It’s more common than many of us like to think: over 50 million Americans, both men, and women, experience significant hair loss each year. Hair loss, known more professionally as alopecia, is a disorder where the body’s hair production cycle is interrupted or ceases to function.
There are many different types of hair loss, some of which are genetic and some which can be caused by bad health or poor habits. If you think you may be at risk of serious hair loss, it is important to consider what types of hair loss might be impacting you.
What are the most common types of alopecia and what are the telltale signs that you might have a problem in your future? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.
Androgenetic Alopecia
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Of the various types of hair loss out there, by far the most common is androgenetic alopecia. This is the kind of hair loss that impacts the widest number of Americans and is often the type of hair loss the common person brings to mind when thinking of the issue.
Male and female pattern hair loss is the more common term for androgenetic alopecia. This is hereditary balding, the type of hair loss that is commonly associated with aging. There’s a good chance that if your family tree tends to lose hair when they age, you will as well.
Androgenetic alopecia can occur at any age and in nearly any type of person. It is possible to manage this type of hair loss with either medication or surgery if one so chose.
Telogen Effluvium
Unlike androgenetic alopecia, the hair loss known as telogen effluvium is not hereditary. It is more commonly a sign of some sort of issue within the body.
Complete baldness is not generally the result of this kind of hair loss, though a person’s head of hair is likely to become quite thin and paltry. When telogen effluvium occurs, a person’s hair growth cycle halts at the resting cycle. Follicles on the scalp cease to continue to grow.
As old hair falls out, new hair doesn’t come in to replace it. Often this is due to thyroid issues, but it can also be caused by any number of vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Of the main types of hair loss, this is one to be most concerned about.
Anagen Effluvium
When someone begins losing hair due to some sort of medical procedure, they are suffering from a specific type of hair loss. That loss is medically referred to as anagen effluvium.
When a person goes through chemotherapy, for example? This is the kind of hair loss that they will be experiencing. After a certain surgery or medical period ends, the individual’s hair tends to grow back as normal.
Understanding the Types of Hair Loss
It can be frightening or stressful to begin losing your hair. Understanding the types of hair loss can help you better comprehend the situation that you are in. The above are the most common types to get familiar with.
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