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Hair Loss Facts
Hair Loss is Also Called Alopecia
* Two medications, Minoxidil (Rogaine) and Propecia (Finasteride) are available for the treatment of male pattern baldness in men. Of the two, only Minoxidil (Rogaine) is available for use in women - to increase hair growth in the forehead areas.
* Hair loss affects an estimated 40 million men (from male-pattern baldness) and 20 million women (from female-pattern hair loss) in the United States. An estimated 2.5 million Americans have lost their hair due to other causes.
* It is normal to lose some hair each day.
* Some of the causes of baldness may represent serious health problems. That's why it's important to talk about hair loss with your doctor.
* Ninety-five percent of hair loss is a hereditary condition called androgenetic alopecia. It's an autoimmune disease of unknown cause in which inflammatory cells attack the bulbs of the follicles under the scalp, leaving hairless patches. In more serious cases, hair may fall out from the entire head, eyebrows and beard included, and the entire body. Many times, though, the hair returns spontaneously.
* Childbirth, severe malnutrition, chemotherapy, thyroid problems, and a form of lupus can also cause hair loss.
* Something as simple as pigtails or cornrows, if worn too long, can cause hair loss, too, because of the stress they cause to the hair shaft.
* In male and female pattern baldness, the culprit is something called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, which is derived from androgen, a male hormone. Circulating through the bloodstream, androgen is converted to DHT by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. Those with greater enzyme activity have more DHT binding to hair-follicle receptors. If flooded by DHT, the follicles sprout thinner and thinner hairs until nothing regrows, and the follicles eventually wither away.