Women's Hair and Men's Hair | Baldness, Hair Loss, Androgenetic Alopecia | Hirsutism and Excess Body Hair

Hair Problems | Hair Conditions

The average person has several million hairs, which can be found pretty much anywhere on the body. But many of us aren't happy with the amount of hair we have. We think we have too much, or too little, or it's growing in places where we don't want it.

We can lose hair for many reasons:

• getting older
• having certain diseases such as thyroid problems
• taking medications
• not eating a healthy diet

Androgenetic alopecia

The Food and Drug Administration says that about 60 million people are affected with a hair loss condition called androgenetic alopecia. Two thirds of those people are men. Androgenetic alopecia is responsible for about 95 percent of hair loss. His form of baldness is a heredity condition.

Research continues in search of ways to treat androgenetic alopecia and allow hair to sprout in barren scalps. For the most part, all a guy can do is to look at their father's head and their mother's father's head to see how much hair they have, because chances are they'll wind up with a similar hairline.

Male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness

The more common terms for androgenetic alopecia are male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness. Male-pattern baldness refers to the upward retreat of the hairline from the forehead, as well as an expanding area of fallout from the crown of the head. In the end, all that might be left is a horseshoe-shaped fringe around the sides and back of the head. Female-pattern baldness refers to a diffuse pattern of hair loss throughout the scalp. Men tend to inherit hair loss from their male ancestors. Female-pattern baldness can be passed down from mother to daughter.

In male- and female-pattern baldness, the culprit is something called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, which is derived from androgen, a male hormone. Circulating through the bloodstream, androgen is converted to DHT by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. Those with greater enzyme activity have more DHT binding to hair-follicle receptors. If flooded by DHT, the follicles sprout thinner and thinner hairs until nothing regrows, and the follicles eventually wither away.

Health reasons for hair loss

There are many other reasons you can lose your hair. Some of the causes of baldness may represent serious health problems. That's why it's important to talk about hair loss with a physician.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease in which inflammatory cells attack the bulbs of the follicles under the scalp, leaving hairless patches. In more serious cases, hair may fall out from the entire head - eyebrows and beard included - and the entire body. Many times, though, the hair returns spontaneously. The cause is unknown.

Childbirth, severe malnutrition, chemotherapy, thyroid problems and a form of lupus can also cause hair loss. Something as simple as pigtails or cornrows, if worn too long, can cause hair loss, because of the stress they cause to the hair shaft. The medical opinion concerning the role of emotional stress in balding is mixed. If stress does play a role, however, it's only at times of extreme emotional trauma.

Just as there is a connection diet and skin health, there is a connection diet and hair. Poor nutrition can lead to hair loss as can fad diets and eating disorders such as anorexia.

Hair loss treatments and hair removal treatments

Whether your problem is hair loss or too much hair, there are many ways to deal with hair problems. If you are losing your hair, you have several choices of what to do. First of course, see a doctor and make sure there isn't a medical reason that can be treated to stop your hair loss. But if you're not in that five percent than your choices basically come down to four things.

You could let nature take its course and maybe even shave your head. That has become a more acceptable choice over the years, with people like basketball players Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley along with actors like Patrick Stewart and Bruce Willis taking that route. But if you don't want that, your choices are:

• hair growth drugs
• hair replacement surgery
• hairpieces

Each of these choices has its good and bad points.

Drugs for Hair Loss

The first drug to slow hair loss was the result of some people on a certain high blood pressure medicine reporting that their hair was growing back. So was created the first treatment that actually grew back hair. It was a topical treatment called minoxidil. The brand name is Rogaine. To be effective, minoxidil must be used twice a day. It works better on those who are younger and whose hair loss is recent, according to clinical studies.

Eventually another drug was approved for hair loss. This drug is taken in pill form. It too was discovered when men taking it for another condition. This one was prostate enlargement. The drug is called finasteride and is the active ingredient in Propecia.

You can read more in Hair Loss Medications.

Surgery for Hair Loss

There are numerous types of surgery, but they can be placed into two main categories: transplantation and scalp reduction.

Transplantation involves moving hair from densely covered sites on the sides or back of the head to bald areas of the scalp. Transplantation is sometimes more difficult for women because their hair loss is usually diffuse and there may not be places where the hair is thick enough to be transplanted.

Scalp reduction involves the surgical removal of large sections of a bald scalp. The hair that is left is then pulled up into the empty space.

Hair pieces and hair weaves

If you don't want to deal with surgical procedures, hair pieces have been a standard way to deal with hair loss for years. If choosing a toupee or wig, look for a quality product. Like anything, a hairpiece is only as good as the way it was created and the materials used. Materials for hair pieces can be human or synthetic hair. The hair is implanted one hair at a time into a nylon netting.

There are many ways to attach it. A hair weave involves sewing a wig into existing hair. You can also use bonding (a type of glue), metal clips, or simple tape to attach the hairpiece to the scalp. Unlike the weaves, these give you the option to take the hairpiece on or off with ease. Many companies also offer check-ups to clean, color and tighten the hairpiece. Don't neglect the condition of your scalp. It's also a good idea to do a skin test to make sure you aren't allergic.

Hirsutism and hair removal treatments

We can also develop the opposite problem - too much hair or hirsutism - for a number of reasons:

• hormonal imbalance
• conditions such as thyroid problems
• medications

In women, a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome can result in excessive hair, plus a number of other conditions including infertility and acne.

When is comes to getting rid of hair you don't want, the options seem endless. For do-it-yourselfers, a variety of home-use hair removal products are available over-the-counter. These include shaving creams, foams and gels; waxes; chemical depilatories; and electrolysis devices. Professionals at beauty and skin care salons and in dermatologists' offices provide waxing, electrolysis, and, most recently, laser treatments to remove hair.

None of these methods are really permanent. The stimulus for hair growth in an area is never permanently removed. For instance, you can't control hormonal changes that cause new growth. Most people would probably define permanent as "never comes back," but FDA says from a medical standpoint that may not be practical.

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Updated May 2008

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