Hair loss, also known as alopecia and more commonly, balding refersto loss of hair not only on one’s head but also on one’s body. It is the headthat is mostly involved and hence we will be focussing on that in this segment.100 hair a day are lost in a regular hair renewaland replenishing cycle, but if your hair fall exceeds the normal range, itshould be something you are taking note of.Hair loss generally starts by noticeableloss of hair atone spot or in one region on the head.
It may then gradually spreadall across the head. It may happen due to various reasons ranging from age tostress and from hormonal imbalance to overuse of hair products. Men and womengo through hair loss in starkly varying patterns. Although both see bald spotsat the start of the fateful process, the regions and forms of hair loss arequite different. Another point to be noted is that hair loss is different from shedding hair.When one sheds hair, they grow back.
But in case of hair loss, hair do not growback in the original capacity.Speaking of it generally, withoutsegregating it gender wise, these are the primary causes of hair fall:1. Pattern hair loss:Male pattern hairloss is believed to be due to a combination of genetics and the male hormone dihydrotestosterone. The cause infemale pattern hair remains unclear. It is quite common among men and it issaid to affect two-thirds of all men around the world in their lifetime.Although often discounted to age, this kind of hair loss can begin as early as18 years of age.
It is also hereditary, that is it may be passed on from onegeneration to another. 2. Medicines and drugs:Sometimes themedicines we take have side-effects and hair fall is one of the most commonside-effects of long-term medication which are strong doses. Medicationprescribed for blood pressure problems, diabetes, heartdisease and cholesterol may be categorised as example.Theside-effects show because of hormonal alterations that these medicines bringabout. Hence, among women, contraceptive pills are the most common causes ofmedication-induced hair loss.Some treatments used to cure mycotic infectionscan also cause massive hair loss.
3. Trauma:When talking oftraumas, we don’t mean psychological or physical trauma but the trauma that thehair has to bear when they are pulled too hard or tied too tightly. This traumais called traction alopecia and is most common among people who tie ponytailstoo often and too tight. Brushing the hair roughly or using excessive heatwhile styling hair can also damage hair and lead to hair fall. Massages givento the scalp, if given roughly can also result in the same as they damage thecuticle as well as the hard-outer coating of the hair. This causes individualstrands to become weak and break off, reducing overall hair volume.Now let’s see how we canidentify baldness or hair loss in men and women based on a few early sings:AMONG MEN:1. RECEDING HAIRLINE:A receding hairline is the most common sign of hair loss inmen.
While it can start at almost any age, it is mostly around the early 30’sthat men start developing it. This is subject to lifestyle, weather, geneticsand hair care. The process generally starts just above the temples and slowlycreeps its way to the back of the head.
This results in a ring of thin hair inthe middle of the head. The back of the hair and the sides tend to get bareover time while the hair on the crown remain. Although genetics arethe most popular cause of a receding hairline, it may also be caused due tohormonal changes that either come about naturally or show up as side effects ofmedicines and drugs. If you noticeyourself going though a change as such, see a dermatologist immediately, whomay use a “pull test” – wherein s/he will pull a couple of your hair to checkif they come out easily – to check if it is the beginning of a recedinghairline. 2. THINNING OF THECROWN:The second common sign of hair loss in men is a thinningcrown. For a lot of men, this is how pattern baldness starts. The processstarts with them experiencing thinning on the top and at the back of the head.
The top is known as the crown or the vertex. Though often confused with areceding hairline, the two are very distinct. Thinning can be seen when hairbecome so scarce that the scalp starts to become visible. The two – recedinghairline and thinning of the crown – may combine must most men tend to haveeither one of the two. 3. CURLY HAIR:Unlike the 2 signslisted on top, this is not a common sig of hair loss.
It is very rare, in fact.Under this condition, the hair on the hairline on the neck and just above theears begin to curl. Given its nature, it is quite difficult to spot and point specificallyas a sign of hair fall.
Most men just disregard it as a bad air setting or a”bad hair day”. Hence, if you see that your hair is curling up around the aidareas repeatedly even after every wash, we suggest that you see a dermatologistand contain the hazard while it still can be contained! 4. LOSS OF HAIR ON THETOP OF THE HEAD:This is probably the most common and widespread sign of malepattern baldness. This is said to happen when the man starts losing on the backof and on the top of his head. If the man loses hair in patches or loses themon the sides of his head alone, the hair loss may not be associated withpattern baldness. If detected early on, this – like all other signs on the list– can be very well treated to either stop the hair loss all together or todelay it onset, at the very least.
