Hair Loss

One type of hair loss, called alopecia areata, stems from an autoimmune disorder and results in circular areas of hair loss on the face and scalp and occasionally other parts of the body. Affecting nearly 7 million Americans, it may affect any ethnic group, either gender, as well as people of all ages. With this form of alopecia, the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles and dramatically slows or stops hair production. The follicles themselves remain viable, and regrowth of hair is common.

Androgenetic, or pattern alopecia, is most often a result of multiple factors including hormones, age and genetics. Male pattern baldness, also called male pattern alopecia, usually results in hair thinning and eventual hair loss at the frontal hairline, accentuated at the temporal peaks, as well as on the vertex or crown of the scalp.

Women can also experience pattern alopecia, but it affects the scalp differently. Women with pattern alopecia will often have hair thinning on the frontal scalp but preserve the location of their frontal hairline. Androgenetic alopecia is a more permanent form of hair loss, however there are some medications as well as in-office treatments that can slow hair loss and encourage new growth.

Yes. Scarring alopecia covers a range of rare conditions where hair follicles are destroyed and replaced by scar tissue.

Telogen effluvium is a form of hair thinning across the whole scalp that can occur in response to stressors on the body or systemic disorders and low nutrient states. Hair follicles enter a resting phase during which hairs are shed.

Anagen effluvium has a quick onset, usually associated with chemotherapy patients, as the hair follicles are shocked by the chemotherapy toxins.