While androgenic alopecia, also known as hereditary hair loss, is quite common among both men and women, there are other conditions which much rarer, both as a diagnosis of hair loss, and as a condition in general.
1 of 3 women over the age of 45 will experience some kind of hair loss, normally due to androgenic alopecia. However 2 of 4 men will experience some hair loss by age 32 for the same reasons!
Dermatologists are quick to diagnose for alopecia, as it’s a common condition. However if you are experiencing hair loss, in addition to other symptoms, it may be a sign of a more serious condition.
Professional advice should always be sought when experiencing a physical malady of some kind, and while we read many things published by doctors, we, at Hairlossly, are not doctors.
Athlete’s Foot
Now before you start, we understand that a foot is not part of the cranium. So how can Athlete’s Foot cause hair loss? Well, because Athlete’s Foot is another way of saying you have a ringworm infestation.
Ringworm is a very common parasite to pick up, yet not particularly common as a diagnosis for hair loss. The most common way for a human to pick some of the dirty buggers up is by interacting with animals which carry it, or by walking around in nature without shoes on; not to mention leaving your feet submerged in sweaty gym socks for ages and ages, i.e. Athlete’s Foot.
Fortunately a simple orally-administered strain of antibiotics should clear it up.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis, an autoimmune condition, produces thick white scale on the scalp that can bleed if pulled off. Treatments include steroid creams, salicylic acid, coal tar, anti-inflammatory drugs, and biologics that suppress your immune system.
Clinical fasting has also been shown to help with autoimmune diseases, as only during an elongated period without food can your body enter autophagy, the cellular clean up and repair process.
During his period, many immune cells are replaced by brand new ones, which sometimes don’t carry the defect that classify them an immune-system disorder.
Lupus
Lupus is a rare auto-immune condition and can vary widely in severity. Hair loss is one of the more noticeable symptoms of the disease, as are rashes on the face and elsewhere on the body. Other symptoms include fatigue and joint pain. It most commonly occurs in women, but can also affect men.
There is currently no cure for lupus, but there are many drugs which can be used successfully to reduce its effects. Hair loss and other symptoms may increase and decrease periodically over time. The hair loss experienced by Lupus sufferers may therefore also come and go, but if scarring occurs or the hair follicles are destroyed it becomes permanent.
Extreme Psychological Stress
Stress kills – literally. It’s well known that stress and anxiety can cause hair loss. Unfortunately like so many symptoms resulting from chronic stress or anxiety, hair loss, and many others, are likely to do nothing for your well being.
Telling someone with chronic stress disorder that their hair is falling out probably wont do much to solve the problem. Professional help should be sought.
Trichophagia
Trichophagia is related to Trichotillomania, a hair loss condition in which the individual obsessively pulls out his or her own hair.
Those with Trichophagia have a psychological compulsion to eat their own hair.
The resulting hair loss is temporary, though if it is sufficiently prolonged and severe it can become permanent. A person with Trichophagia may also suffer digestive problems related to their ingestion of hair. As the condition is psychological in nature, so too is the treatment, with cognitive behavioral therapy being one possible avenue.
In Conclusion
If you’re feeling in good nick, but your hair is falling out, it could be androgenic alopecia simply striking another of its tens of millions of victims.
However if you are feeling pain or discomfort in any of the ways listed above or if you suddenly begin to feel the urge of eating your own hair, seek professional medical advice, and maybe consider asking about one of these rarer conditions.
