Normal human hair grows in a cycle consists of 2 phases: growth phase and rest phase.
In growth phase (anagen) which lasts for 2-3 years, the hair grow about 1cm a month. After that, it enters rest phase (telogen) which lasts for 3-4 months. During rest phase, hairs stop to grow. At the end of rest phase, the hairs will fall and a new cycle of growth phase will begin. A person normally shed 50-100 hairs a day.
Causes of hair loss:
- aging
- 40% of men by 35 years old and 65% of men by 60 years old have noticeable hair loss
- 50% of women by 50 years old have noticeable hair loss
- genetic
- more prone to develop hair loss if one of your immediate family has it
- poor nutrition
- iron, zinc or protein deficiency
- medication
- warfarin, fibrates, anti-acne, ACE-inhibitor, calcium-channels blockers, allopurinol, anti-thyroid drugs, epilepsy drugs, birth control pills etc
- male-pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia)
- hair loss at both temporal areas & the top
- treated with oral finasteride / topical minoxidil
- female-pattern baldness (androgenetic)
- hair thinning at the mid-line top
- treated with oral anti-androgen / topical minoxidil
- telogen effluvium
- hair growth enters into telogen phase prematurely, triggered by body insult / stress such as: emotional/physical stress, surgery, starvation, high fever, serious illness, extreme diets, childbirth etc
- hair loss starts 3-4 months after the stress event
- reversible after the stress factors subside
- anagen effluvium
- caused by chemotherapy drugs where actively growing hairs at anagen phase are most affected
- tinea capitis (scalp fungal infection / ringworm)
- itchy red scaly scalp with patchy hair loss
- treated with topical anti-fungal
- alopecia areata
- autoimmune disorder with exact cause unknown
- non-scarring patchy hair loss
- may regress (hair grow back), recur or progress to total baldness
- treated with topical steroids/minoxidil or monthly steroid injection
- cicatricial alopecia (scarring)
- caused by inflammation and damage to hair follicles
- patchy and permanent hair loss
- associated with SLE and lichen planus
- traction alopecia
- caused by regular use of hairstyles that tightly pulling the hair
- patchy hair loss and non-permanent hair loss
- hormonal changes
- hyper- or hypothyroid
- diabetes
- childbirth / menopause
- excessive hair styling
- chemicals used & over-styling
- trichotillomania
- a mental disorder with irresistible hair-pulling
- patchy bald areas
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