What is Alopecia?
Alopecia is the loss of hair. Alopecia is caused by many different reasons, including damage to hair or hair follicles, or fungal infections. Alopecia areata is when the immune system attacks hair follicles causing hair to fall out. Androgenetic alopecia, or more commonly known as either male pattern hair loss of female diffuse hair loss, is inherited. If you are experiencing Hairloss you should consult your doctor.
Alopecia can be caused by illness, genetics, natural aging, medications, malnutrition, or immune disorders. Treatment depends on the type of alopecia. Medications such as Minoxidil or Finasteride may reduce hair loss in people with alopecia areata. Male patern hair loss or female difuse hair loss may be treated with surgery, such as scalp reduction, transplants, or grafts. Supplements and herbs are often used in conjunction with standard medicines.
What is Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that kills fast-growing cells like cancer. Many chemotherapy drugs are available, and it has proven an effective means to treat many cancers, immune system disorders, and bone marrow diseases, but there are often side effects, including hair loss.
Hair loss begins 1 to 3 weeks after the start of treatment, and happens gradually. Fortunately, the hair loss is often temporary. You can expect to regrow hair 3 to 10 months after treatment.
What is Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is a hair-pulling mental disorder involving the urge to pull out one’s own hair to point of noticeable hair loss. Trichotillomania is a type of impulse control disorder, which is a mental illness that involves the failure to resist urges or act in harmful ways. It occurs equally in male and female children, but much more common in female than male adults.
A mental health professional can diagnose Trichotillomania and treat it with a behavioral therapy called habit reversal training, or with antidepressant medications. Decreasing stress also helps.