Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss; it can have various causes and fortunately is often treatable. Typically a dermatologist will be able to help you in identifying the cause of your hair loss and will be able to prescribe a suitable treatment for you.
The different forms of alopecia include;
- Androgenic alopecia, this is most commonly referred to as male or female pattern baldness. It is a common form of hair loss and is actually hereditary.
- Telogen Effluvium, this hair shedding is often sudden and can be linked back to a trauma or a sudden shock to the body. In women, telogen effluvium can strike after childbirth, thankfully hair growth does eventually return to normal.
- Anagen Effluvium, this hair loss is commonly associated with chemotherapy and hair usually tends to grow back once medication is stopped.
- Alopecia Areata, a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its own hair follicles and causes patchy hair loss around the body.
- Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis, the first is the condition in which there is a total loss of hair on the scalp, the latter is when there is a total loss of body hair – this includes the eyelashes and nose hairs even. Both conditions are caused by an attack on the immune system.
- Scarring Alopecia, this is a very rare form of alopecia where scar tissue replaces hair follicles. This means that hair loss is permanent and hair cannot grow back at all, unfortunately the cause of scarring alopecia is still unclear.
Regardless of which form of alopecia someone suffers, hair loss can negatively impact on an individual’s self-esteem and has been linked to anxiety, depression and lower levels of confidence.
A Permanent Solution To Alopecia
Currently there are numerous therapies and procedures available which all claim to be able to treat or manage hair loss. These include low level laser therapy and proven medications such as minoxidil and finasteride. Another increasingly popular treatment is scalp micro pigmentation (SMP), which is a guaranteed, permanent and low maintenance safe treatment option, available to everyone.
SMP works by depositing pigments onto the upper dermis of the skin and accurately replicates real shaven hair follicles. The end result is an illusion of real hair and causes no damage to existing hair follicles which ensures that there is the possibility for your hair to grow back in the future.
To learn more about the different forms of alopecia and SMP treatments , speak to your doctor or a hair loss expert for more information.
