Hair loss
The Hair cycle
Every hair that grows on our head is at a different stage in the hair cycle. It is either growing, resting and dying or regrowing.
In a normal hair cycle, each hair grows for about four years, at the rate of one centimetre each month. If hair is not cut it will grow to about 48 centimetres by the end of the growth cycle. This growing period is called the ANAGEN phase. This is the first stage in the hair cycle.
The second stage lasts only several weeks and is called the CATAGEN phase. During Catagen the hair follicle rests and then dies, the hair remaining in place but not continuing to grow.
The third stage is the TELOGEN phase lasting about 2 or three months, after which the hair is lost from the scalp as the new hair grows and pushes the dead hair out of the follicle, and a new hair takes its place within the same follicle.
Of course, hairs are not all synchronised to grow and fall together or we would all be temporarily bald at times - as does happen with some animals when they moult. Instead, the hairs grow and fall in a random fashion so that your normal daily loss of hair goes unnoticed.
The hair bulb is the production centre where cells are constantly dividing. Beneath the hair bulb is the papilla which links the hair to the rest of the body. This is where blood nourishes the hair growth. Blood transports food, waste products, drugs, poisons, and hormones etc and these pass to and from the papilla and the hair is influenced by all these factors. Hair is so sensitive - due to its high rate of growth - that hair loss may be the first sign that something internal is wrong.
Excessive hair loss means losing an abnormal amount of hair. A person with excessive hair loss must find out the reason for this loss.
The most common causes are:
- a normal temporary response to a disturbance or shock to the body
- an inherited trait
- a medical imbalance (medical intervention needed)
- a nutritional imbalance
- side effects to a medication being taken
- exposure to toxins
Some common hair loss conditions are:
- Loose Anagen Syndrome
- Hair breakage
- Traction alopecia
- Alopecia areata
- Trichotillomania
- Male / female pattern baldness
- Diffuse hair loss
A correct diagnosis needs to be made before any treatment is started. During consultation the hair follicle, scalp and hair shaft will be examined under a microscope. Sometimes if a hair follicle is empty, the microscope can show if it is just inactive rather than dead.
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