The Different Types Of Hair Loss

Marleny Hucks

Noticing that you’re beginning to lose your hair can have an impact both mentally and physically. Your hair is something that you take pride in and is a part of you that makes you feel like yourself, so if it begins to fall out, feeling down about it is natural. There are ways of combating and preventing hair loss, as well as options like a hair transplant in Turkey that can help you to feel confident again. Have you ever wondered what causes hair loss? We’ll discuss the different types and how they happen below. 

Male pattern hair loss

Some hair loss is simply genetic. Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, can occur in both men and women. You can usually tell if genetic baldness is occurring as hair is lost from specific places on the head. Hair will begin to recede from the front and create an M shape and can also start thinning on the top of the head at the crown, creating a bald patch. In women, hair doesn’t tend to recede but gets thinner over time. Baldness tends to occur naturally in men as they get older and is a sign of ageing. There is no cure for male pattern baldness, however, medications can be used to try and halt hair falling out or hair transplants could be considered. 

Alopecia 

Alopecia or Alopecia Areata is a condition caused by the body’s immune system attacking itself, including the hair follicles. It is an autoimmune disease but can also be caused by psychological stress. It can range from a few bald patches at the scalp, small or around the size of a coin, but can sometimes result in total hair loss. It can even affect eyelashes and eyebrows. Sometimes hair does not regrow, but in other cases, it can eventually grow back.

Hair Shedding – Telogen Effluvium 

Hair shedding is common with most of us, as the hair must fall out to make way for new, growing hair, but when it begins to fall out in larger amounts, this might mean something is wrong. There can be many reasons behind hair shedding such as stress, weight loss, a change in diet, or hormonal changes within the body. With this condition, you may notice your hair thinning or an increase in the amount of hair you’re shedding. All the hair does not fall out with this condition, and it tends to resolve itself in around nine months. 

Traction hair loss

This can also be referred to as traction alopecia. If you have long hair, wearing your hair in certain styles is the number one cause of this – styling your hair in ways that pull your hair for long periods of time, such as wearing it tightly in a ponytail or bun, or in braids. Sometimes when you have long hair, tying it back is necessary, for example in some workplaces this may be required. Ensuring that you don’t sleep with your hair pulled tightly or investing in some plastic, coiled hair ties rather than elastic can help to prevent hair loss in this way. 

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