Potential Causes of Hair Fall

When hair falls out in abnormally high quantities, various factors may be involved. If androgenetic alopecia is the most common hair loss, other forms exist, transient or long-lasting, extensive or localized. In all cases, a rapid diagnosis is necessary to, if necessary, set up a suitable treatment that will promote hair regrowth.

WHAT IS HAIR LOSS?

Hair loss can have many causes and manifest itself in various ways. In men, it is most often linked to genetic heritage and the effects of male hormones that accelerate the life cycle of hair. After a set number of cycles, the hair stops growing. In women, hair loss has many causes, hormonal and other.

HOW DOES HAIR GROW?

On average, a hair contains between 100 and 150,000 hairs and as many hair follicles (each follicle produces a single hair). Every day, we lose between 50 and 100 hairs, which immediately begin to regrow.

Our hair grows in cycles. For an average of two to five years in men, three to seven years in women, the follicle produces hair at a rate of about 2 millimeters per week (more in summer). This growth phase is called the "anagen phase". It is gradually completed in one to two weeks ("catagen phase"). Then, the "dead" hair remains attached to the skull for about three months before falling out.

The course of this cycle growth - telogen phase - fall is under the influence of diet, hormones (thyroid and sexual), heredity, certain growth factors, chemical mediators of the nervous system, etc.

Each hair follicle is able to ensure between 20 and 25 cycles before being exhausted. At an average rate of five years per cycle, between 100 and 125 years of hair are guaranteed! But sometimes this process stops and abnormally significant hair loss occurs. Usually, pathological hair loss is estimated when the number of hairs lost each day is greater than 100, or when one area of the scalp loses more hair than the rest of the skull.

Causes

Hair fall can be caused by various factors including:

• ·         Genetics: Hereditary hair loss is the most common cause of hair fall.
• ·         Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes such as pregnancy, thyroid disorders, and menopause can cause hair fall.
• ·         Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions like alopecia, fungal infections, and autoimmune diseases can cause hair fall.
• ·         Medications: Certain medications like chemotherapy drugs, blood thinners, and birth control pills can cause hair fall.
• ·         Poor nutrition: A diet lacking in essential vitamins and minerals can lead to hair fall.
• ·         Stress: Physical and emotional stress can cause hair fall.
• ·         Styling: Overuse of hair styling products and equipment like hot irons, blow dryers, and tight hairstyles can cause hair fall.
• ·         Age: As we age, hair naturally becomes finer and more prone to falling out.

·         It's important to identify the underlying cause of hair fall in order to effectively treat it.

WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS FOR HAIR LOSS?

Treatments for hair loss depend on its cause. Ringworm is treated with a medicine against fungi, alopecia areata with corticosteroids or ultraviolet rays. Diffuse falls such as telogen effluvium grow back spontaneously and do not require treatment, except sometimes iron supplements. Men's baldness is prevented through treatment if taken early enough.