Hair Diseases-Female Pattern Baldness

Diagnosis for Sudden hair loss

2007-06-21T03:41:00.000-07:00

Analysis of diseases that cause hair loss depends on which of the variety of types of hair loss diseases you are suffering from. When a patient with a precise hair condition enters a clinic the first duty of the dermatologist is to diagnose his hair loss disease, spot which type of hair loss diseases he is suffering from, and then prescribe treatments or hair care remedies. The most common method for diagnosis of hair loss diseases involves information gathering through questioning. Apart from questioning, use of diagnostic techniques like a hair pluck test can also help to identify diseases that cause hair loss. Analysis of hair loss diseases through questioning

The first stage of diagnosis involves the process of deciding whether the diseases that cause hair loss are congenital, hair loss seems congenital then the dermatologist may ask a few questions related to the patient’s family back ground. For example; the dermatologist may ask whether other members of the family have similar hair loss diseases and what genetic relationship they are to you.

Laboratory tests to recognize the diseases that cause hair loss

Localized hair loss diseases can be Alopecia Areata , but might be scalp ringworm. Some skin scraping taken from the scalp are placed on a slide, some potassium hydroxide is applied, and then the result is examined under a microscope to see if any fungi can be seen. A positive result confirms ringworm.

Other tests may be done on blood samples looking for inflammation, minerals, or viral infections.

So remain knowledgeable about the various diagnostic procedures which will give you a clear understanding on the type and intensity of hair loss. It will help you fruitfully countering the type of hair loss disease you may be suffering from. And you will be able to keep the diseases that cause hair loss at cove.

Want to have hair loss control?

2007-06-18T02:54:00.000-07:00

Menopause is a difficult time in almost every woman’s life. Not only it takes its toll on the physical health of a women, she also suffers emotionally due to the aggressive hormonal changes taking place in her body. Out of the many causes of sudden hair loss in women, menopause is the major cause for hair shedding in pre and post menopausal women.

Since one cannot reverse the hair loss, I would advice every woman to take natural vitamin supplements and vitamins in large amount. This way you can help your hair follicles to have maximum nutrition and you don’t shed your hair for starving them of vital growth factors.

The antioxidant activity of these vitamin supplements also help to large extent in reducing the levels of free radicals. The free radicals produced in our body as a result of day-to-day metabolism. Normally, the body is able to handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable, the free-radical production becomes excessive; and some damage is likely to occur. The damage can be in form of a cancer, heart disease or some other diseases. Of particular importance here is the free radical damage resulting with the age.

Taking natural vitamin supplements, vitamin supplements and antioxidant vitamins help women to combat these free radicals.

There are some special women health supplements available in form of some herbal nutritional supplements which are especially helpful in relieving some of stressful menopausal symptoms. These supplements also give you a kind of natural hair care you really need at the time you are so much distressed to see more hair in your comb than on your head.

Recently, I came across this site that talked about these special women health supplements. Some of other interesting information that I received on this site was about hair analysis test. This is a simple test that helps you to determine the nutritional deficiency which could be the cause of your hair loss. This test is helpful for the women of all ages.

Sudden Hair Loss Diagnosis

2007-06-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hair diseases may not become visible to be shocking, as they do not pose any health problem. But make no mistake dude, it is quite a problem. If you have it in a serious means (LOL). When you will find your silky-smooth hair is fast turning into Sahara desert, you start losing your sleep over it, right dude?

And then you consult a doctor for sudden hair loss diagnosis. That analysis depends on the type of your hair loss. You know, there are innumerable hair diseases types and subtypes. But in practice you will find only around 20 hair diseases. And again, of that around 20 diseases you will find only four accounts for 95 per cent hair diseases problems - pattern baldness, telogen effluvium, chemical overprocessing, and alopecia areata.

Diseases that Cause Hair Loss

2007-06-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

Some of the infectious Diseases that Cause Hair Loss are Tinea Capitis, Sebohorreic Dermatitis and Folliculitis.

Scalp infections and infestations are very common among the various; Types of Hair Loss Diseases. Common infectious hair diseases are the results of fungus, bacteria, viruses or parasites.

Cures for Telogen Effluvium

2007-06-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

Telogen effluvium is one of the most critical alopecia causes. But it is a poorly defined condition. Because enough research has not been done to understand this major hair disease.

This problem creates abnormal hair loss, as there will be alteration of normal hair growth cycle. If the problem is chronic, then other hair bearing areas of the body like eyebrows and pubic hair will get affected. Anyways, one rare thing is that telogen effluvium is fully reversible, because hair follicles are not permanently affected.

The causes for Telogen Effluvium are both temporary and persistent. In temporary causes there is hair regrowth after a short period of time. In persistent causes the hair loss continues.

