Hair disease can cause mild to severe baldness and other follicular conditions, with common types including traction alopecia, tinea capitis, and alopecia areata. Some conditions are genetic, while others are caused by styling techniques, chemicals, or external factors. Treatment is usually done by a dermatologist, and some causes of hair disease are preventable with proper care.
Hair disease is often distressing for men, women, and even children, who suffer from a variety of ailments that cause mild to severe baldness and other follicular conditions. The most common types of the disorder include traction alopecia, tinea capitis, and alopecia areata. While some conditions arise from genetic factors which are practically unavoidable, other forms occur due to styling techniques, chemicals or various external influences which are usually reduced with proper care. Hair disease is often diagnosed and treated by a dermatologist who, in many cases, is able to work with the patient to restore healthy hair.
Sometimes, hair disease occurs in response to emotional stress or environmental factors. There are some medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, that can cause the problem, but hair usually grows back after treatment is complete. Some chemicals used to color, curl, or straighten hair can be toxic in some situations, causing damage to the follicles. Under certain circumstances, the symptoms are permanent, but not always.
Some common causes of hair disease are preventable, and once the problem is identified, it can usually be reversed with proper styling techniques, as long as no scarring has occurred. For example, traction alopecia often develops in people who often weave their hair tightly against the scalp. The constant pulling and lifting from the roots creates tension and eventually the follicle is too weak to hold the hair. While significant loss can result from ongoing stress caused by styling, it is an avoidable condition. Once the damage occurs, however, patchy baldness can become permanent in the affected areas because scar tissue builds up and prevents new hair from growing.
The cause of patchy hair loss sometimes stems from a contagious fungal infection of the scalp. Tinea capitis is one such infection that often shows up as a small red ring on the head in the affected area. When the fungus enters the hair fibers, they become brittle and break easily, creating small bald patches that can get progressively worse if left untreated. The area becomes inflamed and blisters often form. Antibiotics and medicated shampoos are often recommended to treat this condition.
A common autoimmune skin disease, alopecia areata, can cause significant hair loss on various parts of the scalp or all over the body. This particular variety of hair disease occurs when an individual’s white blood cells attack the follicles. It usually happens suddenly, starting on the scalp, for reasons that aren’t fully understood by medical professionals. Many dermatologists attribute the condition to a combination of genetics, emotional stress, allergies, or even exposure to toxins.
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