Causes and Symptoms of Hair Loss

Hair loss affects the scalp or your entire body. It can be permanent or temporary. Hair loss can result from hormonal changes, heredity, aging, or medical conditions. Hair loss specialists in Lakewood Ranch have an integrative treatment approach, giving patients a voice during care and educating them.

What are the symptoms of hair loss?

Gradual thinning on top of the head. It’s a common type of hair loss, affecting people as they grow old. In women, they have a broadening of a part in the hair, while in men, hair loss starts in the hairline on the forehead.

Circular or patchy bald spots. Some people lose hair in a circular manner or patchy areas on the beard, scalp, or eyebrows. The skin may become painful or itchy before the hair falls off.

Sudden loosening of hair. Emotional or physical shock can cause hair to loosen. A lot of hair can fall off when washing and combing your hair after gentle tugging. This hair loss type causes overall hair thinning and is temporary.

Full-body hair loss. Some medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, can cause hair loss all over the body, but it’s temporary.

Patches of scaling that spread on the scalp. This happens as a sign of ringworms. This can be accompanied by swelling, redness, broken hair, and oozing.

Causes of hair loss

 Family history (heredity). This is the most common cause of hair loss due to aging. This condition is known as androgenic alopecia, female-pattern baldness, and male-pattern baldness.

Hormonal changes and medical conditions. Several conditions can cause temporary or permanent hair loss, including hormonal changes due to pregnancy, menopause, childbirth, and thyroid problems. Medical conditions include alopecia areata related to the immune system and cause patchy hair loss, scalp infections like ringworms, and trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder).

Hairstyles and treatments. Excessive changing of hairstyles or hairstyles that pull your hair so tight, such that cornrows or pigtails, can lead to a hair loss type called traction alopecia. Hot oil hair treatment and permanents can cause hair to fall. If scarring occurs, it can lead to permanent hair loss.

Medications and supplements. Hair loss can be a side effect of other drugs like the ones used for depression, cancer, gout, arthritis, heart problem, and high blood pressure.

How is hair loss diagnosed?

Frequent hair loss indicates an underlying health problem. Your dermatologist or doctor can determine the cause of hair loss either due to health history or physical examination. In some cases, eating a balanced diet can help, or your doctor can change your medications. If your dermatologist suspects you have a skin disease, you can take a biopsy on the scalp.

This involves removing a small section of the skin carefully for lab testing. It’s significant to keep in mind that hair growth is a process, and it can take some time to determine the main cause of hair loss.

You can reverse or stop hair loss with effective treatment if medical conditions cause it. Hereditary hair loss is more difficult to treat, but some procedures like hair transplants can reduce the appearance of baldness. Talk to your doctor and try all the options available to reduce hair loss.