You can find various factors causing hair loss and corresponding types of hair loss in men and women. Here, we would particularly focus on the types of hair loss in men and factors pertaining to that. The life cycle of each hair root or follicle depends upon various factors like age, disease and other factors that can decrease the life cycle of the follicle.
Hair loss is one of the most common medical conditions that make millions of men and women suffer on a regular basis. There are various factors and corresponding types of hair loss in men and women, but before getting into describing them we must understand the therapeutic definition of hair loss. Though judging the phenomenon from a medical point of view, losing hair is quite normal as every human being in most healthy scalp condition loses some strands of hair regularly that is automatically filled up with appropriate regrowth of hair. But when such natural regrowth of hair is slowed down or stopped and the rate of hair loss gets aggravated this poses a therapeutic condition commonly called hair loss or in medical terms alopecia. The exact nature of hair loss, the pattern it takes and the contributory factors of hair loss differ from person to person. Here we would focus particularly on the types of hair loss in men and factors pertaining to that.
How men lose hair?
Before describing the distinct types of hair loss in men let us understand the clinical stages in the process of losing hair. The life cycle of each hair root or follicle depends upon various factors like age, disease and other factors that can decrease the life cycle of the follicle. When the life cycle of maximum numbers of hair gets lower than normal the loss become apparent creating bald patches on the scalp. The life cycle of a hair follicle can be divided into three phases, respectively as Anagen, Catagen and Telogen. Anagen refers to the phase of active hair growth that lasts a time span of 2 to 6 years, Catagen refers to the growth phase that only lasts for 2 to 3 weeks and finally Telogen is the resting plase of hair follicle that typically lasts 2 to 3 months. Telogen is the terminal resting phase at the end of which the hair automatically falls and a new growth of hair replaces it. Ageing is the most important factor in regard to hair loss, because as people get older their hair growth becomes slower leaving the bald patches where natural hair loss could not be replaced by new hair growth.
Different types of hair loss in men
Though the basic factor as to how one loses hair and grows bald can be described clinically as the result of non replacement of natural hair loss with natural hair growth, there are various contributing factors and corresponding medical conditions according to which hair loss in men can be differentiated into various types. While the commonest factor pertaining to the great majority of cases of hair loss is ageing, there can be array of factors like malnutrition, congestion in hair follicle, dry, itchy scalp condition and other skin and scalp disorders, diseases and health problems, etc. Here are the various different types of hair loss in men.
Male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia
By far it is the most common type of hair loss condition in men. This particular type of hair loss is characterized by gradually receding hairline leaving bald patches on the crown and the scalp at the front. In this condition of hair loss typically leaves the receding hairline in a W shape in front until it meets the bald crown in the middle and leaves the head completely bald except a hair line around and back of the head. More than 90% of hair loss cases are basically male pattern baldness. While other environmental and medical factors can equally play an instrumental role in speeding up such type of hair loss, genetic factor is one of the common contributing factors in such balding or hair loss process. This type of hair loss can begin as early as 20's or earlier than that in men or at any age.
Alopecia Areata or spot baldness
Alopecia Areata signifies a particular type of hair loss in men that happens due to an autoimmune problem. Alopecia Areata typically may cause bald patches in the scalp or in other portions of the body and can fast cause the entire scalp and hairy portions of the body to go bald. In most of the cases such effect of hair loss does not stabilize itself and soon hair begins to return on the bald patches of body.
Involutional Alopecia or Natural baldness
The gradual thinning of hair observed in most people belongs to this type of hair loss. In this condition a majority of the hair follicles go into the resting phase and consequently shed in quick succession leaving the scalp gradually bald. This is the commonest among the age affected types of hair loss in men.
Traction Alopecia or hair loss caused by strain on the hair strands
People who style their hair with long tails or pony tail often pull their hair backward and this causes the individual hair strands to experience strain. Similarly doing hair styling, using cosmetics, rigorously brushing the hair, straightening the hair or shaping the hair with hot blower, using cosmetics to for desired hair look can cause enough strain on the hair strands and consequently make them weaker and when a considerable amount of hair becomes weaker and begin to fall off the scalp it is called Traction Alopecia, a hair loss condition caused by strain on hair strands.
Telogen Effluvium
Telogen as we have already seen is the resting phase of the hair follicle life cycle. Telogen Effluvium is the hair loss condition in which majority of the hair follicles enters this resting phase in the end of which the hair will automatically shed causing baldness or severe hair loss. Telogen Effluvium is observed in person undergoing certain medication like chemotherapy, radiation, etc.
Hair root clogging
There can be some environmental factors playing huge role in causing hair loss in men. If your hair roots are clogged by toxic substances or excess oil, the hair consequently would be deprived of nutrition and gradually would shed. This type of hair loss in men is very common, especially among people with extremely oily scalp condition or people lacking in cleaning their scalp good and proper.