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This can also happen after a stressful time in your life, such as a divorce or death of a loved one. If you receive chemotherapy or have radiation treatment to your head or neck, you may lose all (or most of) your hair within a few weeks of starting treatment. Your clinician might prescribe anti-inflammatory medications, like corticosteroids, if hair loss seems related to an autoimmune condition.
Topical minoxidil (Rogaine and generic)
It is worth noting that this method is unlikely to benefit or help people with scarring alopecias. They may also order blood tests to check for any nutrient deficiencies or signs of an underlying condition. Traction alopecia results from too much pressure and tension on the hair, often from wearing it in tight styles, like braids, ponytails, or buns. The main symptom of alopecia is losing more hair than usual, but this can be harder to identify than you might think. For the purposes of this article, we use “male” and “female” to refer to a person’s sex assigned at birth.
Types of Hair Loss
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it’s completely normal to shed anywhere between 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. However, if you’ve noticed more strands falling out of your head than normal, you may be experiencing alopecia, the medical term for hair loss. Common diagnoses include androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and lymphocytic scarring alopecia, Agbai tells USA TODAY. Constantly pulling the hair into tight styles can lead to hair loss called traction alopecia.
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The product is available in either liquid or foam, depending on your preference. It’s also available as an oral prescription from your doctor. However, you should avoid taking any extra vitamins if you’re already getting the nutrients you need. There isn’t any evidence that doing so will reverse thinning hair, and getting too much of certain nutrients may actually do more harm than good. While research suggests there are health benefits, the FDA doesn’t monitor or regulate the purity or quality of essential oils.
Hair loss: Diagnosis and treatment
Having many damaged hair follicles creates permanent bald spots. With age, most people notice some hair loss because hair growth slows. At some point, hair follicles stop growing hair, which causes the hair on our scalp to thin. Certain hairstyles can stress the hair follicles, leading to a form of hair loss called traction alopecia. While anyone can be affected, this issue is common in women who wear braids, tight pony tales, or corn rows. Over time, traction alopecia can lead to permanent hair loss.
At what age does hair loss typically start?
Depending on the severity, hair loss may be mild or patchy, or more significant. Many people consider a full, healthy head of hair central to their appearance and self-confidence. If your hair begins to thin or fall out, that can be distressing.
Your shorter hairs — like eyelashes, arm and leg hair, and eyebrows —have a short anagen phase (about one month). If you try supplements for hair loss, make sure you know what exactly you’re taking. While some vitamins and minerals help, excess amounts of vitamins A, E, and selenium can actually make matters worse. JAK inhibitors block signaling pathways that cause inflammation during an overactive immune response.
How Stress Can Affect Hair Loss And What To Do About It
Ask your stylist about alternatives, such as organic hair dyes and other products that don’t contain ammonia, peroxide, or para-phenylenediamine (PPD). You can find daily multivitamins at most grocery stores or drugstores or ask your doctor to prescribe one for you. Most of us shed hair a little at a time — pretty much all the time. This dermatologist is using a dermatoscope to examine a patient’s scalp. If you're pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, ask your doctor before taking minoxidil.
Anagen effluvium
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Newer treatments that are also being explored include some forms of laser therapy, microneedling with PRP, as well as other oral medications. Many of these treatments are still in the early testing phases though, and more research will be necessary. Typically, the most common types of hair loss are treated with topical or oral medications, which will likely be the first course of treatment. Alpha-reductase inhibitors, such as Propecia (finasteride) and Avodart (dutasteride), are additional options for male pattern hair loss.
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Different types of hair loss typically start at different ages. A common type of hair loss in women is an inherited condition known as androgenic alopecia, or female pattern hair loss. It usually begins when a woman is in her 40s or 50s, but it could start later, or as early as puberty.
OTC medications may help reduce hair loss and promote growth. Other types of hair loss may involve treating the underlying cause. For androgenetic alopecia, your healthcare provider may indicate topical medications to help prevent further hair loss. Rogaine (minoxidil) formulations are effective for female and male pattern hair loss. You apply this solution indefinitely, as results go away if you stop.
Hair loss can affect people differently depending on genetics, hormonal changes, or health conditions. Regardless of the cause, treatment to regrow hair is typically more effective if you catch hair loss early. Once the hair follicle is permanently damaged, hair can not grow back. Studies indicate that this medication is effective in about 40% for women who have female pattern hair loss. In one study of 166 women taking spironolactone, 42% said they had mild improvement, and 31% reported increased thickness. Relaxers, dyes and other chemicals can strain and damage hair shaft.
Sudden weight loss and very restrictive diets can also cause telogen effluvium. In men and women, such hair loss can accompany rapid weight loss following bariatric surgeries, such as gastric bypass. In women, this can be brought on by the physical shock of giving birth, emotional distress, mental illness, surgery, or certain diseases. Baldness (androgenic alopecia) is the most common type of hair loss.
Some people prefer to let their hair loss run its course untreated and unhidden. Others may cover it up with hairstyles, makeup, hats or scarves. And still others choose one of the treatments available to prevent further hair loss or restore growth. Chemotherapy, certain other drugs and radiation treatments can prompt hair loss, mainly in the growth phase. It is typically temporary (unless the follicles are damaged). That said, there are a number of possible medications and treatments for hair loss caused by female-pattern baldness and other alopecias.

If your hair loss is due to a medical condition, the cost of a wig might be covered by insurance. When hair loss is caused by compulsive hair pulling or twisting (trichotillomania), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of talk therapy, may be recommended. This therapy involves focusing on the reasons behind why this compulsion developed, and working on strategies to regulate unwanted behaviors. The exact pattern of hair loss depends on what’s causing it, and it can vary based on sex. If you often wear your hair tightly pulled back, the continual pulling can lead to permanent hair loss.
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