There are two types of hair loss: permanent hair loss and temporary hair loss. Here are the different causes.
The temporary loss is due to various external factors:
- the change of season and air pollution
- Health problems: thyroid disorders and/or vitamin, iron, and zinc deficiencies, for example, can disrupt the metabolism and cause hair loss to varying degrees. It is therefore a good idea to have a check-up to identify any deficiencies and remedy them with dietary supplements, for example.
- Trichotillomania is a condition considered to be a compulsion that causes the person affected to pull out their hair. This condition must be treated by a doctor who is competent in this field in order to treat the cause and symptoms.
- Traction alopecia mostly affects women who pull their hair back tightly when tying it up, which eventually leads to hair loss, particularly at the front of the scalp.
- Psychological shock or significant stress can also lead to hair loss.
- Nutrition: a healthy, balanced diet is the foundation of a healthy body, but also a healthy scalp: poor nutrition and lifestyle choices lead to deficiencies, which in turn lead to hair loss.
- Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes total or partial hair loss on the head, eyebrows, and other areas of the body, depending on its severity. Treatment with topical corticosteroids may be considered to improve or even halt the progression of the disease.
- Medical treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy often cause irreversible hair loss, which in most cases grows back at the end of treatment.
Permanent hair loss, known as baldness, has two main causes:
- genetics, which depends on family history, but also on one's own genes.
- Androgens, which are male hormones produced during adolescence, are called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone acts on the hair cycle, causing hypersensitivity in the hair follicles and accelerating the hair cycle. The result is a more or less significant depletion of hair stocks, leading to irreversible hair loss: baldness. It is important to note that this hormone is not present on the Hippocratic crown: this area is not affected by alopecia (NB: this is the area from which grafts are taken). Baldness affects an average of 70% of men, generally around the age of 30. It can start around the age of 18/20, but this is rarer: it depends on hormonal factors, but also external factors such as diet, lifestyle, or certain vitamin deficiencies.
Deficiencies leading to hair loss:
Hair loss, especially if it has been going on for several weeks, should be taken seriously. It may be due to a nutritional deficiency. Vitamins and minerals play a fundamental role in the hair cycle, particularly in the renewal of follicular bulb cells. Deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals disrupt hair synthesis, causing it to become brittle and fall out.- Iron deficiency is particularly common in women, who often suffer from anemia. Iron is abundant in our diet, so don't hesitate to eat lentils, spinach, or red meat.
- Zinc is an enzyme activator that stimulates protein transformation, ensuring the necessary bonding for hair structure. It helps vitamin A's keratinizing effect on hair, thereby promoting regrowth. Vitamin D deficiency causes hair loss, as hair follicles weaken and hair stops growing.
- Vitamin D deficiency causes hair loss because hair follicles weaken and hair stops growing. Exposure to sunlight helps the body synthesize vitamin D. A lack of vitamin D can be an aggravating factor in reactive hair loss (acute telogen effluvium), particularly in the fall.
- Vitamin B12: When vitamin B12 levels are low, hair follicles may not be able to grow new hair as effectively, leading to hair loss.
- Sulfur amino acids: cysteine, a precursor to keratin, is the main component of hair fiber. With age, amino acids are difficult for the body to absorb, even though they are essential for hair growth. Amino acids therefore help repair structural damage to the hair, thereby slowing hair loss.
The stages of alopecia in men:
According to Hamilton's classification, there are seven stages of alopecia in men:- STAGE 1: temporal gyri gradually appear
- STAGE 2: The temples recede and the frontal hairline disappears: hair thinning is possible.
- STAGE 3: deeper excavation of the temporal and frontal sulci
- STAGE 4: significant symmetrical thinning, complete alopecia at the crown
- STAGE 5: confluence of the anterior and posterior zones
- STAGE 6: The line behind the tonsure extends further and further.
- STAGE 7: only the lower crown remains: Hippocratic alopecia
The stages of alopecia in women:
There are three stages according to Ludwig's classification:
- STAGE 1: Moderate alopecia of the vertex: Widening of the parting in the middle of the top of the head, extending over 2 to 3 cm.
- STAGE 2: Alopecia spreads to the sides of the axis, but also approaches the anterior line, at a distance of 1 cm.
- STAGE 3: almost total alopecia of the vertex
