By: Sharon Namarome
WHAT’S ALOPECIA
Also called hair loss is a condition that occurs when hair follicle is affected or interfered and therefore it shrinks and stops growing hair.
It occurs when new hair doesn’t grow to replace the hair that has fallen out.
There are many signs and symptoms which may include; gradual thinning on top of head, circular bald sports, and patches of scaling that spread all over the scalp among many.
Among the many causes of alopecia include,(1)Family History where one develops genes that cause hair follicles to shrink and eventually stops growing. This type of alopecia is called androgenic alopecia.(2)Alopecia areata where the body immune attacks the hair follicles stopping hair loss.(3)Cancer treatment especially chemotherapy and radiation treatment on head and neck leads to loss of hair within few weeks when one starts the treatment.(4) Hairstyle- some hairstyles like pulling tight such as pigtails tend to cause traction alopecia.(5) Hormonal imbalance i.e. polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) leads to cycsts to the ovaries which comes with other factors that leads to hair loss.( 6)Scalp psoriasis which cause plague psoriosis (red skin patched with slivery scale on scalp) which causes hair looks.(7) Scarry alopecia caused by inflammation that destroys hair follicles.
There are many risk factors that can lead one to end up having alopecia. This may include; age i.e. especially among the old people, family history if for example the it’s genetic, medical conditions, stress and poor nutrition.
Some preventive measures of alopecia include; wearing cooling caps before and after each chemotherapy sessions, protecting your hair from sunlight and other sources of ultraviolent light, avoiding harsh treatment such as hot rollers and curling and limiting the tension on hair from styles that use rubber bands braids and burettes.
