Hair Loss
Excessive loss of hair is a condition that affects both men and women, and even some children. While it can be emotionally devastating, it's important to note that in many cases, it is treatable and even reversible.
Depending on your type of hair loss, MMS dermatologists can explore several treatment options with you that have proven records of success.
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| Photo courtesy of: DR P. MARAZZI / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY |
A number of conditions and lifestyle factors can cause excessive hair loss. For example:
- Major surgery or illness - Three or four months after an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair due to the stress on your body. This is generally temporary.
- Hormonal problems - An underactive or overactive thyroid gland may cause your hair to fall out. Treating thyroid disease should reverse this. An imbalance in male or female hormones can also cause hair loss. Correcting the imbalance may stop your hair loss.
- Pregnancy - Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they've had a baby. Hair loss after pregnancy can be caused by a number of factors and can be related to blood loss and hormonal and insulin imbalance after delivery. Generally, when the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, the normal cycle of growth and loss begins again.
- Medication - This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include: blood thinners, gout medication, chemotherapy drugs, excessive vitamin A supplements, birth control pills and antidepressants.
- Certain fungal infections - Fungal infections involving the scalp can cause hair loss. When treated with antifungal medicines, normal hair growth returns.
- Hairstyles - Any style that pulls hair, such as pigtails, cornrows or use of tight hair rollers, can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss.
- Hair treatments - Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents (also called "perms") may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can also result in scarring and hair loss.
- Disease - Hair loss may actually be an early sign of a disease, so it's important to seek the cause of sudden hair loss. This usually involves a complete physical exam and taking a thorough history. In some cases, blood tests or a biopsy (taking a small sample of cells to examine under a microscope) of your scalp may be needed.
