children’s hair loss
The Stages of the Hair Growth Cycle Explained
Losing hair is a natural part of the hair growth cycle. We lose hair so that new hair can replace it. However, when hair does not grow back as it should, we start to notice thinning hair and a more visible scalp through the hair. In order to understand hair loss, one must understand normal hair growth and shedding cycles.
The hair growth cycle is ongoing, and on an average day, 90% of your hair is in the resting phase while the other 10% is either growing or shedding. Balding occurs when the hair sheds, and no hair re-grows to replace it. Hair is made of keratin, the same material that makes up your nails and the outer layer of your skin. Hair is really a dead structure while the follicular bulb is the growing center. Because the actual strand of hair is not alive, hot curlers, chemical processing, hard plastic combs can cause damage and lead to split ends and fracturing of the shafts.
The hair growth cycle begins with the anagen or growth phase. During this phase cells in the root of the hair divide to add to the hair shaft. Depending on your genetics, the growth phase can last anywhere from 2 to 6 years. As the anagen phase comes to an end, an unknown signal tells the hair to enter the next stage. The hair grows about a fourth of an inch each month, and though it is technically dead, a healthy hair care regimen can keep it looking beautiful while it’s in the anagen phase.
The catagen stage follows the anagen phase and is made up of a 2-3 week transitional period in which the hair is no longer growing. During this stage, a club hair is formed. A club hair occurs when the section of the hair follicle attaches to the hair shaft, cutting the follicle off from its blood supply and the cells that produce new hair. This club hair leads to the next stage of the hair growth and shedding cycle.
The final stage of the hair growth and shedding cycle is the telogen or resting phase. During this two to four month phase, the hair begins to shed at normal levels, and the anagen phase begins again producing new hair.
The average person sheds around 100 telogen-stage hairs a day between brushing the hair, showering, and other activities. High-stress and trauma like high fevers, nutritional deficiencies, pneumonia, and accidents can cause hair to shed in higher than normal amounts. Patterned baldness (androgenetic alopecia) occurs when hair production slows and beings to produce weak, shorter hairs, eventually ceasing to grow completely in some areas.
Men and women often lose hair for different reasons and should be properly diagnosed before beginning any hair restoration treatment. Depending on the cause of your hair loss, there are both surgical and non-surgical treatment options including hair restoration surgery and medications like Propecia®, Rogaine®, and Proscar®.
For more information on hair loss causes and hair restoration, contact the Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter for more hair regrowth news and updates.
Play DAA’s Skin Games: Myth or Fact about Children’s Skin Care
Dermatology Associates of Atlanta is giving away prizes and testing your knowledge about children’s skin care. Be one of the first 5 people to submit your myth or fact answers, to marketing@dermatlanta.com, and win $50 off any cosmetic skin treatment at DAA.
Women’s Hair Loss Part 3: What Type of Hair Loss Do I Have?
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Women’s hair loss is a complex condition with numerous causes. The intricate nature of women’s hair loss further emphasizes the need for a hair loss specialist with specialized knowledge. Dr. Edmond Griffin can help you determine what type of hair loss you are experiencing and suggest a proper treatment plan based on your symptoms. In previous blog posts, we’ve explained who to turn to when hair begins to thin and tests that determine your hair loss cause. There may be a combination of variables contributing to your specific hair loss condition; therefore, it may be helpful to have a basic understanding of most common types/causes of hair loss:
• Androgenetic Alopecia: Androgenetic alopecia, also called female patterned baldness, is by far the most common cause of hair loss seen at the Griffin Center. This hereditary alopecia is caused by a predisposition to the effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on the hair follicles due to an inherited gene. A positive family history of baldness in either males or females is common. Occurring over a period of several years, this type of hair loss is gradual.
• Telogen Effluvium: In this condition, an increased number of hairs enter the resting phase (telogen phase) of the hair growth cycle so that hair does not grow at a normal rate. This hair loss is most apparent as hair just falls out by the roots in handfuls. Dieting, severe infection, high fever, surgery, stress, and especially childbirth shifts the growing hair into a resting phase resulting in sudden onset of hair loss.
• Anagen Effluvium: This hair loss condition is most commonly associated with cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation, and causes hair to fall out during the anagen, or growing, phase of the hair growth cycle. While most patients re-grow their hair after chemo and radiation are completed, some patients do not completely re-grow due to certain cancer chemo agents.
