Information| Different Types of Hair Loss |
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Cancer Related Hair Loss A number of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, whilst battling cancer, can result in hair loss. Often this is referred to as Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy induced Alopecia.
Chemotherapy Some chemotherapy drugs do not make hair fall out, or the amount of hair lost is so slight it is hardly noticeable. Some chemotherapy can damage the hair and make it brittle. If this happens, the hair may break off near the scalp a week or two after the chemotherapy has started. Some chemotherapy drugs can make all hair fall out and this can be very upsetting. The amount of hair that falls out, if any, depends on the type of drug or combination of drugs used, the dose given and how the drug affects the individual. If the hair falls out, it usually starts within a few weeks of beginning treatment, although very occasionally it can start within a few days. Underarm, body and pubic hair may be lost as well. Some drugs also make the eyelashes and eyebrows fall out. If hair does fall out due to the chemotherapy, it will grow back over a few months once treatment has been finished.
Radiotherapy Radiotherapy directed to the head, will always causes some hair loss. If treatment is directed to a particular part of your head or neck, the hair will only fall out in that area. But there may also be some hair loss on the opposite side of the head or neck - where the radiotherapy beams pass through. This is called the 'exit site'. When treatment has finished, the hair will usually grow back. But it may not be quite as thick as before and in some people can be patchy. The more radiotherapy treatments received, the longer the hair will take to grow back.
Autoimmune Disease Hair Loss Autoimmune disease is a condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. Alopecia is classed as an autoimmune disease.
Alopecia 'Alopecia' is the word used to describe any type of baldness/hair loss, on the scalp, or of other hairy regions of the body and may be coupled with another word to give a specific meaning. For instance: ‘alopecia areata’ meaning ‘hair loss in areas’. Most hair loss is not a disease but a perfectly normal process of aging and/or hormone change and put aside by many general practitioners because it is ‘not life threatening’, although it most certainly can be ‘life devastating’. However, the fine line between normal and excessive loss of hair causes great concern to many, therefore correct diagnosis and care can alleviate worries during phases of patchy hair loss, diffuse shedding and thinning/balding. Psychological effects are far reaching.
Alopecia Areata Alopecia Totalis Alopecia Totalis is a form of Alopecia Areata in which all the hair on the scalp is lost.
Alopecia Universalis Alopecia Universalis is a form of Alopecia in which all the hair on the scalp face, including eyebrows, eyelashes and body is lost.
Alopecia Berbae Loss of facial hair (for a man). Especially in the beard area
Androgenetic Alopecia Also known as male and female pattern baldness. It is thinning of the hair to an almost transparent state, on both men and women. It is thought to be a hereditary form of hair loss and is now happening to younger men and women. It must be emphasised that most ladies do not lose follicles in the same manner as men, the effect is more diffuse loss than balding.
Traction Alopecia Traction alopecia is usually due to excessive pulling or tension on the hair shafts as a result of certain hair styles. It is seen more often in women particularly those or East Indian and Afro- Caribbean origin. Hair loss depends in the way the hair is being pulled back. Prolonged traction alopecia can stop new follicles developing and lead to permanent hair loss
Anagen Effluvium This hair loss is generally caused by chemicals such as those used to treat cancer. Initially it causes patchy hair loss, which often then becomes total hair loss. The good news is that when you stop using these chemicals the hair normally grows back. ( Usually about 6 months later) Other drugs also can cause hair loss. Many medicines used to treat even common diseases can cause hair loss.
Scarring Alopecia Scarring Alopecia is a form of alopecia which leaves scarring on the scalp area of hair loss. The hair follicles are irreversibly destroyed by scarring processes including trauma, burns, lupus ertthematosus, lichen planopilaris, scleroderma, folloculitis decalvans or uncertain causes.
Telogen Effluvium A form of hair loss where more than normal amounts of hair fall out. There is a general ‘thinning’ of the hair. Unlike some other hair and scalp conditions, it is temporary and the hair growth usually recovers. The term used to describe large numbers of hairs going into the telogen phase and shedding two to four months later in a diffuse manner. TE is referred to as a reflective loss of hair and can be caused by thyroid disorder, low iron, diabetes, medications, and protein deficiency. This is not a definitive list as there are other causes, not least the effects of the sympathetic nervous system described generally as ‘stress’, to do with emotional upset.
Trichotillomania Trichotillomania is a psychological disorder characterised by repetitive and often uncontrollable pulling out of one’s own body hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss. Most commonly, the scalp hair, eyelashes and eyebrows are pulled, although hair may be pulled from any location. It is a relatively unfamiliar condition, although it is more common than you might think affecting 2-4% of the general population.
Useful Trivia We lose between 50 and 150 hairs everyday. Alopecia is believed to affect approximately 2% of the UK population, around 1.2 million people. In 2006, 293,601 people were diagnosed with cancer, and for many of them, hair loss was one of the most traumatic parts of their illness. In the UK, around 7 million women have Androgenetic Alopecia - female pattern baldness.
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