Identifying causes of hair loss in women

Hair loss for men and women is always a cause for concern; nevertheless it becomes more devastating when the causes of hair loss are not identified.

Clinical dermatologists make their diagnosis out of some 20 different hair loss diseases. Some common diseases that dermatologists are likely to see are androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, trichotillomania, alopecia aerata, cicatricial alopecia, hair shaft defects from cosmetic processing and excess hair growth (hirsutism or hypertrichosis). Most hair diseases are very rare and affect less than 1% of the population.

However, because of the lack of research into hair diseases sometimes it becomes very difficult to make a specific diagnosis. Very few diagnostic tests or treatments available, particularly for diseases that cause hair loss other than those listed above.

Generally a dermatologist has recourse to three main methods of information gathering. The first one is to know about the hair loss history and lifestyle of the patient, second one is to conduct a visual examination of the hair, and the third or final method is to take samples of hair, skin and/or blood for further testing and examination.

All the three methodsare not required for all the diseases. Baldness for both the pattern make and female baldness for example is diagnosed instantly and the dermatologist is ready to may move straight to talk about the treatment options with the patient.

There are many hair diseases including the female and male pattern baldness which are genetic. Dermatologist asks about the history of hair loss and also about other inherited diseases. By asking these questions, dermatologist tries to define a disease by a process of deduction from clues the patient provides. Some diseases are caused due to environmental factors. Traction alopecia for example is caused by wrong hair styling and hair treatments whereas the cause of trichotillomania is psychological.

A lot depends upon the type of your hair loss – it is patchy, diffused, limited to a particular area and whether it is asymmetrical or symmetrical in appearance? Next the dermatologist looks for a fungal infection using a special light source called a wood’s lamp. A fungal infection is confirmed if the affected area fluoresces. The dermatologist also makes an experiment of nails, teeth, and eyes which in a way are related to the hair follicle structure and can occasionally be affected in some hair conditions.

The dermatologist may perform a hair pull test; this test should not generally be performed after washing your hair. The dermatologist tugs on a few strands of hair to see if the fibers pull out easily or if they are firmly anchored in the hair follicle. This test provides clue on the type of hair that is lost, the disease telogen effluvium can be easily identified by this.

A microscopic analysis of hair fiber is performed to see the detailed anatomy of hair. This helps to find out the defects in hair shaft and the roots that support the diagnosis. Sometimes the dermatologist may send you hair fiber away for testing with a scanning electron microscope.

To determine the folliculitis causes, the dermatologist will take scrapings of skin from the affected area. The types of bacteria and fungi are recognized by using special stains or by culturing.

A scalp biopsy can also be performed in some of the cases. The skin is then sent for histological and pathological examination. The signs of inflammation, scarring, or infection in the skin and around the hair follicles are confirmed by biopsies. Diseases such as hirsutism (excess hair growth) and thyroid hair loss in women are caused by hormonal imbalance. If the dermatologist suspects hormones or the immune system to be involved in your hair condition, the blood sample is sent to endocrinologist/immunologist for further testing. This testing also helps in identification of autoimmune diseases.

This is just to give some idea about the hair diseases; you can find more detailed information at the http://www.hairdiseases.com. Besides the results from the above test, your hair loss and medical history is also essential. Don’t hide anything from your doctor, the information helps in making the correct diagnosis.