• Traction Alopecia: Traction alopecia, most often seen in black patients, is caused by excessive, ongoing tension placed on the scalp. Tight hairstyles such as braids, weaves, and ponytails can eventually pull hair out and permanently scar the scalp. Some patients have sensitive follicles that are easily traumatized, resulting in this loss of hair.
• Alopecia Areata: This hair loss condition, most common in children and young adults, is a disease in which the body forms antibodies against its own hair follicles due to stress, genetics, or immunity. Often developed suddenly, alopecia areata results in smooth, circular patches on the scalp, eyebrows, or beard. Aggressive treatment with injections and topical medications frequently results in the hair returning within a short time. A positive family history of this condition is common.
• Scarring Alopecia: This condition is a chronic inflammation of the scalp which gradually damages the hair follicles. This permanent condition may appear as localized or wide-spread patchy hair loss, and should be treated as soon as possible to prevent widespread baldness.
• Lichen Planopilaris (LPP): Scarring hair loss condition in which follicle inflammation causes gradual permanent alopecia.
• Tinea Capitis: Tinea capitis is a fungal infection that causes patchiness and breakage due to inflammation, usually seen in young children. If treated early, the hair re-grows but can result in permanent loss if the inflammation is long lasting or severe enough.
Listed above are some of the more common hair loss conditions. It’s important to understand that each hair loss case is specific to each man, woman, or child it affects. Dr. Griffin and his team of trained hair restoration technicians are more than happy to help you find a customized solution for hair loss. For more information on The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research visit our website, and continue to read the blog for more news on hair loss conditions and prevention.
Women’s Hair Loss Part 2: How Can I Determine the Cause of My Hair Loss?
Men, women, and children can experience hair loss for a number of different reasons as we discussed in Part 1 of the Women’s Hair Loss blog series. Women experiencing hair loss can go through discouraging trips to doctors and still not understand the cause of their hair loss. As suggested in Part 1, a dermatologist can be a good starting point. Women experiencing hair loss may need tests to get to the correct diagnosis, but don’t grow weary, as the right doctor will take steps to get to the source of your thinning hair. As each hair loss case is different, there is an approach to this puzzle.
At your consultation, your doctor will ask questions about your hair loss. It’s important to give the doctor the most detailed and accurate answers possible. You will need to discuss how long your hair loss has been occurring, and any pimples, scaling, pain, family history, hormonal problems, and associated events like deaths/operations, etc. Next, your doctor should carefully examine your hair and scalp. This allows him or her to correlate his or her years of experience with your physical appearance. This step is imperative in coming to a conclusion about your hair loss because so much subtle information is gained by just a simple examination.
After the consultation, your doctor will typically perform tests, both blood and others, as part of the exam. The tests will be determined by information gathered during consultation. These tests may include: hair pull test, hair shed/pull collection, scalp biopsy, and blood tests. Each test serves a different purpose:
• Hair Pull Test: A cluster of about 50 hairs will be gently pulled. For the average person, about four hairs will usually detach per pull, but people with a hair loss condition will lose more. A greater loss will be seen in patients who have not shampooed recently. The detached hairs can then be examined for irregularities of the shaft and the roots.
• Hair Shed/Comb Out Collection: At home, the patient performs this test by collecting hairs that will be shed in the shower, sink or comb/brush each day for 3-5 days. Each day, the collection will involve you combing your hair with a clean brush for about one minute over the sink and collecting all detached hairs for that day and placing them in a plastic bag. Additional hairs that you collect from your shower, sink, or comb throughout the rest of the day should be added should be added to your bag. Repeat the same sequence on day 2, 3, 4, and 5, and bring all the bags back to your doctor for an evaluation. This will allow him to follow and determine the severity of your shedding.
• Scalp Biopsy: This test is sometimes, but not always, indicated. However, it is especially important when there are more than one diagnoses considered or when the diagnosis is questionable. A scalp biopsy is particularly important for scarring alopecias. After a local anesthetic is administered, the doctor removes a small piece of skin from the scalp (about 1/5 of an inch in size–the size of a pencil eraser) for further examination.
• Blood Tests: Useful information from blood tests is limited, but it may help rule out other conditions that could contribute to hair loss, such as hormonal or thyroid conditions. Your doctor will decide which blood tests may be appropriate for you based on the information gathered during consultation. Once all data is reviewed a diagnosis can be obtained with a high degree of certainty.
