Baldness refers to a loss of hair, usually on the head.

Alopecia is the general medical term for hair loss.

Symptoms:

Baldness may be due to certain serious diseases like acute fevers, myxodema (a syndrome cause by hypothyroidism), syphilis, influenza, anaemia, and great anxiety or nervous shock. If premature baldness is hereditary then not much can be done except delaying the falling of the hair for some years through proper medication. Sometimes eczema, psoriasis of the scalp leads to rapid baldness.

Root Causes

The administration of drugs indicated for premature graying of hair should help in the cases of baldness also, but recourse to medication has to be taken in the earlier stage. If all the hair has fallen out and the follicles have closed, nothing much can be done.

Types of hair loss

There are many types of hair loss with different symptoms and causes. Some of the more common types of hair loss are described below.

Male- and female-pattern baldness

Male-pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss. As well as affecting men, it can sometimes affect women (female-pattern baldness). It can be particularly difficult for both men and women to cope with.

Male-pattern baldness follows a pattern of a receding hairline, followed by thinning of the hair on the crown and temples. During female-pattern baldness, hair usually only thins on top of the head.

Male- and female-pattern baldness is also called androgenic or androgenetic alopecia. Male-pattern baldness is a condition that runs in families, but it is not clear if this is the case with female-pattern baldness.

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is patches of baldness that may come and go. It can occur at any age, but mostly affects teenagers and young adults. Six out of 10 people affected develop their first bald patch before they are 20 years old.

Alopecia areata is thought to be caused by a problem with the immune system (the body's natural defence against infection and illness). It is also believed that some people's genes make them more susceptible to alopecia areata, as one in five people with the condition have a family history of the condition. In many cases the hair grows back after about a year.

Scarring alopecia

Scarring alopecia, also known as cicatricial alopecia, is hair loss that can occur as a result of complications from another condition. In this type of alopecia, the hair follicle (the small hole in your skin that an individual hair grows out of) is completely destroyed. This means your hair will not grow back.

Conditions that can cause scarring alopecia include lichen planus (an itchy rash affecting many areas of the body) and discoid lupus (a mild form of lupus affecting the skin, causing scaly marks and hair loss).

Anagen effluvium

Anagen effluvium is widespread hair loss that can affect your scalp, face and body. One of the most common causes of this type of hair loss is the cancer treatment chemotherapy.

It may be possible to reduce hair loss from chemotherapy by wearing a special cap that keeps the scalp cool. However, scalp cooling is not always effective and not widely available.

In most cases, hair loss in anagen effluvium is temporary. Your hair should start to grow back a few months after chemotherapy has stopped.

Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is a common type of alopecia where there is widespread thinning of the hair, rather than specific bald patches. Hair is shed from the scalp, usually as a reaction to stress or medication. This type of hair loss tends to improve without treatment after a few months.