Hair Loss and Baldness

Hair loss can be a distressing situation for many people. Baldness, or partial baldness, can make someone very self-conscious and anxious. It affects people socially as well in business.

Deciding to have hair surgically transplanted is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. It is important to have realistic expectations, arrived at through a discussion with your prospective surgeon. You should never feel you are being pressured into having a hair transplant procedure.

Hair growth and loss occur in a natural cycle in normal, healthy people. The cycle has three main phases:

• Anagen — This is the phase when the hair is actively growing. This is the longest phase of hair growth. As much as 90 percent of the hair follicles on the scalp at any one time are in the anagen phase. The length of the anagen growth phase for hair on the scalp lasts between three and six years.
• Catagen — The hair follicle in this phase is in a state of controlled regression. A hair in this phase lasts between 14 and 21 days.
• Telogen — This is the third stage the hair follicle enters and is called the resting state. About 10 percent of your hair follicles are in this stage of the cycle. Hair in the telogen phase lasts 30 to 90 days. When this hair falls out, the cycle begins again.

A hair fiber grows on average about 0.35 mm a day. These phases generally continue throughout a person's life except when interrupted by other factors, including reactions to drugs or cosmetics, or because of scarring, tumors, radiation, an individual's genetic factors, hormones and the immune system.

Male Pattern Baldness

Male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia typically begins with a receding hairline and thinning of hair on the crown of the head. It is caused by hormones and family history.

Baldness occurs when the follicle shrinks over time, leading to finer and shorter hair. Eventually, in balding men, there remains a hair follicle absent any hair. The follicles still are there, but have no hair growing in them. Male pattern baldness continues until a horseshoe pattern of hair exists around the sides and back of the scalp.

Female Hair Loss

Women lose hair because of aging, hormones and genetic predisposition. Hair thins mostly on the top and crown of the scalp. The only medical treatment is the application of minoxidil, which must be continued to continue the growth of hair and eventually can become expensive. Surgical hair transplants are also an option.

Interesting Facts About Hair Growth

• On average, a hair fiber grows about an inch every couple of months. This rate varies, however, depending upon the site of the hair follicle and the age and sex of the person.
• Hair grows only on mammals
• In humans, the hair grows in a mosaic pattern, each hair follicle growing independently of its neighbors
• In rodents, the hair follicles have a way of communicating so that hair follicles tend to be in the same stage of growth as neighboring follicles.
• In doing research for hair growth products, if the scientist is using rodents in experiments, he or she must take into account this difference in pattern of hair growth. Pharmaceutical scientists do not always do so.
• In humans, development of hair follicles first begins on the head, especially along the lower and upper lip of the fetus. The development of hair spreads gradually from these places, expanding symmetrically and covering the entire fetus except for the hands and soles of the feet.

If you are experiencing hair loss, contact a Massachusetts hair restoration expert at DiStefano Hair Restoration Center for help.