Alopecia

The word “Alopecia” simply means “hair loss”. It doesn’t refer to any specific kind of hair loss, although it is frequently paired with another word that will describe the actual type of hair loss.

Androgenetic Alopecia

Also known as “male pattern baldness”, androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss. It is caused by genetics and heredity. Although androgenetic alopecia is most commonly a male condition, it can also affect women.

Much is unknown about the factors that contribute to androgenetic alopecia, but researchers do know that it is related to hormones called androgens, particularly an androgen called dihydrotestosterone (often referred to as “DHT”). People that are genetically disposed to androgenetic alopecia will have a gene that converts testosterone into DHT. Too much DHT will shorten the life of hair follicles, eventually killing them off over time.

Androgenetic Alopecia causes hair to be lost in a pattern that usually begins above the temples and recedes gradually upward in an ‘M” shape. Sometimes the hair will also thin at the crown on the top of the head. Fortunately there are treatments that can slow, and sometimes reverse, this process.

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Alopecia Areata

Thought to be an autoimmune disease, Alopecia Areata is characterized by spots of bald patches on the head. An autoimmune disease is when the body responds negatively to its own tissue. In this case, the body mistakenly treats it’s own hair follicles as foreign tissue and stops the hair growth.

Most of the time hair will grow back within a year, even without treatment. There are treatments available, including steroid injections, creams, and Minoxidil (commonly referred to as Rogain).

Alopecia Areata is sometimes referred to as “spot baldness” and, like Androgenetic Alopecia, it may also be caused by heredity.

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Telogen Effluvium

This type of hair loss occurs when hair follicles are unnaturally shifted into the Telogen (resting) state. This interruption of the normal growth cycle is usually caused by some sort of trauma, such as chemotherapy, childbirth, or major stress.

This condition is typically self-correcting, and hair follicles will reenter the growth cycle after roughly three months. There is, however, a chronic form of Telogen effluvium that is ongoing.

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