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Alopecia
Background
The term alopecia is used to describe hair loss. There are several different types and causes of alopecia.
Male Balding
Male Balding: Male pattern hair loss; Androgenetic alopecia
Male balding is the most common type of alopecia. Half of the male population has some degree of balding by the age of fifty and only about 1 in 5 men over the age of seventy keeps a full head of hair. It usually starts as gradual hair thinning on the crown and recession of the hairline. This process may continue to complete loss of hair over the front and top of the scalp leaving a horseshoe pattern of hair remaining around the sides and back of the head.
Hair is produced by structures in the skin known as hair follicles. Normally, a hair on the scalp will grow for a number of years. Eventually the hair stops growing and is shed two or three months later. A new hair then grows in its place. During male balding there is a gradual shortening of the growth period of the hair, so hairs will not grow as long, and a delay in the replacement of the hair after the old hair falls out. Eventually the hair follicles shrink, a process called miniaturisation, so that the hair becomes finer as well as shorter. Finally when the follicle gets too small, no hair grows.
Female Pattern Hair Loss
Female Pattern Hair Loss: Female androgenetic alopecia
Female pattern hair loss is a common form of hair thinning in women. The changes in hair growth are similar to those in male balding but the pattern of hair loss is usually different and it is very rare for it to progress to true balding. Female pattern hair loss can start at any age from early teens onward. The hair becomes gradually thinner, making it easier to see the scalp. Thinning usually affects the front and top of the scalp but it can be all over the scalp. In most women the frontal hairline does not recede, unlike male balding.
Alopecia Areata Alopecia Areata (AA) is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. In an autoimmune disorder the body's own defence system attacks the body; in the case of AA, it attacks the hair follicles. AA can start at any age, including during childhood, and affects males and females of all ethnic groups.
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