Pattern (Particular Shape) Most Common type.
Patchy (Localized, Focal)
Diffuse
Characteristics
You lose hair in front and on the top but a horseshoe shaped area at the back and on the sides is un affected.
You lose hair only in patches on the scalp and rest of the area hair growth is normal
You lose hair on entire scalp and not on just a particular area leading to generalized thinning or generalized baldness
Common causes
Brief
Description
Male pattern Baldness (MPD or
AHA Androgenetic Alopecia) or Common Baldness)
or FPB (Female Pattern Baldness) Common Baldness (MPB or AHA) and FPB Androgenetic Alopecia (AHA) is by far the most common cause of hair loss. This is due to 2 reasons
1. Genes
2. Hormones
1. Alopecia Areata,
2. Scarring Alopecia,
3. Trichotelomania
4. Traction Alopecia
Alopecia due to various
skin problems like Lupus, Scleroderma, Pseudopalade, Tinea capitis etc.
Alopecia Areata:
This as a common Autoimmune disease where the body ‘s immune system perceives the hair as its own enemy and start attacking and destroying them. This is treatable only in early stage but recurrence may not be prevented. It may recur in other part of scalp, beard or other part of scalp. Chronic disease is difficult to cure when many roots are destroyed. Hair Transplant is usually not done.
Scarring or Cicatricle Alopecia
After burns or other injuries to the scalp there can be permanent damage to the hair roots and in that patch hair do not grow. Usually due to scarring the blood supply in that area is poor.
Traction alopecia and Trichotelomania:
Due to the tight hair style in women or in Sikhs like braiding or the use of weave or pins of wig continually pulls on the hair and the roots may get damaged in long run and can cause hair loss. In Obsessive psychiatric disorder called Trichotellomania the patient is in a habit of pulling the hair in one area and ends up in a patchy hair loss in that area
Telogen Effluvium:
A period of Physical or mental stress, delivery of a baby in females etc. can lead to generalized loss of hair from scalp within few weeks due to shortening of Growth cycle and entering of hair in Telogen phase. This is temporary because after 6 months of relief in stress period the hair starts regrowing. Telogen effluvium can precipitate or even aggravate pattern baldness if one is genetically susceptible to develop MPB or FPB
Anagen Effluvium: Chemotherapy or certain Toxins can stop further growth of the growing hair and the already grown hair brakes and sheds over few days