Alopecia is the medical term for extreme hair loss, but there are quite a number of varieties as there are quite a number of reasons for hair loss. Most individuals think that alopecia refers to a virus, but in truth it only means baldness. Therefore, typical male pattern baldness may be called pattern alopecia or androgenic alopecia.
Excessive hair loss is defined as more than 100 hairs falling out each day and may be caused by heredity, sickness, disease, poor nutrition, pregnancy, poor immune system, bad hairdressing, medication, iron deficiency, scalp infection, chemotherapy, lupus and venereal disease.
So, if you begin losing an abnormal amount of hair suddenly, it is a sign that you ought to visit the medical doctor for a few tests. The visit to a GP might involve a lengthy questionnaire. Presumably, your GP has a record of your medical history, but he or she may like to know of your lifestyle and your ancestry too.
If you are paying the medical doctor by the hour, or your time is limited, you can save time spent at the surgery by jotting down some notes. These notes might be a record of the food that you have eaten in the previous week or two in order to provide a snapshot of your normal diet; a list of the medicines you take and a little concerning your lifestyle, such as working hours, socializing hours, drinking habits etc.
Stress can also be a factor, so be prepared to talk about your family life and your job or lack of one. Be willing to answer any questions honestly or there is no point going in the first place.
The physician will examine the condition of your hair and your scalp and will almost certainly pull your hair to see how easily it comes out. This is usually carried out on 50-60 hairs at a time and it called the pull test. If the hair comes out too easily, it might be an indication of drug abuse.
The pluck test is meant to pull hairs out by the roots in order to inspect them. Inspection of the roots under a microscope will disclose what stage of development the hair is in. In essence, hairs have three stages of growth and the stage can be determined by the root.
If the reason for the hair loss cannot be found by these methods, the doctor might like to take samples of the upper layer of skin and possibly even a sample of deeper skin, which can be obtained with a small tool there and then in the GP's surgery.
As a last resort, the medical doctor may want to take a sample of your blood, but it is unusual to have carried out all the above tests without coming to a conclusion concerning the reason for your sudden hair loss.
Excessive hair loss is defined as more than 100 hairs falling out each day and may be caused by heredity, sickness, disease, poor nutrition, pregnancy, poor immune system, bad hairdressing, medication, iron deficiency, scalp infection, chemotherapy, lupus and venereal disease.
So, if you begin losing an abnormal amount of hair suddenly, it is a sign that you ought to visit the medical doctor for a few tests. The visit to a GP might involve a lengthy questionnaire. Presumably, your GP has a record of your medical history, but he or she may like to know of your lifestyle and your ancestry too.
If you are paying the medical doctor by the hour, or your time is limited, you can save time spent at the surgery by jotting down some notes. These notes might be a record of the food that you have eaten in the previous week or two in order to provide a snapshot of your normal diet; a list of the medicines you take and a little concerning your lifestyle, such as working hours, socializing hours, drinking habits etc.
Stress can also be a factor, so be prepared to talk about your family life and your job or lack of one. Be willing to answer any questions honestly or there is no point going in the first place.
The physician will examine the condition of your hair and your scalp and will almost certainly pull your hair to see how easily it comes out. This is usually carried out on 50-60 hairs at a time and it called the pull test. If the hair comes out too easily, it might be an indication of drug abuse.
The pluck test is meant to pull hairs out by the roots in order to inspect them. Inspection of the roots under a microscope will disclose what stage of development the hair is in. In essence, hairs have three stages of growth and the stage can be determined by the root.
If the reason for the hair loss cannot be found by these methods, the doctor might like to take samples of the upper layer of skin and possibly even a sample of deeper skin, which can be obtained with a small tool there and then in the GP's surgery.
As a last resort, the medical doctor may want to take a sample of your blood, but it is unusual to have carried out all the above tests without coming to a conclusion concerning the reason for your sudden hair loss.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on numerous topics, but is at present involved with tea tree oil for hair loss. If you have an interest in hair loss, please go to our web site now at What is the Best Hair Regrowth Product?
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