Can hair loss be a sign of something serious?

Can hair loss be a sign of something serious? Is the question we want to answer for you as quickly and clearly as possible. After all, hair loss does not necessarily indicate a serious condition. That is why we advise you to read this article calmly and determine your situation on the basis of examples and treatments against a lot of hair conditions.

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What conditions can cause hair loss?

• Androgenetic alopecia: hereditary.
• Alopecia areata: autoimmune condition.
• Anagen effluvium: chemotherapy or radiation.
• Telogen effluvium: stress, hormonal changes or ilness.
• Tinea capitis: fungal infection.
• Traction alopecia: wearing ponytails, braids or buns.
• Lichen planopilarus: reaction to drugs, stress and infections.
• Cancer: illness. 
• Lack of nutrients: deficiency of necessary nutrients. 
• Hypothyroidism: autoimmune hormonal imbalance.
• Lupos: autoimmune disease.
• Medication: control cholesterol, blood thinners and antidepressants.
• Trichotillomania: wearing caps and pulling your hair.

Androgenetic alopecia

 Androgenetic alopecia is a common type of hair loss that appears in adults. More than half of men worldwide and a lot of women suffer from this. Around menopause androgenetic alopecia often occurs in women, by men is it due to age. 

Hairs mainly fall out due to the dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT can shorten the anagen growth phase, cause hairs to enter the telogen phase earlier and damage the hair roots. Damaged hair roots can cause hairs to fall of and baldness on some spots

It is possible to treat androgenetic alopecia with an effective treatment. Neofollics tackles with this treatment baldness and improves the general condition of your hair by inhibiting the DHT. You can read more about androgenetic alopecia in this article.

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is patchy baldness in a specific place, it is due to an autoimmune disease. This means that the cells in your immune system accidentally attack the hair follicles resulting in hair loss.

The cause of alopecia areata is not fully understood. However, studies and specialists associate this form of hair loss with the following factors:

• Genetics, hereditary predisposition
• Tension and severe stress situations
• Accidents (in relation to stress)
• An underlying disease
• A relationship with another autoimmune disease
• Vitamin and mineral deficiency

Unfortunately, with Alopecia Areata, there is no solution available that tackles this problem at the root cause. However, a number of products can be used to promote hair growth recovery as much as possible. For this we recommend this treatment.

Anagen effluvium

Anagen effluvium often appears after chemotherapy or radiation. It presents with abrupt shedding of much of or all of the hair on the scalp, and often from the entire body including eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair. It may leave the scalp partially or completely bald shortly after the traumatic event with up to 90% hair loss over a period of weeks.

Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is a form of diffuse hair loss. It appears in a chronic and acute form often due to stress. Childbirth, high fever, surgery, hormonal changes and bleeding can cause the hair fall. Products that help combat against telogen effluvium are products with a nourishing base that have a healthy effect on your hair and scalp condition. Neofollics has a treatment with segregated products, that stimulate your hair growth through the active ingredients and they help you to combat against hair loss. Read more about telogen effluvium in this article.

Tinea capitis

Tinea capitis is a fungal infection that occurs on the head. The condition is caused by dermatophytes, fungi that grow on the skin. Other words for this condition are ringworm and head fungus. The symptoms are an itchy feeling and redness. Also, hair loss can appear when you start scratching or rubbing your hair.

When you get infected with tinea capitis the incubation period can differ from 10 days to 3 weeks. If your pet or an animal that you are treating suffers from tinea capitis it can take between 2 to 4 weeks, before disease symptoms are seen. When fluorescence occurs using a Wood's lamp, it can be observed on the skin after 7 days.

You can use a selenium sulfide shampoo to reduce symptoms of tinea capitis. You can apply 'The exfoliating shampoo of Neofollics', the anti-fungal cream directly to the scalp or your child’s scalp. You’ll need to wash your child's hair with the shampoo at least twice a week. This shampoo may help prevent tinea capitis from spreading, but it won’t heal the condition. Some anti-fungal cream or effect can also help to combat it. Because it may help reduce inflammation and lower the risk of scarring and permanent hair loss. Read more about tinea capitis in this article

Traction alopecia

Traction alopecia appears when you wear a hairstyle that pulls on the hair. It can't be cured by treatment and the only thing that can be done is to stop wearing certain hairstyles and to make sure that things that pinch or pull your hair are eliminated.

