There are different types of hair loss both in men and women with their causes. Hair loss in men have been treated in a previous post, so this article seeks to deal with types of hair loss and causes of hair loss in women. Be patient as you read through.
Hair can be lost be anyone and everyone. It could occur while taking a bath in the bathroom, when brushing the hair, when plaiting or barbing, these ones are normal. However, there are some ways in which you lose your hair which require attention. You may not be able to stop some as they could be caused by age, genetics or hormones but it is necessary to know the signs in case you can do anything to stop it. Some signs are listed below.
- Thinning of hair
When this happens it men, the hairline begins to recede but in women, it occurs with the part broadening.
- Sudden hair loss
A huge quantity of hair is lost suddenly, it could happen during brushing or washing and it eventually leads to thinning. This can occur after too much physical or emotional stress.
- Full Hair Loss
The hair all over the body could get lost all of a sudden. It could be a pointer to other medical conditions or it could happen because of treatments which includes chemotherapy.
- Spots or patches
Different types of hair loss in women could start showing as bald spots. The hair could fall out and leave a circular patch on the skin, and the skin may bring pain or become itchy after the fall out.
Types Of Hair Loss (Alopecia)
Alopecia is a word used to refer to hair loss. It is kind of different from baldness, baldness is just a type of hair loss (alopecia). There are different types of alopecia and some common ones have been explained below.
1. Androgenetic Alopecia
This has been previously explained in this post. Androgenetic alopecia in men is called “Male Pattern Baldness” and in women is “Female Pattern Baldness”. This is the most common types of hair loss, especially in men. It is what is most times referred to as baldness. It is usually genetic and the risk is increased as a person grows older.
2. Alopecia Areata
This is a type of hair loss which happens when the body’s immune system causes a disturbance for natural growth and formation of hair. It usually happens suddenly and starts majorly with round patches. The main causes are still unknown but it is found to be hereditary in some cases.
3. Traumatic alopecias
This occurs due to styles of hair. The hair could start to fall out due to the way it is plaited. The fall out could also be caused by some hair treatments used to give the hair a desired look such as dyes. Some of these hair foods contains chemicals which can cause hair loss.
4. Telogen Effluvium
This is usually temporary hair loss. It is a result of a change in the number of hair growth follicles during resting stage. It is usually caused by stress or illness. One of the major causes of hair loss in women is stress months after delivering a child which results to telogen effluvium.
5. Alopecia Universalis
This is an advanced type of alopecia and it is seen as hair loss all over the body. This is very dangerous as it leaves the body unprotected by hair. People with this condition should avoid getting in contact with the sun for long
6. Cicatricial alopecia
This is a combination of some conditions that results to hair loss by scarring. It is usually irreversible. The hair which is lost is replaced by scars.
Causes Of Hair Loss In Women
While androgenetic alopecia is usually caused by age, genetic or hormones, there are still other causes of hair loss which you need to know.
1. Stress
This could be intense physical or emotional stress. It is not the usual stress caused by daily activities. It is usually one caused after a sad life event. Scientists explains that hairs grow at different rate and while some are growing, some are being shed and some are resting. When the body undergoes so much stress, it causes a halt in hair growth.
2. Lack of protein in the body
Protein helps the body develop new hair cells. Hair is continually shed from the body and they need replacement but when there’s deficient supply of protein to the body, it results to lack of new hair to replace the lost ones.
3. Childbirth
There’s a lot of hormonal changes during pregnancy and childbirth. In most women, the hair tens to grow rapidly during pregnancy because there’s an increase in production of estrogen, but after childbirth the production goes back to normal and the additional hair grown begins to shed. It happens mildly in some women but severe in some others.
Hair loss can also be caused by changes in birth control pills.
4. Dandruff
Dandruff comes with inflammation of the scalp and it gets itchy. When this occurs, women tend to scratch their hair more and it eventually results to loss of hair. The good news is that dandruff can be easily treated.
5. Hairstyles
Too tight hairstyles like tight ponytails causes thinning of the hairline. When such hairstyle is done for a long time, it may become impossible to reverse the hair loss. This is because wearing tight styles for long destroys the hair follicles.
6. Using too much chemicals on the hair
One does not just use chemicals on the hair. These chemicals are found in materials used to process the hair such as straightening or perming. Some of these chemicals are harsh and they eventually cause damage to the hair follicles.
Also, heating the hair too much can cause damage to the hair shaft and make hair break off easily.
7. Health Conditions
Some autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, thyroid disease could cause loss of hair. Some other conditions are hypopituitarism, hasminto disease, celiac disease, ringworm, Addison’s disease, scleroderma etc.
8. Lack Of Vitamins
Lack of vitamins like vitamin B which are found in red meat is one of the causes of hair loss in women. Women also tend to lack iron in the body due to loss of blood during menstruation, so when enough iron isn’t present in the body, it could lead to loss of hair.
9. Medications
There are some certain medications which can cause severe shedding. This includes blood pressure medications, antidepressants and medications for HIV. Treatments including chemotherapy can also cause loss of hair.
As always, remember to see your doctor when necessary. Next week, we will give you tips on preventing hair loss in women. Subscribe to our blog now to receive notifications in your email.
