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– Androgenetic Alopecia or Genetic Hair Loss
– Alopecia Areata
– Alopecia Capitis Totalis
– Alopecia Universalis
– Cicatricial Alopecia or Scarring Alopecia
– Moth-Eaten Alopecia or Syphilitic Alopecia
– Symptomatic Alopecia
– Trichotillomania
– Congenital Alopecia
– Congenital Hypotrichosis
– Congenital Atrichia
Name: Androgenetic alopecia
Description: Inherited hair loss commonly known as Male Pattern Hair Loss and Female Pattern Hair Loss.
Cause:
* increasing age
* Genetics
* Illness
* Some medications like chemotherapy (drugs for cancer treatment)
* Malnutrition
Signs and Symptoms:
– For Male pattern hair loss: Thinning of hair or complete loss of hair at the hairline and at the top of the head
– Female diffuse hair loss: Gradual thinning of hair, especially on the top of the head with the hairline usually intact.
Treatment:
For Male pattern hair loss
Medications:
* Minoxidil (Rogaine) (Ioniten)
* Finasteride (Propecia)
For Female diffuse hair loss
Medications:
* Minoxidil (Rogaine) 2% Topical Treatment
-must be used as advised to keep regrown hair
* Spironolactone (Aldactone)
* Cimetidine (Tagamet)
* Cyproterone Acetate
* hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
– estrogen and progesterone
* Oral Contraceptives
* Ketoconazole (Nizoral)
* Proscar (Propecia)
* Cyproterone Acetate with Ethinyloestradiol (Diane 35 & Diane 50)
surgery:
* hair transplants
* scalp reduction
* strip or flap grafts
* tissue expansion
Gene Therapy
Alternative Therapies:
* Nutrition and supplements
– Beta-sitosterol
– saw palmetto
Name: Alopecia Areata
Description: Hair loss due to immune system attack on hair follicles.
Cause:
* increasing age
* Genetics
* Illness
* Some medications like chemotherapy (drugs for cancer treatment)
* Malnutrition
* Autoimmune disease (own immune system attacks hair follicles)
Signs and Symptoms: Broken hairs, or hairs easily removed; one or more round or oval bald patches.
Treatment:
Medications:
* Corticosteroids
— usually given by injection in the scalp each month
— In severe cases, corticosteroids may be taken by mouth.
* Topical Minoxidil
* anthralin cream or ointment
* Cortisone pills – for extensive scalp hair loss
* topical immunotherapy
surgery:
* hair transplants
* scalp reduction
* strip or flap grafts
* tissue expansion
Gene Therapy
Alternative Therapies:
* Nutrition and supplements
– Biotin in chard, romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes
– zinc aspartate
– trace minerals found in blue-green algae
* Herbs
– lavender, rosemary, thyme, and cedarwood mixed with jojoba or grapeseed oil
– 3 – 6 drops of essential oil must be added to 1 tablespoon of jojoba or grapeseed oil. Massage into scalp daily.
*Massage
– improves circulation in the scalp
Name: Alopecia Capitis Totalis
Description: A subtype of alopecia areata, it is the total hair loss on the scalp.
Cause: Unclear but is associated with autoimmune disorder
Signs and Symptoms: Complete hair loss or 100% hair loss on the scalp
Treatment:
– Prednisolone
– Methylprednisolone
– Steroids
– Minoxidil
– Immunotherapy (diphencyprone or DPCP)
– Methotrexate
– Nonpharmacologic Methods (use of hairpieces and counselling)
Name: Cicatricial Alopecia or Scarring Alopecia
Description: In this type of hair loss, the hair follicles get destroyed and are associated with scarred areas which prevent the hair from growing.
Cause:
* Primary Form:
> immune cells attacking the hair follicles
* Secondary Form:
> severe burn
> Lupus Erythematosus
> bacterial and fungal skin infections
> skin cancer
> radiation therapy
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Alopecia Liminaris or Alopecia Marginalis or Traction Alopecia
Description: Hair loss at the hair line.
Cause:
* chronic or prolonged traction and tension of hair at the hair line
* long-term pulling or twisting on the hair caused by:
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
(early stage)
(advanced stage)
Name: Moth-Eaten Alopecia or Syphilitic Alopecia
Description: This hair loss is a characteristic sign of secondary syphilis.
Cause:
* syphilis
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Symptomatic Alopecia
Description: Hair loss that results from systemic disorders and psychogenic factors.
Cause:
* general ill health
* skin or scalp infection
* nervousness
* stress
* anxiety
* typhoid fever
* anemia
* liver and kidney disease
* malnutrition
* systemic lupus erythematosus
* Sjogren’s syndrome
* acanthosis nigricans
* pneumonia
* meningitis
* influenza
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Telogen Effluvium
Description: Shedding of telogen hairs which are identified with a small bulb of keratin on the root of the hair. It is a temporary loss of hair.
Cause:
* an illness
* some medications like those given for cancer treatment
* high vitamin A
* retinoids
* giving birth (sudden change in hormone levels at birth)
* trauma (physical trauma such as being in a car crash, and having surgery)
* vaccinations
* crash dieting
* antidepressants
* chronic stress
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Trichotillomania
Description: This is a disorder in which the affected person pulls out the hair from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, pubic area, underarms, beard, chest, legs, or other parts of the body.
Cause:
* Obssessive-compulsive disorder
* psychological problem
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Congenital Alopecia
Description: Hair loss that is associated with developmental defect at birth.
Cause:
* genetic defect
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Congenital Hypotrichosis
Description: This is a condition of no hair growth since birth. People with this condition usually have baldness since birth and all throughout their lives.
Cause:
* genetic abnormalities during embryonic development
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Alopecia Universalis
Description: This is a subtype of alopecia areata and is the loss of hair on the entire scalp and other areas of the body.
Cause:
* autoimmune disease in which the hair follicles get attacked by the person’s own immune system
* genetics
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Triangular Alopecia
Description: This is a type of hair loss usually apparent from birth and evident during childhood that involves failure to grow hair follicles in the triangular skin patch on the scalp or occurring in a patch of a triangular shape above either one or both the temples.
Cause:
* unclear
* could be genetic
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
Name: Congenital Atrichia
Description: This type of hair loss is a disease in which a person was born with hair but loses all the hair during early childhood and never grows back.
Cause:
* single gene defect
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment:
