Hair loss: its forms and its causes

After the face, hair is probably the most important element of a person's appearance, for men as for women. This asset in attraction is unfortunately threatened by several factors which mean that we sometimes lose our hair. Although it is something everyone experiences daily, to differing degrees, it happens that an abnormally large amount of hair is lost, and we then speak of alopecia. This significant hair loss has many causes and often means self-consciousness for many men and women, though it is particularly hard to live with for women, for whom hair is a symbol of their femininity.

Hair loss

Daily hair loss, of the order of 50 to 150 hairs, is a perfectly normal natural process when it is made up for by the regrowth of new hair. A hair has a limited lifespan, around 6 years, at the end of which it dies and falls out. It is replaced, however, by the growth of a new hair, a phase which concerns only a small percentage of all the hairs at any given moment. When hair loss becomes pathological, we speak of alopecia. The hair then becomes sparse over one or more areas, with some areas possibly bare. Dr Fares Seffen, hair surgeon, offers a proven and minimally invasive treatment to address hair loss lastingly; go to the contact page to tell him about your case.

Types of hair loss

There are several types of alopecia, notably:

• Androgenetic alopecia: this is the most widespread form of hair loss, seen mainly in men and women. It is generally characterised by a receding hairline at the front of the head, or by thinning at the crown.
• Scarring alopecia: this can occur following an infection or a disease affecting the skin, such as psoriasis.
• Alopecia areata: this is characterised by hair loss in patches, arising from an autoimmune disorder.

Causes of hair loss

Alopecia can be linked to several factors, internal or external:

• Hormonal change: after a pregnancy, or with a change of season, more hair may fall out, but this is entirely normal and above all temporary.
• Effluvium: telogen effluvium takes the form of sudden hair loss following emotional or physical trauma. It generally lasts only a few months, at the end of which the start of regrowth can be seen.
• Smoking: people who smoke are more prone to hair loss, because of the action of nicotine, which restricts blood flow to the scalp.
• Dietary deficiencies: nutritional deficiencies, and iron deficiency in particular, are often involved in hair loss, especially in women, whose iron levels fall during menstruation.