The cures for telogen effluvium depend on the causal factors. Suppose, if the reason is telogen effluvium then you have to sit tight and wait for the follicles to recover of their own accord. But if it is stress, then stress reduction is the medicine.

causes of Trichotillomania

2007-06-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

You know, every second person you will get together is suffering from hair diseases and hair loss. That’s my personal experience. The duration of the problem may vary. That’s it.

And man! What a great varieties of troubles are there. And some of them are so odd.

Take the case of Trichotillomania. It is really a strange one. In this disease you will suffer from repetitive advice to pull out hair fibers mainly from the scalp. You may also focal point on pulling eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, nose, pubic or other body hair. And it is very usual that the pulling of scalp hair will lead to bald patches.

And you know something? After finding the bald area you will have more support pull the hair around it and make the patch larger.

Treatments Sudden Hair Loss Diseases

2007-06-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

The sudden hair loss diseases are really painful in social life. Yes, I mean it. Just think of it. All of a sudden you find that you have started looking like your elderly uncle, and then like your grandfather.

However, now there are various effective hair loss solutions. One advanced option is hair transplantation. And of course you have all the traditional methods like herbal supplements. Now it is your choice (which depends on your pocket, LOL).

Causes of Folliculitis

2007-06-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

What is folliculitis? It is the inflammation of hair follicles, caused by more than a few factors. The folliculitis causes are of two types - infectious folliculitis and non-infectious folliculitis. The first one is more common than the latter. You will obtain it from hair damage caused by rubbing from clothing, shaving, physical injury etc. The infections one you will acquire when oils and greases applied to the skin clog up the hair follicles and lead to non-infectious folliculitis.

Talking of sudden hair loss, one healing method that I found interesting is traction alopecia treatment. It is a simple treatment if you apply it in the early ages. For example, you can just modify your hairstyle putting excessive strain on your roots.

Information on Trichotillomania

2007-06-03T21:35:00.001-07:00

Trichotillomania is a peculiar hair loss disease. You will never find another cause of hair loss as odd as Trichotillomania. In this disease you will have a peculiar advice to pull out your hair fibers mainly from the scalp, and also from eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, nose, pubic or other body hair. And the pulling of scalp hair will cause bald patches.

And what is scarier is that after there is a bald area, you will have a greater urge to pull the hair around it and make the bald larger.

The regular causes of Trichotillomania are anxiety disorders or mood problems. It is considered to be a neurobiological condition.

And you know something interesting? This hair pulling disorder is also found among mice and cockatoos. Mice under stress pull out each others’ hair, while unhappy cockatoos may pluck out their own feathers.

If you want you may have a look at the site www.hairdiseases.com. You will find more fascinating facts about Trichotillomania, and other hair diseases.

Treatment of Traction Alopecia

2007-05-25T05:01:00.000-07:00

Traction alopecia is caused by chronic traction (pulling) on the hair follicle. Traction alopecia mostly happens in American- African women and men who braid their hair too tightly. It is also common in other cultural groups known for customary hair styles that involve pulling the hair.

There is also seen a marked traction alopecia in the beard area of this Sikh man. The Sikh men do not cut scalp or beard hair. The beard hairs are pulled straight and then twisted and tightly knotted. Daily knotting often results in this form of traction alopecia.

Men who attach hairpieces to their existing hair also undergo from this type of hair loss. The traction alopecia in such cases can also lead to permanent hair loss if the hairpiece is attached in the same place over a long period of time.

If we put the examples from ethnic groups aside, traction alopecia occurs most often in pre-teenagers, teenagers, young adults then it does in older men and women.

It is a very unfortunate state that hair styles and fashions and hair styling methods are causing baldness and hair loss among today's younger generations. The hair loss in all such cases is mostly due to Traction alopecia. The hair loss is caused by long term hair pulling and breakage due to very tight hair braiding, hair weaves and cornrows.

In excess use of hair style aids such as sponge hair rollers or curling irons may also promote traction alopecia. Traction alopecia often shows as distinct patches of hair loss in those areas where the hair and hair follicles have been put under excessive strain. The hair loss may occur anywhere on the scalp depending on the nature of the hair style or process that is causing the traction alopecia. Prolonged traction alopecia can lead to cicatrisation of the new hair follicle and permanent hair loss.

Traction alopecia is a very common cause of temporary hair loss. Typically, traction alopecia in the early stages involves affected hair follicles being pushed into the telogen resting state along with localized trauma to the hair follicles as a result of hair fibers being forcibly pulled out.

Traction alopecia is reversible if diagnosed in the early stages. Permanent hair loss can arise too slowly for immediate detection. Hair loss is often occurs in the front, and hair line but is also subject to the immediate adjacent area to where the hair is being pulled and damaged.

