Jun 7, 2023

Is hair loss common?

Dr.-Sebastian-Podlipnik

Hair loss or alopecia can have a major impact on a person's quality of life , causing low self-esteem and a feeling of shame, as well as increased concern about physical appearance. People with alopecia may also experience social isolation and a greater likelihood of suffering from depression, anxiety, and other emotional disorders .

Frequently, patients with alopecia or baldness feel alone and isolated. However, it is important to remember that hair loss is not unusual. In reality, there are many people who are experiencing the same feelings and facing the same problems . Specifically, 90% of white men and 50% of white women have androgenetic alopecia at some point in their lives. Knowing this is very important because it can be a great comfort to them, as it means that they are not alone and that there are many who understand what they are going through.

In addition, today there are many treatments that can help combat alopecia and that have very good results. Therefore, the important thing is to go to the dermatologist as soon as possible to have a proper assessment and start treatment to avoid all these negative feelings .

What types of alopecia are the most common?

A recent study investigated the frequency of different types of alopecia among patients in specialized centers around the world. There were a total of 2,835 patients and 57 different types of alopecia were detected, the most common being:

🌱 Androgenetic or androgenic alopecia (AGA) : the most frequent present in 37.7% of patients.
🌱 Alopecia areata (AA) : (18.2%)
🌱 Telogen effluvium (TE) : (11.3%)
🌱 Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) : (10.8%)
🌱 Others : the rest of the alopecias were distributed approximately among the remaining 20%.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA)

Androgenic alopecia , also known as "hereditary pattern alopecia," is the most common type of hair loss. It is a hereditary condition, which can manifest as male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness.

It affects approximately 50% of white men by the age of 50, and up to 90% throughout their lives. Similarly, it has been observed to affect approximately 50% of white women throughout their lives.

Male pattern baldness usually involves progressive hair loss above the temples and thinning at the crown of the head, creating an "M" shape. For its part, female pattern baldness usually causes thinning of the entire scalp. It usually appears after the age of 65, but in some women it can begin at an earlier age.

In fact, weight loss in both sexes can begin as early as puberty and the frequency increases with age in all populations , although the prevalence is lower in Asians and African Americans than in whites.

Man with hair loss

Alopecia areata (AA)

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss in patches or circular bald patches that can be small or large.

It is the second most common form of alopecia after androgenetic alopecia. Both men and women are equally susceptible to alopecia areata and it can occur in individuals of any ethnic origin. This condition affects approximately 1% of the world's population and in other studies it has been estimated that it affects 1 in every 500 to 1,000 people .

Bald patches can affect the head, scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, and body hair. Symptoms can range from mild hair loss to complete loss.

Telogen effluvium (TE)

Telogen effluvium is a type of sudden hair loss that occurs as a result of an emotional or physical shock, such as a traumatic event, a period of extreme stress, or a serious illness.

Its prevalence is unknown, since many cases probably never consult a specialist. However, as we previously mentioned, telogen effluvium accounts for up to 11.3% of all consultations made by dermatologists specialized in hair.

Telogen effluvium causes hair to prematurely enter the resting phase and eventually fall out. Normally, healthy people lose up to 100 hairs a day, but with telogen effluvium they can experience a loss of up to 300 hairs a day.

It usually causes a lot of distress, but fortunately, it is usually temporary and the hair usually grows back once the trigger is removed.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA)

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia presents as gradual hair loss in the frontal and temporal hairline (from front to back), along with the formation of areas of scar tissue on the scalp.

It is increasingly common, since its incidence has increased rapidly in the last 20 years . Experts believe that hormonal imbalances, early menopause, low testosterone levels and hypothyroidism could be triggering factors. This disease mainly affects women of perimenopausal age.

Conclusions

Alopecia is a very common condition that many people suffer from and that can have a great emotional impact. Patients should not feel alone but should seek professional help for hair loss treatment. Early treatment can make a difference, reducing symptoms, improving patients' quality of life and avoiding all psychological consequences.

Jun 7, 2023
Dr.-Sebastian-Podlipnik