Causes of Hair Loss

Hair loss is also known as: baldness, balding, male pattern baldness, male balding, male pattern hair loss, female balding, female pattern baldness, female balding, hair loss, hair loss in woman, and hair loss for woman.

Here are the causes for hair loss:

1. Androgenetic Alopecia - male or female pattern baldness

2. Auto immune diseases - an immune reaction attacks the hair follicles, producing antibodies that attack these tissues as if they were foreign invaders.

   • Androgenic Alopecia - the body's immune system is sensitized to increased levels of DHT in the scalp causing hair loss in these high concentrated DHT areas.
   • Alopecia totalis, universalis - immune sensitivity to a substance other than DHT.

    

3. Connective tissue disease - causes scarring of skin, loss of circulation to hair follicle and autoimmune reaction leading to temporary or permanent loss of hair

   • Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Scleroderman, MCTD.

    

4. Exposure to toxic chemicals - Tobacco smoke contains hundreds of lethal and damaging chemicals which can accelerate normal hair loss and retard effects of medication and surgical restoration. This effect can result either from being a smoker or from second hand smoke.

5. Radiation exposure - Irradiation therapy or exposure to radiation from any source can cause localized or total hair loss, which may be permanent if the dose is high enough.

6. Iron deficiency anemia - very common with woman but also can effect men.

7. Hormonal changes - due to pregnancy, birth control pills and menopause.

8. Thyroid disease - either hypothyroid or hyperthyroid disease causes hair to become brittle and break resulting in localized or generalized loss. Correction of the thyroid condition usually causes hair to regrow.

9. Stress - usually temporary and transient of the alopecia areata type.

10. Drug interactions - certain vitamins prescription and over the counter, may have individual and non specific side effects of hair loss. Usually, when the medication is discontinued, the hair regrows. Tell your health care provider all medications you are taking and try to have one pharmacist fill all prescriptions and over the counter products.

    • Excessive Vitamin A

     

11. Individual reaction to illness or a personal sensitivity to the environment - Alopecia can be a reaction to your environment where hair loss is almost like an allergic reaction.

12. Chemotherapy

13. Fungal and Bacterial Infections - impetigo and tinea capitis.