Hair loss: what to do?

Sudden hair loss is sometimes medically referred to as"alopecia." What are the reasons? Tell me about my best option to prevent it. Is it common for people to lose their hair? We answer all your questions, but remember, even for a hair condition, consult your doctor if needed.

Is It Normal to Lose Your Hair?

It is entirely normal to lose your hair, as hair has three phases during thehair cycle: "creation" or "regrowth" (anagen phase), "growth" (catagen phase), and "shedding" (telogen phase). Not all hairs on your head are in the same phase, so some grow while others fall out, which is completely normal, especially when brushing your hair.

Hair changes throughout its life, so you might have dense hair at 15 and less dense hair at 40. Hair also changes with hormones, so during menopause or during and after pregnancy (but not only), your hair might change, but this is normal. Hormonal changes during pregnancy cause many hair changes, which is one reason to take supplements/vitamins during pregnancy. Often, if you want to know what to expect, ask your mother, as these symptoms are often hereditary. After your pregnancy or breastfeeding, we recommend taking hair supplements or anti-hair loss products to promote healthy hair regrowth.

What Factors Contribute to Hair Loss?

Manyexternal and internal factors can cause hair loss, but to find out the cause of your hair loss, you need to look back about 6 months to understand, or sometimes extreme stress or shock can cause sudden hair loss.

External factors can include too frequent rubbing on your hair, too frequent hair traction (ponytail, bun, etc.), dry and/or damaged hair, too strong or too repeated coloring or bleaching, too high heat (straightener, curling iron, hairdryer), too frequent shampoos, a brush not suitable for your hair.

Internal factors can be due to a blood deficiency because blood nourishes your hair through its bulb, so if you have a deficiency, it can impact your hair. Hormones can impact with a loss or decrease, certain medical treatments, stress, or specific illnesses.

Below in the photo, a woman's hair after cancer, because after cancer, your hair can change in texture and hair type.

What Diseases Cause Hair Loss?

Diseases causing hair loss are often due to severestress orshock, or sometimes even genetic, so here are the diseases that cause hair loss.

• Diffuse alopecia: characterized by hair loss over the entire scalp. It can be acute (rapid/temporary) or spread over a long period.
• Alopecia areata: This is a local alopecia, characterized by the appearance of patches that can affect the entire scalp, causing hair loss, but regrowth is sometimes possible.
• Ringworm: Local alopecia due to a fungal infection on the scalp (microscopic fungus).
• Trichotillomania: Local alopecia, linked to a behavioral disorder that involves compulsively pulling out one's hair or body hair.
• Eczema in the hair: this can sometimes cause hair loss.

We advise you to always consult your doctor, like the woman in the photo below.

Alopecia: What Is It?

Alopecia is hair loss that can be characterized in different ways. Here, we will defineandrogenetic alopecia.

It is more commonly called baldness and is often developed in men, but rarely, though possible, in women.

The onset of baldness begins with the receding of the temporal and frontal temples, then the forelock thins, then the crown and the swirl area thin until they meet and create total baldness.

This phenomenon can be rapid or can last for several years.

What Are the Causes of Alopecia?

It can be caused by an overdose of vitamin A, anemia, thyroid dysfunction, fever, hormonal imbalance, or it can be genetic. We advise you to see yourdoctor to find the exact cause.

For any permanent or non-permanent problem, we can suggest 4 solutions (but seek your doctor's approval):

1. Wigs for women/men
2. Hairpieces and hair extensions (to cover certain areas or add volume)
3. Hair prosthetics
4. Hair transplant