Lichen planopilarus

Lichen planopilaris is a variant of lichen planus in which a perifollicular infiltrate affects and ultimately destroys the hair follicles. It is usually on the hairy head and is the main cause of cicatricial alopecia. 

Lichen planopilarus often occurs in women in the age 40-60. There are various variants that can appear. Symptoms that often occur are red skin and a light purple scalp. When you want to read more about lichen planopilarus you can read this article.  

Cancer

Most of the time cancer itself does not make you lose the hair on your head. This is often the case with chemotherapy and radiation treatment. When you did not have had chemotherapy or radiation, there is a chance hair loss can be a sign of something serious. Because rare forms of cancer have heen linked to some types of cancer, such as Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Lack of nutrients

There are various important nutrients for hair growth. The lack of some important nutrients can cause unpleasant conditions such as dandruff, hair loss and an itchy scalp. In this article you can read about what nutrients you should get in your body to prevent your hair from falling out. A lack of nutrients can be serious, because it can cause diseases and other bad conditions in your body. 

Hypothyroidism

When you suffer from hair loss in combination with muscle aches. You might be suffering from a type of autoimmune hormonal imbalance called hypothyroidism. More common in women than men, this condition occurs due to reduced amounts of thyroid hormones being released into the bloodstream. Common symptoms of hypothyroidism include weight gain, muscle pain, thinning hair, low heart rate, fatigue, constipation, and hoarseness, among others. However, your doctor can suggest medications to treat this condition and replenish the thyroid hormones in the body.

Lupus

Lupus can cause inflammation on your skin, particularly on your face and scalp. It can lead hair to thin out, although a few people lose clumps of hair. It can also cause discoid sores or lesions anywhere on the body. These lesions can damage hair follicles and lead to permanent hair loss. 

You can treat Lupus by avoiding sun exposure, changing your medication, eat healthy nutrients, limiting stress and getting plenty of rest. 

Medication

Medications can cause hair to fall off. These medications interfere with the normal hair growth cycle. Medications can cause telogen effluvium and anagen effluvium and it often appears 2-4 months after taking the drug. You can shed up to 30% to 70% more hairs then normal due to these types of drugs. 

When you use medication, because you suffer from cancer there is a fair chance your hair will not grow back. This often relies on the type of drug and dosage.

Drugs that can cause hair loss are:

• Acne medications with retinoids
• Antibiotics and anti-fungal drugs
• Antidepressants
• Birth control pills
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs
• Drugs that treat breast cancer
• Anticonvulsants, drugs against epilepsy
• Anti-hypertensives, high blood pressure medication
• Hormone replacement therapy or mood stabilizers
• Steroids
• Parkinson disease drugs
• NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Thyroid medications
• Weight loss drugs

When you suffer from this type of hair loss we advise you to use the treatment against telogen effluvium and stop taking these medications to grow your hair back.

Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is a disorder, in which people pull their hair. It can be caused by stress or anxiety, but also without any reason. When you want to read more about this type of hair loss you can read this article.

So when do you need to be aware of your hair loss

To answer the question: Can hair loss be a sign of something serious? You should be aware when you lose your hair. Even though this might not even mean that you are greatly ill, it always means that there is something going on. In this article we hope that we have helped, you to find out your cause of hair loss. But when you are not certain and not using any medicines, we advise you to go to your doctor. Because if you suffer from hormonal changes or some underlying disease it is best that you find this out as soon as possible.

Conclusion

In conclusion, hair loss can be a sign of something serious. But most of the conditions that cause hair loss are possible to treat with a shampoo, conditioner and lotion might be enough. In other cases some diseases or hormonal changes are leading to hair loss.