HAIR is something we don’t take seriously until we start losing it! Fashion magazines tell us how to style and restyle hair, what’s “in” each season – the short hairstyles or the long hairstyles. Both sexes, spend long hours in salons or parlors to groom and to style their mane to perfection. The hair atop the head is no longer a mere extension of the human anatomy; it has, with passing years, metamorphosed into a fashion accessory with the potential to speak volumes on behest of the owner.

But for those who are rapidly losing their hair, it is, indeed, a continuous ‘bad hair day’! Agonizing hours are spent before the mirror contemplating remedial measures. Several of them suffer from insomnia and heartache and many more are known to shun the company of men, as their confidence takes a beating. It is important for these individuals to understand the nuances of hair loss and to tackle it appropriately in order to get on, unhindered, with their day-to-day existence.

On Hair and Hair Loss

Each hair strand is composed of 2-3 entwined layers of the protein “keratin”, arising from a follicle embedded in the dermis of the skin.

Natural hair growth is a quick and continuous process. A single hair strand grows 0.44mm per day which is 4 times the growth rate of nails; but we also lose 70 to 150 of hairs strands daily. Having said that it is important to understand that excessive thinning of hair is a serious medical issue rooted in several underlying causes.

Types and Causes for Hair Loss

The type and mode of hair loss generally depends on the reason behind the condition.

• Generalized Hair Loss: This refers to an identical thinning of hair all over the scalp; normal hair growth is not seen on the scalp at all. The reasons for such hair loss include protein, vitamin, or iron deficiency, thyroid disorder, toxin exposure (like thallium sulfate found in rat poison), side effect of medical treatments such as chemotherapy or even excess emotional stress. In this case, hair follicles go into a “resting period” and hair loss becomes apparent only after 2-3 months when the existing hair strands fall.

• Patchy Hair Loss: Here, balding appears only in certain select portions of the scalp while the rest of the scalp retains its natural hair growth. It can be due to ringworm infection (children are mostly susceptible to it) or it may be due to alopecia areata which is a temporary condition resulting in hair loss in patches, the cause for which is  still not clear. People with a family history of this condition are obviously more prone, while some evidences suggest that the condition is an autoimmune disorder. Alopecia aereata is associated with an increased risk of developing other autoimmune diseases, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

• As one patch regrows hair, a new patch may appear. It can be permanent if it occurs at an early age and may persist over long periods of time covering a major portion of the scalp.