Genetic Cause of Hair Fall:

Individuals with pattern hair loss, certain hair follicles are genetically programmed to be more sensitive to a hormone circulating in the blood called dihydrotestosterone, commonly abbreviated as DHT. DHT is one of several hormones classified as androgens, often referred to as “male” hormones. DHT is formed from testosterone,

Other Cause of Hair Fall:

Diffuse non-scarring loss is usually androgenetic alopecia in all genders but can include telogen effluvium, and systemic diseases such as thyroid, iron deficiency, dermatitis. Patchy scarring loss can be due to follimlites (bacterial infection of the hairs), lichen planilaris and discard lupus. Patchy non-scarring alopecia can be due to ringworm, trichotillomania, traction alopecia, and syphilis. Hair loss causes that are not based on genetics are:

• Autoimmune disorders
• Diseases
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Poisons
• Prescription drugs
• Chemotherapy drugs
• Radiation exposure
• Stress
• Physical trauma to the scalp
• Hair loss following childbirth
• Psychological
• Hair styling techniques
• Hair styling products

AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS

Autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. In a fairly common autoimmune disorder called alopecia areata, the white blood cells attack the deepest part of the hair follicle, commonly referred to as the bulb area, resulting in temporary hair loss.

Alopecia aerate is probably the second most common cause of hair loss after androgenetic alopecia (inherited predisposition for hair loss).

Most people affected by alopecia areata first develop one or two small bald patches on their scalp which persist for several months, after which they eventually re-grow hair in those areas. Some people with this condition may suffer larger and more persistent bald patches in their very first episode, and some lose all the hair on their scalp, a condition called alopecia totalis.

Even more extreme is the loss of all body hair, called alopecia universalis. In some cases the hair loss persists for long durations; nevertheless there is always the possibility of hair regrowth because the inflammation occurs in the bulb area of the hair follicle, which is regenerated with each hair follicle growth cycle.

lupus erythematosus i.e.

Another autoimmune disease that can result in hair loss is lupus erythematosus. This autoimmune disease affects the bulge area of the hair follicle rather than the bulb, and can cause permanent hair loss. A dermatologist should treat autoimmune conditions affecting the hair.

OTHER DISEASES

Fungal infections on the scalp such as ringworm (tinea capitis), kerion, and favus can result in hair loss. Bacterial infections on the scalp such as folliculitis, furuncles, and carbuncles can cause thin hair. Skin cancers—such as metastatic carcinoma and sclerosing basal cell carcinoma—can also cause hair loss.

In rare cases, certain skin diseases such as severe eczema, and lichen planus (which is called lichen planopilaris when it affects the scalp), and psoriasis can result in hair loss. Thyroid and endocrine gland disorders such as hypothyroidism and hypopituitarism can result in thin hair and brittle hair that breaks easily. Leprosy, shingles (herpes zoster infection), and advanced stages of syphilis have all been noted to cause hair loss.

NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES

Nutritional deficiencies are rarely a cause of hair loss despite the marketing of a wide variety of nutritional supplements that claim to somehow enhance hair growth or hair health. Of the possible nutritional deficiencies that can cause thinning hair, iron deficiency 

anaemia is most common, and when it occurs it is more frequently seen in women.

Iron deficiency anaemia i.e.

Iron deficiency anaemia is a result of a decreased amount of red blood cells in the blood because of inadequate iron reserves in the body. There are several causes for this condition, including inadequate consumption of iron-containing foods, poor absorption of iron in foods or supplements, and loss of blood. The main sources of iron in a typical western diet include meat, egg yolks, poultry, fish, legumes (lentils, dried peas and beans), whole grains, iron-fortified cereal products and iron-containing multivitamin tablets.

Poor absorption of iron i.e.

Poor absorption of iron can result from disease conditions or from certain medications that interfere with iron absorption. Low red blood cell count from periodic blood loss can contribute to anaemia because the body normally recycles the iron in worn out red blood cells. If the blood is lost, the iron in those cells is lost as well.

Menstruation is the most common cause of blood loss-induced iron deficiency anaemia; however; blood loss can also result from injury, frequent donation of blood, and internal bleeding from digestive system ulcers and various disease conditions. The first step in determining if iron deficiency anaemia as a cause of a hair loss condition is a blood test for ferritin levels.

Ferritin i.e.

is an iron-storing protein that circulates in the blood and reflects the body’s iron reserve level. Just taking an iron supplement is not likely to stop hair loss. If a serum ferritin blood test indicates a deficiency, the next step is to determine the cause of the iron deficiency, and to effectively treat the condition. Many doctors and laboratories assume the normal range of serum ferritin to be 10-230 grams per liter. But in the past few years it has been found that women with levels below seventy have an increased chance of hair loss.

Inadequate dietary iron can be treated with iron supplement tablets however, iron absorption problems may require switching medications or injections of iron supplements, and blood loss treatments vary according to the cause. In addition to iron deficiency anaemia, severe “crash” diets, and psychological disorders that result in extreme nutritional imbalances such as anorexia and bulimia, can also result in hair loss. Going without food for several days, or even several weeks, will not cause hair loss. But severe swings in nutrition and body weight from “crash” diets over several months’ time may begin to affect hair condition.

Poison

• Warfarin
• Blood Thinning Drugs
• Metals: arsenic, mercury, bismuth, lithium, thallium, cadmium, and gold are poisonous,
• Consumption of 50,000 to 250,000 Units of vitamin A daily over many months can cause hair loss. Boric acid, a common household pesticide, can cause hair loss when consumed over a period of time.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

There are many categories of prescription drugs that present a risk of temporary hair loss as a possible side effect. Chemotherapy drug treatment almost always causes hair loss because the drugs target rapidly dividing cells typical of cancer. See Chapter 8 and Appendix 2 for a complete discussion

RADIATION EXPOSURE

With radiation treatment, only hair that is in the treatment field is affected. When the treatment field includes the scalp, hair loss generally begins about two to three weeks after the first radiation treatment. Usually the hair begins to grow back three to four months after the last treatment; however, with high doses of ra radiation, there is a risk of permanent hair loss in the treatment area

STRESS

Stress can cause a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium. This condition is not caused by the general accumulated stress of ordinary interactions with people at home and at work, but rather by sudden severe emotional or physiological incidents. Severe stressful events can cause some or most actively growing hair follicles to prematurely shift into the regression phase, and then the resting phase, during which the hairs fall out easily

In most cases of telogen effluvium, the hair follicles recover and soon shift back to the regular growth cycle. However, repeated instances of telogen effluvium can result in premature hair loss in people predisposed to lose their hair late in life. The average growth cycle of a hair follicle takes about five years, but each follicle is “genetically programmed” for only a limited number of growth cycles. For example, if a particular hair follicle were “genetically programmed” for only ten growth cycles, after about fifty years that follicle would stop producing new hairs

The causes of hair loss (alopecia) are numerous. Most hair problems seen by the practitioner are due to changes in hair-follicle cycling. Scarring alopecia’s are due to other causes. A classification is used here that is based primarily on distribution and scarring (i.e., localized [patchy] versus generalized and scarring versus nonscarring).