The definition, causes, treatments of Alopecia and the impacts of it in the dimensions of wellness Essay
Submitted By sabernabil
Words: 1555
Pages: 7
Introduction
This is an era of modern science and technology and the healthcare section is the most developed one these days. Still thousands of problems exists in this area, however there are solutions for most of them. Alopecia is a very common problem and almost all of the people have been victim of this once in their life. Alopecia is used to describe any type of baldness or hair loss on the scalp, or of any other regions of the body. Commonly known as baldness, which is a term generally reserved for pattern alopecia. Baldness is not a disease all the time, it is a normal process of ageing and hormone change in the body. There are different patterns of natural and disease related hair loss. Several drugs and medications may cause hair loss as well. Fungal infections can also cause hair loss. There are two main types of alopecia, Alopecia Areata and Androgenetic Alopecia. Alopecia Areata is a type of hair loss which tends to occur in spots, as opposed to the pattern baldness. Sometimes the body immune system attacks the hair follicles by mistake and hair fall is the result of it. On the other hand, androgenetic alopecia is a kind of hair loss which is inherited. It occurs due to loss of androgens hormones. Nowadays, almost all of the diseases have treatments, so do alopecia. There are numerous treatments of hair loss. However drug therapy and natural way or better herbal therapy are the best treatments for the disease, (University of Maryland Medical Center, 2011).
Considerations
According to New York Times (2011), partial or complete loss of hair is called alopecia. It usually develops gradually and may be patchy or all over (diffuse). A person can roughly lose 100 hairs from his or her head every day. The average scalp of a person contains about 100,000 hairs. As the people age, both men and women tend to lose hair thickness. Usually the baldness is not caused by a disease. The hair loss is related to ageing, heredity, and changes in hormones, testosterone. More men are attacked by inherited or baldness than women. About half of the men's baldness begins at the age of 30 and by the age of 60 most of them are either bald or have a balding pattern.
Causes and symptoms
Millions of people experience hair loss and there are different reasons for hair loss. A sudden physical or emotional stress, illness, diet, medicine, childbirth are the common causes of hair loss, and most of the time, these kind of hair loss decreases after 6 to 8 months. One will notice hair coming out in handfuls while doing shampoo, comb or run hands through hair. If hair falls gradually and becomes more noticeable with each passing year, the person may have hereditary hair loss which is called Androgenetic Alopecia. It affects both men and women. Several drugs and medications may cause hair loss. Fungal infections can also cause hair loss. Women notices hair loss during menopause and this is often a temporary hair loss and hair re-grows with time. Some people may notice hair loss while dieting. When a person loses his or her weight more than 15 pounds, it may cause. Too much vitamin A may cause hair loss as well and the lack of essential elements such as protein and iron are the cause of hair loss also. Sometimes hairstyle causes hair loss. Pulls on the hair such as ponytail, cornrows or braids can cause hair loss. Improper washing, dying and combing are the reasons for hair loss.
Most of the time hair loss is the only symptom of alopecia, but some people may feel a burning sensation or itching. It usually begins with one or two patches of hair loss, most often on the scalp. It also can be seen in the beard, eyebrows, and arms or legs, (New York Times, 2011 and American Academy of Dermatology, 2013).
Treatments
In the past few years, medicine has made tremendous strides in the treatment of hair loss. There are several patterns of treatments of the disease and treatment depends on what type of alopecia it is. There are natural ways to get