Men's Hair Loss

    If you're experiencing hair loss, you’re not alone. About a quarter of all men begin to go bald by the time they're 30, and about two-thirds are either bald or have thinning hair by age 60.
While in years past, men were forced to cover bald spots with toupees or comb-overs, medical science now serves up a number of options that can reverse or counter hair loss. There are drugs that promote hair growth and transplant technologies that enable doctors to recreate a full head of hair.

Hair Science

    Hair is far more complex than it appears on the surface. We all know that it not only plays a vital role in the appearance of both men and women, but it also helps to transmit sensory information as well as create gender identification.

Types of Hair Loss : Summary

    Hair loss can be caused by any number of conditions, reflected in a specific diagnosis. Some diagnoses have alopecia in their title, such as alopecia areata or scarring alopecia, but many do not, such as telogen effluvium.

Hair Shaft Defects

    There are a multitude of conditions where physical damage to the hair fiber results in hair loss. Sometimes this damage to the hair fiber is due to the hair being improperly formed by the hair follicles. These conditions are usually determined by genetic defects. There are also conditions where physical damage of the hair fiber is caused by something environmental, most often poor or inappropriate hair care. Hair loss as a result of physical hair defects are rare compared to other causes of alopecia, but the most common ones are listed below.

Types of Hair Loss : Infectious Agents

Ringworm

    Ringworm has nothing to do with worms, it is actually a fungal infection. Ringworm is first and foremost an infectious skin condition and can occur anywhere on the body, but if it develops on the scalp it can cause patches of hair loss. When it occurs on the scalp the professional term for ringworm is "tinea capitis". Ringworm is the same thing as athletes foot, and the same kind of fungal infection can affect the nails too. Ringworm of the scalp usually begins as a small pimple that progressively expands in size, leaving scaly patches of temporary baldness. The fungus gets into the hair fibers In the affected area and these hairs become brittle and break off easily leaving a bald patch of skin. The affected areas are often itchy, red and inflamed, scaly patches that may blister and ooze. The patches are usually redder around the outside with a more normal skin tone in the center. This may create the appearance of a ring, hence the name, ringworm.