Hair Loss And Scalp Conditions

There are scalp conditions that really tend to make us sit up and pay attention to what is happening to our body, and hair loss is one of them. Though you will see many a television and magazine advertisement that is extolling the virtues of one commercial product or another that supposedly will make your hair begin to grow again, no one has ever looked forward to trying them out to see if they work! Thinning hair or bald spots are scalp conditions that unfortunately have become more and more common over the years. Both men and women experience losing hair. In fact, hair loss in men is so common that it is seen as just a part of the progression of time.

There are several different types of hair loss:

• The most common variety of hair loss is male pattern baldness.

The hair on our heads normally will live for around 5 years or so. When they are shed, the hair follicles usually grow a new hair to take its place. With male pattern baldness, sometimes that new hair doesn't appear. Over time, you will start to notice bald areas appearing, usually at the temples or the crown of the head.

Males that are between ages 20 to 45 who notice that their hair seems to be coming out more than it used to are probably starting to experience male pattern baldness, one of the most dreaded of all scalp conditions in men who are proud of their crowning glory.

What causes scalp conditions like male pattern baldness, aka androgenic alopecia? In a nutshell, hormones, and their effect on the hair follicles. Most men have high levels of testosterone once they have come through puberty. This hormone is changed into dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, by an enzyme in the body. This DHT really does a number on the hair follicles, causing them to not only slow down the growth of new hair, but to also make the hair that eventually emerges from the follicle both shorter and weaker. It can also stop the hair from growing at all.

Female pattern baldness is also one of the scalp conditions that females must deal with as they grow older. It is different from male pattern baldness in that it is an all-over thinning of the hair, with the hairline unchanged. It is caused by hormones, aging, and genetics.

• Traumatic alopecia is hair loss from the hair being torn out from an injury to the scalp. It seems to be caused most frequently from styling methods that are an attempt to straighten kinky ethnic hair. Stress traction from tight braids, overheating the hair shafts when using heated hair appliances, and chemical straighteners and hair colours can also contribute to scalp conditions like this.

• Drug induced alopecia is hair loss caused by a medication. Quite a few drugs have hair loss listed as a side effect. Everyone knows that the drugs used for chemotherapy can, and usually do cause hair loss, but other medicines that may be necessary for good health such as antidepressants, over the counter pain relievers like Naproxen, over the counter and prescription medications for indigestion such as Tagamet, Zantac, and Pepcid, and prescription medications for the thyroid can contribute to scalp conditions like this.

• Alopecia Areata is a patchy hair loss that is almost always reversible. It seems to stem from an autoimmune reaction, but what causes this reaction is unknown. Allergies, thyroid problems, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis are some of the conditions that are associated with scalp conditions like alopecia areata.