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Alopecia
 
 
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Alopecia or hair loss is the medical description of the loss of hair from the head or body, sometimes to the extent of baldness
Baldness

Baldness involves the state of lacking hair where it often grows, especially on the head. The most common form of baldness is a progressive hair thinning condition called androgenic alopecia or "male pattern baldness" that occurs in adult male humans and other species....
. Unlike the common cosmetic
Cosmetic

Cosmetic may refer to:*Cosmetics, or make-up, substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning*Cosmetic, an adjective describing beauty, aesthetics, or appearance, especially concerning the human body...
 depilation of body hair, alopecia tends to be involuntary and unwelcome, e.g., androgenic alopecia. However, it may also be caused by a psychological compulsion to pull out one's own hair (trichotillomania
Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania , or "trich" as it is commonly known, is an impulse control disorder or form of self-injury characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair, sometimes resulting in noticeable bald patches....
) or the unforeseen consequences of voluntary hairstyling routines (mechanical "traction alopecia" from excessively tight ponytails
Ponytail

A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point....
 or braids, or burn
Burn

A burn is an injury to the skin caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, or radiation.Burn may also refer to:*Concrete things and phenomena:...
s to the scalp from caustic hair relaxer solutions or hot
Hot

Hot or HOT may refer to:* High temperature* Spicy food, pungency* Lust, which in a more sublime phrase could be called Physical attractiveness....
 hair irons).

In some cases, alopecia is an indication of an underlying medical concern, such as iron deficiency
Iron deficiency (medicine)

For a more specific and detailed discussion of anemia caused by iron deficiency, see the Wikipedia article iron deficiency anemia.Iron deficiency is the most common known form of nutritional deficiency....
.

When hair loss occurs in only one section, it is known as alopecia areata
Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is a condition affecting humans, in which hair loss from areas of the body, usually from the scalp. Because it causes bald spots on the scalp, especially in the first stages, it is sometimes called spot baldness....
.






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Alopecia or hair loss is the medical description of the loss of hair from the head or body, sometimes to the extent of baldness
Baldness

Baldness involves the state of lacking hair where it often grows, especially on the head. The most common form of baldness is a progressive hair thinning condition called androgenic alopecia or "male pattern baldness" that occurs in adult male humans and other species....
. Unlike the common cosmetic
Cosmetic

Cosmetic may refer to:*Cosmetics, or make-up, substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning*Cosmetic, an adjective describing beauty, aesthetics, or appearance, especially concerning the human body...
 depilation of body hair, alopecia tends to be involuntary and unwelcome, e.g., androgenic alopecia. However, it may also be caused by a psychological compulsion to pull out one's own hair (trichotillomania
Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania , or "trich" as it is commonly known, is an impulse control disorder or form of self-injury characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair, sometimes resulting in noticeable bald patches....
) or the unforeseen consequences of voluntary hairstyling routines (mechanical "traction alopecia" from excessively tight ponytails
Ponytail

A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point....
 or braids, or burn
Burn

A burn is an injury to the skin caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, or radiation.Burn may also refer to:*Concrete things and phenomena:...
s to the scalp from caustic hair relaxer solutions or hot
Hot

Hot or HOT may refer to:* High temperature* Spicy food, pungency* Lust, which in a more sublime phrase could be called Physical attractiveness....
 hair irons).

In some cases, alopecia is an indication of an underlying medical concern, such as iron deficiency
Iron deficiency (medicine)

For a more specific and detailed discussion of anemia caused by iron deficiency, see the Wikipedia article iron deficiency anemia.Iron deficiency is the most common known form of nutritional deficiency....
.

When hair loss occurs in only one section, it is known as alopecia areata
Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is a condition affecting humans, in which hair loss from areas of the body, usually from the scalp. Because it causes bald spots on the scalp, especially in the first stages, it is sometimes called spot baldness....
. Alopecia universalis
Alopecia universalis

Alopecia universalis or alopecia areata universalis is a medical condition involving rapid loss of all hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes....
 is when complete hair loss on the body occurs, similar to how hair loss associated with chemotherapy
Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer....
 sometimes affects the entire body.

Causes


  • Male pattern baldness
    Baldness

    Baldness involves the state of lacking hair where it often grows, especially on the head. The most common form of baldness is a progressive hair thinning condition called androgenic alopecia or "male pattern baldness" that occurs in adult male humans and other species....
  • Androgenetic alopecia
    Androgenetic alopecia

    Androgenic alopecia is a common form of baldness in both male and female humans, chimpanzees, and orangutans. In male humans in particular, this condition is also commonly known as male-pattern baldness....
  • Fungal infection such as "black dot" tinea or tinea capitis
    Tinea capitis

    Tinea capitis is a superficial fungus mycosis of the scalp....
  • Chemical breakage such as over processing, or frequent use of chemical relaxer
  • Heat damage as from repeated hot comb use
  • Chronic exposure to traction on hair shaft such as "traction" alopecia
  • Compulsive hair pulling such as trichotillomania
    Trichotillomania

    Trichotillomania , or "trich" as it is commonly known, is an impulse control disorder or form of self-injury characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair, sometimes resulting in noticeable bald patches....
  • Hypothyroidism
    Hypothyroidism

    Hypothyroidism is the disease state in humans and in animals caused by insufficient production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. Cretinism is a form of hypothyroidism found in infants....
  • Iron deficiency
  • Alopecia areata
    Alopecia areata

    Alopecia areata is a condition affecting humans, in which hair loss from areas of the body, usually from the scalp. Because it causes bald spots on the scalp, especially in the first stages, it is sometimes called spot baldness....
  • Telogen effluvium resulting from physical or psychological stress
  • Hereditary disorder of the hair shaft or genodermatoses
  • Secondary syphillis can cause "moth eaten hairloss"
  • Discoid lupus erythematosus or chronic cutanous lupus erythematosus
  • Lichenplanopilaris
  • Pseudopelade of Brocq
  • Tufted folliculitis
  • Dissecting cellulitis
  • Alopecia mucinosa
  • Keratosis follicularis spinulosa decalvans
  • Adverse effect from certain drugs such as chemotherapy
  • Testosterone booster tablets.


Footnotes


External links