What is Hair Loss?

Hair loss (alopecia) can affect just the hair on your scalp or your entire body. Although alopecia is more prevalent in older adults, excessive hair loss can occur in children as well.

It’s normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day. With about 100,000 hairs on your head, that small loss isn’t noticeable.

New hair normally replaces the lost hair, but this doesn’t always happen. Hair loss can develop gradually over years or happen abruptly. Hair loss can be permanent or temporary.

It’s impossible to count the amount of hair lost on a given day. You may be losing more hair than is normal if you notice a large amount of hair in the drain after washing your hair or clumps of hair in your brush. You might also notice thinning patches of hair or baldness.

Hair loss that occurs with ageing is usually hereditary and is the most common reason for baldness. In women, hair is considered to be an essential part of their identity, while in men, healthy hair is considered to be a sign of youth and vigor. Hair loss affects the appearance of an individual and hence causes psychological distress and inferiority complex. It can adversely affect the quality of life of an individual.

Causes of Hair Loss

Hair loss is often caused by genetics, that is, it runs in families. In general, it is not a symptom of disease, however, thyroid disease, anemia, ringworm of the scalp, and anorexia can cause hair loss.
In addition, some medications such as cancer chemotherapy may cause temporary hair loss. Hair growth usually returns to normal when the medications are stopped.
In some cases, hair loss may occur with a simple halt in the cycle of hair growth. Major illnesses, surgeries, or traumatic events can trigger hair loss. However, your hair will usually start growing back without treatment.
Hormonal changes can cause temporary hair loss. Examples include pregnancy, childbirth, discontinuing the use of birth control pills, menopause.
Medical conditions that can cause hair loss include thyroid disease, alopecia areata (an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles), scalp infections like ringworm.
Diseases that cause scarring, such as lichen planus and some types of lupus, can result in permanent hair loss because of the scarring.
Hair loss can also be due to medications used to treat cancer, high blood pressure, arthritis, depression, heart problems.
A physical or emotional shock may trigger noticeable hair loss. Examples of this type of shock include a death in the family, extreme weight loss, a high fever.