Hair Loss – Alopecia

Hair loss affects men and women alike.

The problem of hair loss by alopecia is probably more prevalent in the Western society, since the incidence is found to be about 1.7%. There are reportedly more than five million people in USA suffering from hair loss due to this medical condition. Alopecia is not debilitating or painful, but quite often psychologically damaging to the individual, especially to women. Hair is cosmetically important to women, and loss of hair can result in an inferiority complex.

Luxurious hair is a woman’s pride and her friend’s envy. Perfumed, open hair is an aphrodisiac. Beauty parlors cater round the clock to women’s hair beautification requirements. So, how can a woman reconcile with loss of hair? There are hair loss treatments for all types of hair loss problems, and these hair loss treatments are very effective in some cases of alopecia. However, certain percentage of cases of hair loss by alopecia, does not respond well to hair loss treatments.

The prejudice, or sometimes the ignorance, about hair loss by alopecia, is what aggravates the problem for those who suffer from loss of hair due to alopecia. The problem often appears first as a bare patch of hairless area, and some people remain under the erroneous impression that it is a communicable disease. In fact alopecia, though it results in devastating hair loss, is not a contagious disease at all.

Alopecia is basically an auto-immune disease. In such a situation, body erroneously identifies certain body parts – in this case hair follicles – as foreign particles and tries to destroy as much of it. That is one of the reasons why hair loss treatments sometimes become ineffective in the case of alopecia. When the hair grows again in response to hair loss treatments, these are again attacked by the white blood cells.

Alopecia can be alopecia totalis, where there is complete hair loss on the scalp, making a person bald. Or it can be alopecia universalis where there is loss of hair on scalp as well as the entire body including eyelashes, eyebrows, underarms and public area. When hair loss is in patches, it is often referred to as alopecia areata. For most, hair loss begins as patches, and gradually increases to cover more areas.

As hair loss is irreversible for lots of people suffering from alopecia, it is psychologically damaging to them. It is more so for women, because a tonsured head does not appear to be entirely out of fashion for men. Yul Brynner hairdo is not totally unpalatable for many and even today there are stage and media personalities who continue to be heartthrobs even after what appears to be a complete loss of hair. As a last resort, wigs are available for those who find it impossible to reconcile with loss of hair.

There several good products that can be used to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth – so anyone can have beaitiful hair they desire.