WHAT IS ALOPECIA

 Alopecia is hair loss or balding. It may happen on any part of the body. There are many types of alopecia. Some types cause temporary hair loss and your hair will grow back. With other types, hair loss can get worse, and become permanent.

 Hair loss – although distressing – is generally more accepted in men, despite women accounting for 40% of all hair loss sufferers in the US. 

 It goes without saying that hair loss – regardless of gender – can be devastating. It can dent a person’s self-esteem and negatively affect their overall quality of life 

 Hair loss in a woman is so emotionally devastating that it can trigger a wide range of social and emotional issues that can negatively impact healthy daily living and overall quality of life. I have heard of women that retreat from social situations, have diminished work performance, and even alter their healthy living – avoiding exercise, overeating, not treating other medical illnesses – due to their hair loss.

Hair loss is typically related to one or more of the following factors:

• Family history (heredity). The most common cause of hair loss is a hereditary condition that happens with aging. This condition is called androgenic alopecia, male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness. It usually occurs gradually and in predictable patterns — a receding hairline and bald spots in men and thinning hair along the crown of the scalp in women.
• Hormonal changes and medical conditions. A variety of conditions can cause permanent or temporary hair loss, including hormonal changes due to pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and thyroid problems. And more.
• Medications and supplements. Hair loss can be a side effect of certain drugs, such as those used for cancer, arthritis, depression, heart problems, gout and high blood pressure.
• A very stressful event. Many people experience a general thinning of hair several months after a physical or emotional shock. This type of hair loss is temporary.
• Hairstyles and treatments. Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull your hair tight, such as pigtails or cornrows, can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. Hot-oil hair treatments and permanents also can cause hair to fall out. If scarring occurs, hair loss could be permanent.

 The medical field has a few treatments, as well as home remedies, but unfortunately there are no known permanent solutions to androgenetic alopecia. In order to reduce the symptoms of AGA, you must target the causes. You can't target your genetic makeup, but you can target androgens and inflammation while stimulating new hair growth.

 A hereditary condition, androgenetic alopecia is believed to be caused by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which derives from the male hormone testosterone. 

 Because men have higher testosterone levels than women, they are likely to produce higher DHT levels, leading to increased hair loss. As such, men with androgenetic alopecia often experience a receding hairline which can progress to partial or complete baldness, while women tend to experience hair thinning on the top and sides of the scalp. 

• In alopecia areata , the immune system attacks hair follicles, making hair fall out all over the body in patches. Easily removed or broken hairs occur in oval or round patches in this disorder. Alopecia can be caused by aging and genetics, illness, chemotherapy, malnutrition, or an autoimmune disorder.

 Traction alopecia is a form of alopecia, or gradual hair loss, caused primarily by pulling force being applied to the hair. This commonly results from the sufferer frequently wearing their hair in a particularly tight ponytail, pigtails, or braids. It is also seen occasionally in long-haired people who use barrettes to keep hair out of their faces. Traction alopecia is recession of the hairline due to chronic traction, or hair pulling, and is characterized by a fringe along the marginal hairline.

 Traction Alopecia is one of the most common causes of hair loss in African American women