Hair Loss

As compared to any other physical feature, your hair and its style can contribute immensely to the image that you project. Hair loss can take a toll on this image and damage your self-esteem.

Everyone experiences some hair loss on a daily basis. Your hair goes through a continuous growth cycle throughout your life. Therefore, you are likely to shed a few hairs sooner or later. At any particular point of time, 85 to 90 percent of your hair is in a stage of constant growth for four to five years. The remaining hair is in a resting phase which may last for two to four months. Shedding of hair is seen during the end of the resting stage. While it is normal for the scalp to shed 50 to 100 hairs every day, you must be wary of significant or rapid thinning of your hair. In advanced hair loss, the follicles produce increasingly thinner hair which never re-grows and the follicles may wither away.

The top causes of hair loss are:

Alopecia Areata (Auto Immune Disease)

This auto immune skin disease causes hair loss on both the head and other parts of the body. This disorder causes antibodies to attack the hair follicles. Initial hair loss may be seen as smooth and circular areas on the back or top of the head. Usually this hair loss is sudden and it can progress to a state of total baldness.

Heredity

The most common form of hair loss is known as “androgenic alopecia.” This refers to hair loss caused by androgen or a male hormone such as testosterone. As the level of androgen hormones increases, the amount of hair loss that occurs is likely to increase as well.

Stress

Chronic stress can cause the follicles to go into the resting phase prematurely. Although the effects might not be immediate, acute hair loss is likely to appear within a few months. However, such hair loss is temporary and the hair usually grows back once the stress is cured. Hair loss may also occur due to physical stress to the hair due to excessive washing, styling or brushing. People who have trichotillomania may also suffer from hair loss as they obsessively pull out healthy hair.

Chemical Damage

Certain chemicals, disease treatments and medications can destroy the hair follicle. This is usually seen in cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy. During the therapy, both cancer cells and healthy cells are destroyed. Among these, a sizeable portion of the cells which feed the hair follicles are destroyed too. Once the treatment stops, the hair may resume growth.

At Reese Hair Restoration, Dr. Reese provides patients with a variety of surgical and non-surgical treatments which can combat these factors. Visit Reese Hair Restoration to discuss your problems and your desires. Dr. Reese strongly believes that everyone deserves to look youthful with beautiful and fuller hair!

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