At any given time, about 90% of the hair on your scalp is growing. Each follicle has its own life cycle that can be influenced by age, disease, and a wide variety of other factors. As you age, the rate of hair growth slows.
There are three phases in the life cycle of a hair follicle:
- Anagen is active hair growth that lasts between two to six years
- Catagen is transitional hair growth that lasts two to three weeks
- Telogen is a resting phase that lasts about two to three months; at the end of the resting phase the hair is shed and a new hair replaces it and the growing cycle starts again.
Alopecia is hair loss from the scalp or elsewhere and it can occur in men, women, and children. There are various types of alopecia with various causes and indications. Understanding which type of alopecia you have is the first step to finding a treatment.
Androgenetic Alopecia
Women with androgenetic or androgenic alopecia usually have thinning on all areas of the scalp. Men, instead, have more distinct patterns of baldness. Some women have a combination of two pattern types.
Androgenic alopecia in women is due to androgens, male hormones that are typically present in only small amounts. Androgenic alopecia can be caused by a variety of factors tied to hormones, including some ovarian cysts, taking high androgen index birth control pills, pregnancy, and menopause. Just as in men, the hormone DHT appears to be at least partially to blame for the shrinking of hair follicles in women suffering with female pattern baldness. Heredity is also a factor.
Telogen Effluvium
Telogen effluvium (TE) happens when there is a change in the number of hair follicles growing hair. If the number of hair follicles producing hair drops significantly for any reason during the resting, or telogen phase, there will be a significant increase in dormant, telogen stage hair follicles. The result is shedding, or TE hair loss.
Anagen Effluvium
Anagen effluvium occurs when the hair follicle is impaired at the molecular level, such as chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, approximately 90 percent or more of hairs in the anagen phase can fall out.
Alopecia Areata
The cause of alopecia areata is an inflammatory condition. Symptoms include patchy shedding of hair, which can develop quite suddenly. Most patients recover their hair within two years, whether or not they receive treatment.
Traction Alopecia
The cause of this condition is due to tight hairstyles that pull at the hair over time. If the condition is detected early enough, the hair will regrow. Braiding, cornrows, tight ponytails, and extensions are the most common styling causes of traction alopecia.
The first step to determine the type of hair loss you have is to see a physician or dermatologist who specializes in hair loss, treatment and restoration. A good place to start is with the innovators who have spent ten years of intensive research and development to create a solution to your hair loss – Dallas NeoGraft.
The NeoGraftTM procedure is a patented system that refines the hair transplant process, achieving repeatable, aesthetic results. Dallas NeoGraft physicians have performed over 18,000 hair transplants with outstanding results. The procedure does not involve any incisions, suturing or visible scarring and surgical recovery is extremely quick. The process takes 50 percent less time than standard treatments for hair transplant surgery and most patients return to work the next day.
Understand your hair loss condition and get the facts from experts in the field of hair restoration. Trade your hair loss for a happier, more confident you – complete with a full head of hair.