5. SCRATCHY, FLAKYSCALP:This is not specificto males but is a sign of hair fall worth noting. A scratchy, flaky scalp showsan unhealthy environment for the hair to grow in. In an environment like that,hair is bound to fall excessively because the roots of the hair become weak andcannot hold the hair very firmly. The first thing you should do in this case isoil your hair and try to moisturise your scalp as well as hair.
It is likelythat given the state of your scalp, your hair have started to become dry too. AMONG WOMEN:6. THINNING HAIR:Unlike men, who develop bald spots and a receding hairline,hair loss in women happens in a more uniform manner wherein their hair thin allover the head. Some women do, however, also see a receding hairline.
But veryfew experience bald spots and loss of hair only in certain parts. The moment yourealise your hair is thinning all over the head, you must see a dermatologist,who will check if it is just your hair’s reaction to a change in weather, hairproducts or hormone. If none of them come up to be true, it is advisable thatyou start treating the thinning well before too much of the scalp becomesvisible. 7. WIDER PARTITION:This is a very easy was of spotting hair fall. Womengenerally tend to part their either on one side or in the middle. Due to the constantpartitions drawn by the comb and the constant exposure of that part of thescalp, the gap starts getting wider in the event of hair fall. This is anexample of thinning showing more in one particular region of the head: thepartition gap.
Most people ignore this sign by try to hide the increasing gapby parting their hair on the other side. But this is extremely unhealth becauseignorance can cost a lot in case of hair fall or hair loss. Therefore, awidening partition is a sign that you should be going and seeing adermatologist as soon as you can. 8.
HAIR ON PILLOWS,COMBS AND IN SHOWER DRAINS:Another easily spottable sign of hair fall is increasedspotting of hair on pillows on waking up in the morning, or having too manyhairs stuck on the comb etc. It is possible that this hair fall be only a phasedue to high stress or because of physical changes, but it is best to go to adermatologist if it continues beyond the said period. 9. MORE VISIBLE SCALP:Another clearlyvisible sign of hair fall is the clear visibility of the scalp. Due to thinningand wider partition, the scalp becomes more and more visible.
Its visibilitykeeps increasing with age if not treated in time, i.e., when it starts. 10. ROUND THE CLOCK HAIRFALL:For most people with healthy hair, the most abundant hairfall happens when they comb their hair in the morning.
But if you find yourselfshedding hair all day long irrespective of whether you are combing your hair orunknotting it with your hands, etc., it should become obvious that the fallinghair indicate a very high chance of likelihood of hair fall. MYTHS ABOUT HAIR LOSS THAT WE NEED TO KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT:1. MYTH: For men, it’their mother’s father’s fault:Most men look at oldpictures of their maternal grandfather to determining the odds of their hairrunning scanty at an early age or at any age at all because it is believed thatthe “hair” gene is inherited from the mother’s father. However, this is totallyuntrue. Hair density is a polygenic trait, which means that genes of more thanone person determine the nature and thickness of your hair. Therefore,FACT: It could be absolutely any one or many people fromeither side of your family.
2. MYTH: Wearing a hator a cap suffocates the hair and causes it to fall. While most peoplewill tell you that wearing a hat, or a cap will cause you to lose hair at afaster rate, the truth is that hair loss has nothing to do with having yourhair covered. People say as they do because they believe covering hair withcaps and hats can cause them to suffocate and fall excessively, as a result.
But as long as you are not wearing any head cover too tight there is no reasonfor it to cause hair fall or accentuate the rate of already falling hair.Hence, as Joshua Zeichner says, “If you’re wearing a really tight hat, maybethat can put pressure on areas where it contacts your head, which couldpotentially lead to traction alopecia.” (hair fall caused due to pulling ofhair)FACT: Only if the cap, or hat is worn too tight, the areas onwhich is makes contact with the hair can begin to chafe and the hair in thoseregions may become scanty. BUT NIT OTHERWISE. 3. MYTHY: Stress causesa lot of hair to fall:Stress is listed asone of the most common and widespread causes of hair fall. And while it is truethat certain traumatic events and incidents like an illness, a really toughweek at work or something you may be dealing with personally, may result inhair loss but most specialists say that such hair loss I only a “resting phase”and is temporary. FACT: Such hair fall is only a resting phase and istemporary.
The best way to treat hairfall, or the signs of hair fall -no matter how small you think they are – is togo to a dermatologist and consult with him/her on how to nip the issue in thebud. Trying home remedies is also a good idea for starters but one must notreply on them for too long. We hope these signs will help you spot hair fallwell in time!
