Hair Loss

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes hair loss in men?

Male pattern baldness, also called androgenic alopecia, is by far the most common type of hair loss in men. Causes of male baldness include genetics, family history of baldness and imbalance of male sex hormones (androgens), age, certain cancers, medications, thyroid conditions, and anabolic steroids. The androgens have many functions, including regulating hair growth.

What is hair growth cycle and how is it affected by hormones?

Each hair on your head has a growth cycle. This life cycle of hair is divided into three phases:

  • Anagen phase – This is active hair growth that lasts between two to six years, with hair growth approximately 6 inches per year.
  • Catagen phase – This is a transitional hair growth that lasts two to three weeks. It signals end of the hair growth.
  • Telogen phase—This is the resting phase that lasts about two to three months. at the end of this phase, the hair is shed and a new hair replaces it and the growing cycle starts again.

    • Hormonal factors appear to play a key role in male baldness, especially male sex hormone, dihydrotestosterone by having an effect on hair cycle. With male pattern baldness, this growth cycle weakens resulting in weakened and shrunk hair follicle shrinks that produces shorter and finer strands of hair. Eventually, the growth cycle for each hair ends and no new hair grows in its place.

    What causes hair loss in females?

    Common causes of hair loss in females include hormonal imbalance, pregnancy, thyroid disorders, and anaemia. Less common causes include autoimmune diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and skin conditions such as psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis.

    What is normal hair loss?

    The average adult head has about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs and loses up to 100 of them a day

    What are the different types of hair loss(alopecia)?

    These include:

  • Involutional alopecia is a natural condition in which the hair gradually thins with age. More hair follicles go into the resting phase, and the remaining hairs become shorter and fewer in number.
  • Androgenic alopecia is a genetic condition that can affect both men and women. Men typically develop male pattern baldness due to hair loss as early as their teens or early 20s. Male baldness is characterised by a receding hairline and gradual disappearance of hair from the crown and frontal scalp. Women develop female pattern baldness usually in their 40s or later. There is a general thinning over the entire scalp, with the most extensive hair loss at the crown.
  • Alopecia areata is the patchy hair loss usually found in children and young adults. This condition may result in complete baldness (alopecia totalis). But in about 90% of people with the condition, the hair returns within a few years. It is thought to be caused by the immune system damaging the hair follicles.
  • Alopecia universalis causes all body hair to fall out, including the eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic hair.
  • Trichotillomania is a psychological disorder found most frequently in children. In this disorder, a person pulls out one's own hair.
  • Telogen effluvium is temporary hair thinning over the scalp that occurs because of changes in the growth cycle of hair. A large number of hairs enter the resting phase at the same time, causing hair shedding and subsequent thinning.
  • Scarring alopecia is a permanent hair loss due to inflammatory skin conditions (cellulitis, folliculitis, acne), and other skin disorders (such as some forms of lupus and lichen planus) that result in scars that destroy the ability of the hair to regenerate. Hot combs and hair too tightly woven and pulled can also result in permanent hair loss.
    • How is male hair loss treated?

    At Bedford Skin Clinic, we offer a range of treatment for male-pattern baldness. The treatment depends on the cause of baldness and can include medications such as oral finasteride, topical minoxidil, local injection of platelet rich plasma and in extreme cases hair transplant surgery using minimally invasive FUE hair transplant technology. Currently for transplant surgery, we are involved with the preoperative assessment and post-operative care but the actual hair transplant surgery is carried out in a well reputed hair transplant centre in Istanbul.

    How is female hair loss treated?

    At Bedford Skin Clinic, we offer a range of treatment for female -pattern baldness. The treatment depends on the cause of baldness and can include medications such as topical minoxidil and biohair transplant.

    How do we treat Alopecia areata?

    In most cases of alopecia areata, the hair grows back after about a year without treatment. In cases that require treatment, steroids are injected every few weeks and this treatment quite effective. Topical steroids can also be used for approximately 3 months.

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