Hair loss, or alopecia, is a common medical condition. Most people associate it with age, but it can affect anyone. Losing your hair can feel frightening, or you might get embarrassed. But, there are plenty of effective treatments that you can use.
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How Does Hair Loss Work?
Everyone loses hair. Usually, people lose about 100 strands of hair each day. That’s not a problem most of the time. However, it can become troublesome in some cases.
Alopecia is what happens when you lose too much hair, causing bald spots. You might start by noticing you’ve got more hair coming out of your head than usual. Then, it can progress to bald spots.
There are a lot of things that may cause alopecia. Hormonal imbalances are pretty common, and stress could also be a factor. In fact, women tend to lose a lot of hair after giving birth.
A lot of alopecia cases are genetically linked. That means you can inherit the condition from your parents. If they lose their hair, then your chances of it happening become a lot higher.
Depending on the cause, you might be able to regrow your hair. Different treatments work on alopecia using different approaches. You’ll need to speak to your doctor to determine what’s causing yours.
Age is another major factor. As we age, our bodies might not hold onto our hair as well. Age-related alopecia is the most likely cause for most people.
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Ringworm of the Scalp
Sometimes, children develop loss of hair because of a fungal infection. You’ll see patches of scaly skin developing on their scalp. Using an oral antifungal medication should resolve any issues, though.
If you suspect this is the case, take your child to a doctor. They’ll inspect them using a microscope to verify it’s a fungal infection. Then, they can prescribe you the correct medications to treat the disorder.
Autoimmune Disorders
Some children suffer from loss of hair because of an autoimmune condition. That’s when their body’s immune system begins attacking itself. Seek out a doctor if you think your children have this condition. It doesn’t have a cure, but there are ways you can manage it.
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Compulsive Hair Pulling
Trichotillomania is a condition where children pull out their own hair, compulsively. Usually, you’ll notice more hair is gone on their dominant side. Children might engage in this behavior because of anxiety. Or, they might not realize they’re doing it at all.
Speak to a medical professional to see what they can do. Most of the time, they’ll recommend some sort of behavioral modification. Fortunately, this isn’t a medically-caused case. So, as long as you get them to change their behavior, everything should grow back.
Sudden Severe Stress
Certain types of stress could lead to your children losing their hair. For example, if they’ve had a high fever, then it might fall out. Even losing a loved one might trigger this effect.
Because of the severe stress, their hair follicles stop growing mid-phase. Then, it’ll fall out within a few weeks. Luckily, once the stress is gone, everything will start growing again. They should have full heads of hair within 6 to 12 months.
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Nutritional Deficiencies
Hair growth requires the presence of certain nutrients. Vitamin B and Zinc are both necessary for healthy hair growth. In some cases, too much vitamin A could cause it to fall out as well.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism may also cause hair to fall out. This is an endocrine problem where the thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones. As a result, you may notice weight gain and loss of hair. Correcting it with hormone replacements should resolve any issues.
How Do You Treat It?
Losing your hair is never any fun. Fortunately, there are plenty of treatments that can help. Choosing the right one depends on what’s causing your alopecia. Talk to your dermatologist to see if they can figure out what’s going on.
Laser Treatment
Certain laser treatments could be an effective way to help you regrow your hair. Light shines onto the scalp, stimulating your hair follicles. There are at-home versions of this treatment available. However, medical centers tend to produce better results.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is one of the first medications used to treat alopecia. It can help to slow the loss of hair, and it may help to regrow it as well. Using it along with another medication seems to produce even better results most of the time.
Finasteride
Finasteride is a medication used to treat male pattern baldness. It prevents testosterone from aromatizing. As a result, your hair follicles should start regrown. It’s also great at slowing down age-related conditions.
