Causes of Hair Loss in Adults and Teens
There are many causes of hair loss in men and women of all ages. Hair loss could be because of a nutritional deficiency, hormone imbalance, stress or a medical condition. The typical loss of hair which is experienced by millions and is not regarded as life threatening is in medical terms known as adrogenetic alopecia. Adrogenetic refers to the influence of androgens (male hormones), and genetic predisposition to balding can be the cause of the hair loss.
Genetic is not that simple, and also the hair loss case. Just the presence of someone in your family balding is not enough to predict that you will also go bald. It is really hard to predict who will go bald and how fast will it be. That is why planning for hair restoration will be very important for those people who gets alarmed about it. Normal man and women produce androgenic hormones. Dihydrotestosterone, androsteinedione, testosterone (DHT) is the most common. For men the testicles and adrenals are the ones to produce it. For women ovaries and adrenal glands are the ones to produce it. These hormones are important for both sexes. But have different concentrations, and this is more predominant for males than females.
This in part, differentiates the genders. Exposure of the hair follicles to DHT, in a susceptible person, over a period of time leads to male and female pattern to baldness or adrogenetic alopecia. There is no exact age for balding to occur. Balding is a process, simple, yet this fact is often ignored. This process can be slow or rapid. It can starts in late teens.
Illnesses and medical conditions are also typical causes of hair loss. Medical conditions such as thyroid disorders and diabetes, can cause hair loss. Those people with liver and kidney conditions and lupus can also be prone to baldness. Adult women and teen girls can suffer hair loss due to a hormonal imbalance such from polycystic ovary syndrome.
Medications such as acne medicines can cause hair loss. Amphetamines in diet pills can also cause hair loss. The most commonly associated medical treatment associated with hair loss is chemotherapy. Alopecia areata is a skin disease than causes hair loss on the scalp and sometimes the entire body. It is an autoimmune disease. The body's immune system damages the hair follicles. Alopecia areata starts as small bald patches and can progress to total baldness.
Trichotillomania is a psychological disorder in which a person pulls his/her own hair out that can also lead to permanent hair loss. Hair treatments and hair styling that puts tension on the scalp can cause hair damage and leads to hair loss. Disruption of hair cycle growth is also a problem. Like delivering a baby, getting anesthesia, or having surgery. Nutrition is also recognised as a major factor in balding because of lack of proteins, vitamins and minerals that sustains the hair growth.
