CAUSE OF HAIR LOSS AND BALDNESS

Excessive hair loss associated with this condition can often be helped with appropriate treatment.

Alopecia Areata This cause of hair baldness is not fully understood; natural hair falls out in patches, resulting in smooth, round bald spots about the size of a coin or larger. A dermatologist is trained to treat people with this condition.

This damages the growing hair, and the follicle enters the telogen (or resting) phase prematurely. Scientists are not sure what causes alopecia areata. It is probably caused by a combination of factors including genetic predisposition, predisposition to allergy, immune and autoimmune system responses, and emotional stress.

Hair roots receive nutrients from blood vessels which carry blood cells and a hormone called testosterone. Testosterone is converted into another hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by the actions of an enzyme called 5 alpha-reductase. Hair growth and hair loss are then influenced by several hormones.