An effective treatment is to simply avoid hair styling that puts excessive strain on the hair. Even with removal of the cause of traction alopecia it may take up to three months for the hair to recover. Areas of scalp subjected to chronic traction alopecia may never fully recover.

Traction alopecia is generally a non-scarring, non-inflammatory form of hair loss although long term use of hair styles involving traction over 3 or more years may result in a mild immune cell infiltrate and irreversible scarring damage to some hair follicles. Any form of chronic traction alopecia will eventually lead to fibrosis around hair follicles and total destruction of some hair follicles. Once destroyed the hair follicles will not re-grow under any circumstances hence chronic traction alopecia can be described as a scarring cicatricial alopecia.

Permanent traction alopecia does not respond to medical treatment such as minoxidil or finasteride due to non-genetic nature of hair loss. The only way one can treat traction alopecia is with hair transplants. Follicular unit hair grafting has been identified as the only practical solution to treating traction alopecia. Number of patients with traction alopecia coming to hair transplant clinics is generally increasing and the treatment is providing them good response.

Cure for Seborrheic Dermatitis

2007-05-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

The deep sounding Seborrheic dermatitis is only dandruff for most of the people who get it. Though, in its severe and chronic form, this chronic inflammatory skin disorder can cause scaly, oily patches to crop up without notice. Seborrheic dermatitis is first and foremost a skin condition, but it can also involve temporary hair loss if the dermatitis is located on the scalp or other terminal-haired skin areas.

The disease has much to do with the sebaceous glands. This connection is evident by the reason that chronic inflammatory skin disorder is generally confined to areas of the head and trunk where sebaceous glands are most important. The disease occurs as a result of an overproduction of sebum, the oil produced by sebaceous glands. This area is then overridden by yeast causing a chronic infection scaling with the redness. The hair follicles in the vicinity of the inflammatory cells are adversely affected because of the unhealthy environment surrounding them. Thus seborrheic dermatitis may non-specifically cause diffuse hair loss. This hair loss is reversible with decrease of the inflammation intensity.

Seborrheic dermatitis frequently affects persons in postpuberty and this serves as an extra evidence of hormonal influence. Research has verified that the human sebocyte respond to androgen stimulation.

The yeast called as Pityrosporum ovale has been implicated in the development of this condition, it is a lipophilic fungus. Since the disease seborrheic dermatitis responds well to the antifungal medication it is believed that the fungus plays a major role in the development of the disease. It has been suggested that seborrheic dermatitis is an inflammatory response to this organism. It is not clear why some persons develop seborrheic dermatitis and others do not.

Genetic and environmental factors, as well as attendance of some morbid diseases, may predispose specific populations to the development of seborrheic dermatitis. Normally seborrheic dermatitis affects only 4 percent of the general population; but its occurrence in persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome may be as high as 85 percent.

Many cases of seborrheic dermatitis are efficiently treated by shampooing daily or every other day with antidandruff shampoos containing 2.5 percent selenium sulfide or 1 to 2 percent pyrithione zinc. on the other hand, ketoconazole shampoo may be used.

Topical corticosteroid solutions, lotions or ointments may be used once or twice daily for one to three weeks till the itching and erythema fade away.

Reference: http://www.hairdisease.com

Female Pattern Baldness

2007-04-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

Female pattern baldness is one of the common causes of hair loss in women. It results from various factors, with the main factor being the production of androgenetic hormones and its effect on hair follicles. In case you want further details, then I can suggest the site www.hairdiseases.com.

The disease causes different hair loss patterns in different women. Some women experience hair thinning on the top of the scalp. While you will find some other women experiencing thinning of hair and patches of greaterscalp hair loss.

And there may be women experiencing hair loss from the front of the scalp to mid-scalp.

Female pattern baldness may be a common hair loss problem for the women, but not the only one. There are other factors causing sudden hair loss or localized hair loss among women. The various causes of sudden hair loss include problems like alopecia areata, traction alopecia, Trichotillomania, telogen effluvium, etc. I will request you to visit www.femalepatternbaldness.com for a broader picture.

What happens in such sudden hair loss? Well, in this case there is generalized hair thinning over all parts of the scalp. But significantly there is only hair thinning, but no hair fall.

If you have telogen effluvium, then your hair will shift into a resting, non-growth stage on the scalp and shed after several months.

Some other causes of hair loss in women include anemia, thyroid dysfunction, endocrine problems, gynecological conditions like ovarian tumors, connective tissue disease like Lupus, surgical procedures, hormonal imbalance, improper styling, inadequate or faulty diet, etc.

And yes, sometimes certain medications also form causes of sudden hair loss among women. Such medicines which can cause hair loss include oral contraceptives, thyroid medication, blood pressure medication, mood enhancing medicines and anti-depressants, cholesterol lowering medications and drugs, etc.

Identifying causes of hair loss in women

2007-04-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

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.