Symptoms Of Baldness (Hair Loss)

The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. Baldness (androgenic alopecia), the most common form of alopecia, affects roughly one third of men and women. It's typically permanent. Other types of alopecia are temporary, including alopecia areata. It can cause loss of hair on your scalp or other parts of your body.

Permanent Hair Loss

Male-pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia). For men, baldness can begin early, even in their teens or early 20s. It is generally characterized by a receding hairline at the temples and balding at the crown. The end result may be partial or complete baldness.

Male-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). Women with permanent hair loss is usually only a thinning of the hair in the front, sides or crown. Women usually keep the front hairline and rarely experience complete baldness.

Cicatricial (scarring) alopecia. This rare condition occurs when inflammation damages and scars the hair follicle, causing permanent hair loss. Sometimes the patchy hair loss is associated with itching or pain.

Temporary hair loss

Alopecia areata. Hair loss usually occurs in small, round, smooth patches about the size of a quarter. Usually the disease is only a few bare patches on the scalp, but it can cause hair loss in spots on an area that has hair, including eyebrows, eyelashes and beard. In rare cases it can progress to cause hair loss all over your body. If your hair cover your scalp, the condition called alopecia totalis. If it involves the whole body is called alopecia universalis. Soreness and itching may precede hair loss, but symptoms are often minimal.

Telogen effluvium. This form of temporary hair loss occurs suddenly, often after an illness or a major stress in life. Handfuls of hair may come out when combing or washing your hair or may fall after gentle tugging. This type of hair loss usually causes overall hair thinning and no bald spots.

Traction alopecia. Bald patches can occur if you regularly wear certain hairstyles such as braids, cornrows or braids, or if you use tight rollers. Hair loss usually occurs between the lines or in part if the hair is pulled tight.

Anagen effluvium. This type of hair loss of hair in the anagen active growth was most affected by the chemotherapy drugs are given to fight cancer or lymphoma. Hair loss begins immediately after the start of treatment and is the largest state of telogen effluvium. In the weeks after the end of treatment, the cycles of hair to restore itself, even though the hair may not return as thickly as before chemotherapy.

When a doctor

Talk to your doctor if you experience sudden hair loss hair loss or uneven, or more than usual when combing or brushing hair. Sudden hair loss may signal an underlying medical condition and may require medical treatment.

There is no cure for baldness hair permanently. However, you can discuss with your doctor and medical treatment to slow hair loss, or to hide hair loss.