Baldness
In some individuals, however, hair is lost very rapidly, the growth of
replacement hairs is extremely slow, or regular hairs are replaced by
shorter, thinner ones. Such changes can eventually cause baldness, or
alopecia (al-oh-PEE-shuh). Ninety-five percent of hair loss is due to
androgenetic (AN-droe-jih-NET-ik) alopecia, a condition that usually
affects men, hence its common name, ""male-pattern baldness."" This
common type of hair loss is triggered by an excess of a substance
called DHT (D-H-T), a derivative of the hormone androgen
(AN-droh-jihn).
DHT harms the hair follicles and prevents new growth,
resulting in a horseshoe-shaped area of hair loss on the forehead and
center of the scalp. In women, androgenetic alopecia tends to occur as
an overall thinning and rarely causes near or complete baldness. Other
types of baldness may be caused by immune system reactions, chronic
pulling on the hair, illness, and certain medications. For this reason,
it's important to determine the underlying cause of hair loss so the
appropriate treatment can be pursued. Options for androgenetic alopecia
include topical and oral medications or hair transplant surgery.
|
|
|
