More men and women are realizing they don’t have to be a victim of hair loss.

With good education and the right hair restoration treatments from a qualified and experienced hair replacement doctor, you can restore your hair and your confidence.

The causes of and treatments for hair loss are different for every individual. They also vary for men, women, and African Americans.

To receive proper hair loss treatment, it’s critical that you get an accurate diagnosis. Get started now with your free hair restoration consultation in NYC.

Hair Loss Causes

Over 50% of men and women in the U.S. suffer from some form of hair loss, but it doesn’t affect men and woman equally.

Hair loss mostly affects men — approximately 70% — and it can sometimes effects those as young as 18. Hair loss in women is distributed over the entire skull and is less noticeable.

There can be many causes for hair loss in men and women.

In most cases hair loss is a result of androgenic alopecia, but other things can cause hair loss, such as: a disease of the scalp or hair, chronic telogen effluvium, alopecia, pseudo-pelada, trichotylomanie, alopecia Congenital triangular, lichen, lupus, alopecia fibrotic band, hormonal problem, endocrine and metabolic disease, anemia, etc.

Other common causes of hair loss include:

• Male pattern baldness
• Trauma
• Chemicals
• Medications such as allopurinol (Zyloprim) and warfarin (Coumadin)
• Poor nutrition
• Stress, for example, during a major illness

Uncommon causes of alopecia include:

• Poor blood flow
• Infections such as syphilis
• Skin diseases such as lupus
• Cancers
• Hormone problems
• Kidney failure
• Liver failure

Hair Loss Treatments

Various hair restoration treatments, techniques, and procedures exist to help men, women, and African Americans restore their hair.

These include the following:

• Wigs/Hairpiece
• Cover-ups: Another way to give the impression that one has more hair. These can be anything from simply coloring or tattooing the scalp, or adding a powdered form of synthetic hair fibers.
• Medications: We have many medicines for hair loss. Depending upon the type of hair loss, a doctor may prescribe a medicine or recommend an over-the-counter medication.
• Biocapillation™
• Various Hair Transplant Surgeries

Hair Loss Terms and Definitions

Alopecia: Alopecia simply means “hair loss” and may be used to refer to all types of hair loss.

DHT: This stands for Dihydrotestosterone, which has been shown to be the cause of many men’s hair loss.

Follicle: This is simply the root of the hair shaft (buried deep in the skin). Each scalp has approximately 100,000 follicles prior to losing them.

Hair Cell Cycle: Each follicle and hair grows, rests, and then falls out. All within a several year period, and starts all over again.

Pattern Hair Loss: This is just another name for the most common type of hair loss seen in both men and women. DHT (see above) is the culprit here.

Sebaceous Gland: This comes from the Latin word “Sebum,” meaning animal fat. It’s basically the oil gland, which each follicle and hair contain.

Diagnosis: Before determining any treatment or cure for hair loss, a clear diagnosis should be obtained. Too many people may be treating their hair loss without having a proper diagnosis.

© 2012, John Frank, M.D.