Types of hair loss

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is a hair loss disorder of one or several parts of the scalp that is circular and falls at once.

Alopecia areata shows a variety of circular or oval shapes with a diameter of 1 to 5 cm without any noticeable symptoms. Sometimes, alopecia is also present on the scalp, beard, eyebrows, pubic hair and underarm hair.

The cause is largely thought to be an autoimmune mechanism, and genetic predisposition and mental stress are known to affect it. Patients who develop alopecia areata after puberty tend to recover naturally. The recovered hair initially looks fluffy, thin and light color, but over time it turns into a thick, dark colored mature hair. Restorative hair can also come in the form of white or gray hair, which is usually replaced by dark hair over time, but can last for many years. However, improper management can lead to frontal alopecia or systemic alopecia if the lesions enlarge or fuse to form large bald areas.

Resting phase hair loss

Hair has growth, transition and rest phases, so every single hair goes through a cycle. Resting phase alopecia is a condition in which hair follicles are stressed and do not meet their normal growth period, instead the hair transitions into the rest period, which leads to an abnormally large hair loss.

  • If you look at the root of the hairs that fell out. You will be able to find 

Stress that cause the resting hair loss includes childbirth, surgery, severe fever, medications, pulling hair, chronic systemic diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and chronic scalp skin disorders. Alopecia areata can easily be seen from the outside, but resting phase hair loss is usually not noticeable from the outside. Normally, the percentage of resting hair in normal people is around 15% of the total hair, but in the case of resting alopecia, it may be more than 25%.

In normal people, the number of hair falls per day is usually 50-100, while at resting phase hair loss is more than 150-400. After childbirth hair loss: which begins 2-5 months after giving birth. This is due to the unusual phenomenon that hairs stop the cycle, because of estrogen during the pregnancy period. After giving birth all the hairs will have the resting period at the same time. In the stage of hair loss. If there is no irritation, hair that enters the resting phase will eventually enter the growing phase after about six months and the hair will recover.

Hair Loss From a Medical Condition

Medical conditions with high fever, any serious infections or a big surgery can give a tremendous amount of stress to your body. 1 ~ 3 months after recovery some people will experience hair loss from their head. These kinds of hair loss sometimes naturally improve or worsen depending on the medical condition. Some medical conditions including hyperthyroidism can cause snapping of the hair. Treatments such as chemotherapy can also cause hair loss.

Sometimes patients going through chemotherapy will wear a pressure garment on their head or use an ice pack to prevent hair loss.

The cause is largely thought to be an autoimmune mechanism, and genetic predisposition and mental stress are known to affect it. Patients who develop alopecia areata after puberty tend to recover naturally. The recovered hair initially looks fluffy, thin and light color, but over time it turns into a thick, dark colored mature hair. Restorative hair can also come in the form of white or gray hair, which is usually replaced by dark hair over time, but can last for many years. However, improper management can lead to frontal alopecia or systemic alopecia if the lesions enlarge or fuse to form large bald areas.

Traction alopecia

Tying your hair too tight or pulling of hair can cause your hair root to weaken and cause hair loss. Also hair loss can be seen from babies who only lie on one side of their head or if an adult patient lies on one side of their body from surgery or medical condition.

Hair loss from lack of nutrients.

Hair is made up of Keratin, which is a protein that is very hard. It is important to have a balanced diet, not only for your hair, but also for your health. Some people avoid protein for personal dietary reasons. This can transform your hair into the resting phase from growth phase. 

If this persists for more than 2 ~ 3 months, this can cause hair loss. However, this can improve after enough intake of protein.