, a variety of infectious diseases, inflammatory disease and abrupt changes to the body's internal or external environment may also lead to temporary or permanent hair loss. Hair loss in response to any of these events is called an effluvium.What is male pattern baldness?
Male pattern baldness is the common term for the medical condition androgenetic alopecia, in which hair thinning and loss occurs at the hair line and or on top of the head over a variable time-period. This condition occurs in men and women and has a genetic factor, although it is not known whether inheritance from the mother or father plays a greater role in developing pattern baldness.
Treating Male Pattern Hair Loss
Propecia and Rogaine are the two main FDA-approved drugs for treating pattern hair loss. Prescription-only Propecia (finasteride) is the only prescription treatment indicated for male pattern hair loss. Treatment with Propecia has been shown to slow or stop hair loss, and in some cases may even promote hair regrowth. Finasteride, Propecia's active ingredient, works by preventing formation of DHT, a hormone involved in hair thinning and hair loss.
Non-prescription Rogaine (minoxidil) is also used to treat male pattern hair loss, although less is known about its mechanism of action. Other treatment approaches for male pattern hair loss include hair transplant surgery, non-surgical hair replacement and hair cosmetics.
Treating Women's Hair Loss - Transplants, Hair Replacement, Hair Cosmetics
Although women with androgenetic alopecia may experience less total hair loss than affected men, the psychological effects of hair loss can be severe. Rogaine has been shown to be an effective treatment for women with androgenetic alopecia. The treatment approaches of hair transplant surgery, non-surgical hair replacement and hair cosmetics are also effective for women.
The Effect of Stress
Stress of different kinds most definitely can lead to hair loss. Hair loss can be caused by abrupt changes to the body's internal or external environment, such as crash diets, major surgery, drug side-effects (particularly chemotherapy) and pregnancy, among others. This type of hair loss, called an effluvium, occurs suddenly and often to an extreme extent, but is often temporary. Lower-level stress over a long period of time can also cause hair loss that may or may not be reversible.
Reversing Hair Loss
If you have already lost a significant amount of hair, it is highly unlikely that any treatment other than hair transplant surgery will lead to significant hair regrowth in the affected area. However, clinical studies have shown that several drugs may promote hair regrowth, include the prescription drug Propecia (for men only) and the non-prescription drug Rogaine (for men and women). Other drugs are also on the market to treat hair loss.
Helpful Links
For useful information about the causes, psychological effects, and treatments of hair loss, click on these links:
Hairlosstalk.com
National Alopecia Areata Foundation
Alopecia Areata Support Association
For manufacturer information on hair loss treatments, click on these links: