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Hair Loss Symptom: Recognizing the Signs

By: Irina Thorton Hair loss can be a cause of a lot of distress for some people. Somehow, losing hair can affect the way a person thinks of himself and the way he relates to other people. You could take note of some symptoms if you're worried about possibly suffering from hair loss. Do remember though that a hair loss symptom will depend on the kind of hair loss condition you have.

Androgenetic Alopecia

95% of individuals who suffer from hair loss are known to have androgenetic alopecia. In this condition, it is the genes and hormones that are responsible for whatever hair loss symptom there is.

Male Hair Loss - Among men, this condition may first be noticed in a thinning of the temple hair strands and a receding hair line. Eventually the most evident hair loss symptom will be the gradual formation of a horseshoe pattern. Men will develop a bald top area with hair remaining only at the back of the head and a little on the temples.

Female Hair Loss - The hair loss symptom of women with the same condition is a little different. Women do not end up with bald patches or a bald top. The normal hair loss symptom is an overall diffuse thinning of the hair. Women will appear to have thinner hair with scalp areas becoming obvious through the remaining thin hair strands.

Alopecia Aratea

This is not as common as androgenetic alopecia but some people do have it. It is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system inexplicably attacks the hair follicles resulting in the loss of hair. The main hair loss symptom of this condition is the appearance of round patches or areas in the scalp without hair while the rest of the scalp may retain hair strands.

Telogen Effluvium

Stress as a Factor - This hair loss condition is believed to occur most among people who are subjected to a lot of physical, emotional or mental stress. In this condition, the hair loss symptom is a general increase in hair shedding. This happens because a lot of hair strands suddenly shift from the growing to the resting phase and fall off in approximately 3 months or so.

Traction Alopecia

Hairstyle Factor - This is the type of hair loss that is primarily caused by hairstyles that are too tight. These styles include braids, corn rolls and ponytails. When the hair is bound too tightly, the strands may get uprooted resulting in a hair loss symptom of small areas or without hair. The problem here is that if the damage is extensive, the scalp may begin to heal and the damage may eventually develop into scar tissue. This makes hair rehabilitation and further hair growth difficult, if not, impossible.

Others

Vitamin Deficient - A hair loss symptom may also be obvious under other conditions or situations aside from those mentioned above. It has been discovered for example that individuals who are deficient in some vitamins and minerals like biotin, iron and vitamin B6 may suffer from hair loss.

Medications - In some cases, an obvious hair loss symptom may be noticed if a person is under medications like blood thinners, steroids and cancer medicines. A person could also suffer from hair loss due to very severe illness like thyroid disease, severe anemia, severe infection and lupus.