Hairloss

What is Hairloss

Alopecia or hairloss can usually be attributed to several important factors: Androgenic Alopecia (scalp baldness) represents a type of inherited alopecia, which is the kind of baldness that passes through generations of families. This is by far the most common cause of hair loss, hence the term "common baldness". The degree of gradual hair loss can vary from partial / patchy to a more extended involvement over the frontal or upward retreat of the hairline from the forehead towards the center and crown involving the entire scalp in adults (male-patterned baldness).

Without any intervention, the hairloss is progressive and eventually irreversible. It is estimated that about 30 to 40 percent of adults are affected by this condition, approximately 40 million men and women in this country. By the age of 30, about 25% of men begin to bald, and about two-thirds are either bald or have a pattern by the age of 60. Under the normal physiological conditions, humans lose an average of 50 to 100 hairs per day out of the estimated 100,000 hairs typically on the scalp. This normal process is known as Telogen Effluvium or (resting phase) hair shedding. This phenomenon rarely progresses to baldness, since the amount of resulting hairloss does not surpass the amount of newly regenerated hair.

With Androgenic Alopecia, however, the amount of hairloss could be four to five times higher than normal. Although the exact mechanism still remains unclear, several studies have strongly implicated heredity and the natural compound Dihydrotestosterone or DHT, the active hormonal derivative of Testosterone as the main culprits of Androgenic Alopecia. The cause of hair loss seems to stem from an increased accumulation of the DHT bound to androgenic receptors within the hair follicles (hair root), and the subsequent destruction of the follicle coupled with the body's inability to compensate by producing new hair. Having inherited the genetically programmed factors for baldness appears to increase the sensitivity and vulnerability of the scalp's androgenic receptors to the delterious effects of DHT. This hormone appears to interrupt the normal environment and function of the hair cell follicles within the scalp resulting in the alteration of vital metabolic processes needed for healthy hair growth. This also has a detrimental effect on the overall nutritional status and elimination of waste products which accumulate and further contributes to the toxic degeneration of the follicle. The ultimate outcome begins with partial destruction initially, followed by the progressive and complete obliteration of hair follicles. The increased dropout in the number of functional hair cells, results in baldness.