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Alopecia is a medical term for hair loss. By right, everyone loses 50-100 hairs daily as its part of our normal hair growth cycle. When you are losing more hairs than you are supposed to be, then brace yourself and understand each member of the this hair loss family.

There are many types of hair loss that can be classified under Alopecia. Some can be mild and forgiving while some can lead to total baldness. The first step in overcoming hair loss is to diagnose, understand your situation and the kind of hair loss that you are facing. By thoroughly understanding your condition and its triggers, you stand a better chance in fighting hair loss.

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5 Most Common Forms of Hair Loss

When hair loss is concerned, there are basically 5 types that are the most common suffered by men and women today. By contrast, it's estimated that 50-60% of the worldwide population will face with a certain form of hair loss in their lifetime. The 5 most common forms of alopecia which are

• Androgenetic
• Areata
• Traction
• Scarring
• Effluvium

These are the most common kind of hair loss that most people face or might face in the future. Now, let us dig deeper into each member of the family and find out what they really are.

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Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA)

AGA is the most common kind of hair loss suffered by both men and women and can start anytime right after adolescent to adulthood. In familiar terms, it's popularly known as

• Male Pattern Baldness for men
• Female Pattern Baldness for women

AGA is a progressive form of hair loss based on a predefined pattern which you can classify under the Norwood Scale for men, and the Ludwig Scale for women. It's a slow and gradual process which will lead to baldness on the affected parts of the scalp.

You can split up Androgenetic into two sections, Androgen and Genetics. A potent male androgen, known as DihydroTestosterone (DHT) is the main cause of Pattern Baldness. This powerful male hormone accumulates in your hair follicle and causes it to shrink and thin out through time.

Genetics play a very crucial role in deciding whether you are susceptible to this condition. Due to your genetic traits, certain areas of your scalp especially your crown and frontal areas are exposed to the effects of DHT while the sides are usually immune from it. If either sides of your parents' family have Pattern Baldness, you have a good chance of getting it.

Learn more about Male Pattern Baldness in its dedicated section

If you are Facing Female Pattern Baldness, get more extensive information on its causes here.

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Alopecia Areata (AA)

AA is a series of non-scarring auto immune disorder related hair loss attacks without warning. AA happens out of a sudden and can cause single or multiple patches of baldness to an area on your scalp.

One of the main suspected causes of this sudden hair loss is blamed on your own auto immune system gone wrong and attacks your hair follicles on a certain location your scalp. There are 2 more severe forms related to AA which are known as

• Alopecia Universalis
  
• This condition is where you will face hair loss on the entire scalp and also the eyebrows and eyelashes. This is the most severe form of AA and it occurs in 1 out of 100,000 of AA sufferers.
• Alopecia Totalis
  This is a milder condition but yet a still potential devastating condition where it only causes total scalp hair loss.

One of the distressing symptoms of AA is that usually when hair follicles that are attacked will usually die off and the bald areas face a possible permanent hair loss. This will usually lead to a lot of psychological problems for sufferers of AA.

Learn more about AA and ways to survive this condition.

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Traction Alopecia (TA)

TA as the name defines is caused by a certain force and friction applied to the hair leading to hair loss. This condition is mainly self inflicted and can lead to serious hair loss over time if it's not controlled. It's particularly common among people who have

• Ponytails
• Pigtails
• Braids

When you tie or pull your hair continuously, especially when you tie tight ponytails or buns, you can unnoticeably dislodge the hairs progressively causing them to thin out over time. Overtime, you will notice the affected area getting thinner and thinner.

There is also another medical condition diagnosed under TA known as Trichotillomania, which is the result of an Impulse Control Disorder where the sufferer either consciously or unconsciously pulls their hair off. It's actually the same habit as some people that likes to bite off their nails. There are many reasons for this habit that can be related to stress and anxiety and the outcome for some cases can be severe. Continuous pulling of the hair can damage the hair follicles over time and can lead to permanent hair loss.

Read more about Trichotillomania and some solutions here.

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Scarring Alopecia (SA)

In all of the alopecias, SA can be considered one of the most severe forms of the diseases. There are many sub types of SA that all leads to some form of scarring on the scalp. The affected areas will usually end up with permanent scarring, inflammation and hair loss.

SA is divided into 2 subtypes known as

• Primary Cicatrical Alopecia
  This is the condition where it directly causes inflammation and attacks your hair follicles.
• Secondary Cicatrical Alopecia
  Refers to external factors that do not directly cause inflammation to the hair follicles.

No matter what, both types of SA are severely critical and are likely related to an autoimmune response to

• An illness like Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
• Allergic Reaction
• An Infection

The symptoms are usually more obvious and can be life threatening in some rare cases. The only way to deal with this condition is through prompt professional medical assistance and a strict treatment regimen to control and stabilize the condition.

Read more about the dreaded Scarring Alopecia and its sub conditions here.

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The Effluviums

Effluvium in Latin means 'Outflow' is an extended family of alopecia and is usually regarded as an easiest form of hair loss to recover from. There are two categories for Effluvium which are

• Telogen Effluvium (TE)
• Anagen Effluvium (AE)

Telogen Effluvium is caused by an outflow of Telogen hairs, hairs that belong to the last phase of the hair growth cycle. TE occurs when there is a sudden switching from growing hairs to the resting hairs. This condition can occur to anybody and it's usually related to

• Extreme emotional or physical stress
• Postpartum/Post Pregnancy
• Premenopause
• Contraceptives/Birth Control Pills

Usually when you are facing with a bout of stress, your hair supply is switched off forcing your hairs to stop growing and turn to the resting phase (Telogen). Telogen hairs will usually shed after 3 months, large amount of hairs will fall off as result to this sudden condition.

Anagen Effluvium is an outflow of Anagen hairs that are usually caused by a sudden and massive reaction in your body. One of the most common causes is related to a change in your body flow or metabolism. This condition is actually more severe and could be related to

• Chemotherapy treatments that stops cell proliferation
• Chemical exposure and shock
• Allergic reactions
• Poisoning

There must be a certain mechanism that triggers a sudden outflow of growing hairs and continued exposure can lead to total hair loss so it's critical to control the situation as soon as possible.

Learn more about Telogen Effluvium here.

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Your First Step to Fight Hair Loss

The first thing before you start fighting hair loss is to get acquainted with the members of the alopecia family and find the causes of your hair loss. After you understand your condition and pinpoint your causes for hair loss, then only you should look for the best treatments available.

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