Hair loss is a frustrating condition, especially as a woman. While this battery of tests may seem excessive, making the correct diagnosis is paramount to outline the proper treatment course for your particular problem.
Dr. Edmond Griffin, founder of The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research, has dedicated his life to researching hair loss and hair restoration techniques. For more information on women’s hair loss or hair loss in general, visit his website and continue reading his blog. If you’re experiencing hair loss, do not hesitate to schedule a consultation today.
Causes of Alopecia Areata Related Hair-loss: Is It Genetic?
Alopecia is the medical term that is used most often to convey any type of hair-loss. There are numerous types and causes of each respective type of alopecia. Alopecia areata most commonly refers to hair-loss in men, women, and children whose symptoms are perfectly round, smooth, bald patches on the scalp or body. These symptoms sometimes, but very rarely, present themselves along with other auto-immune disorders such as: thyroiditis, diabetes, and vitiligo.
While not previously attributed directly to genetics, a July study released by Columbia University and published in The New York Times links 8 genes to the hair-loss condition alopecia areata. According to the study’s report, one of the genes, ULBP3, was found in high concentrations within the hair follicles of the study’s alopecia areata patient participants and is thought to be the “messenger” gene that signaled the body to assail its hair and signal its fall-out.
While scientist can’t yet attribute all of alopecia areata’s symptoms to actions of these genes, they are hopeful that the study has revealed a promising discovery about the condition that may facilitate development of future medical treatment options for hair-loss: the alopecia areata related genes behave much like the genetic messengers involved in other auto-immune conditions such as type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
Therefore, dermatologists and hair-restoration specialists like Dr. Edmond Griffin may soon be able to better treat the historically unpredictable condition and its symptoms more effectively. If you’re interested in learning more about hair-loss or the treatment of hair loss visit The Griffin Center for Hair-Loss Restoration and Research’s website, subscribe to their blog, or become a fan on Facebook.
Part 2 Causes of Hair-loss: Repeated Pulling Leading to Childrens Hair Loss
In our previous blog post detailing the causes of hair-loss we discussed the role of genetics and its contribution to the development of androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata. Often, for children who exhibit hair-loss, the causes might not be as simple as genetics. For a small percentage of children ages 6-12 (mostly tween-age) a behavioral condition known as trichotillomania may be to blame for areas of hair-loss.
Most commonly referred to as “hair-pulling disorder,” or sometimes “trich,” this ailment is driven by a compulsion that causes children and adolescents to pull strands of hair from their scalp and occasionally their eyebrows and even body. The condition often begins with children wanting to continually twist their hair and place it in their mouth. While the condition has been greatly dramatized for plot development on episodes of FX’s Nip Tuck and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, if the neurosis continues, the child may begin to pluck the strands of hair and leave balding or stubbly areas of hair with differing thicknesses across the scalp. This is different from the perfectly rounded, completely bald circles caused by the genetically linked alopecia areata.
Physicians see a majority of trich patients recover fully from the condition and re-grow their missing hair completely, with no need for medicine or surgery, by ceasing the pulling behavior. However, Dr. Edmond Griffin of The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research warns that patients, especially children, must be properly diagnosed before any hair restoration treatment is approached. It’s important to note that hair-restoration therapy to remedy the effects of this type of behavior are only viable options for patients who have completely stopped the repeated action of pulling for at least 1 year.
To learn more about stress related hair loss in men, women, or children and the non-surgical hair-restoration options contact our office, visit our website, or subscribe to our blog.
Natural (Alopecia) Hair-loss Treatments
Board Certified Dermatologist and Hair Restoration Specialist Dr. Edmond Griffin has dedicated the bulk of his career to researching and advancing the field of hair replacement. As is detailed on his website, the causes of hair-loss in men, women, and even children are numerous and include: genetic predisposition, trauma , reaction to a medication, severe illness, stress, and reaction to hormone fluctuation. Alopecia (another name for hair-loss), regardless of its cause, can be stressful for patients.
In an effort to maintain his position at the forefront of hair-loss treatment, Dr. Griffin not only researches traditional surgical hair replacement methods such as follicular unit transplantation, but also less traditional means like botanical therapies. Popular for centuries in many Eastern hemisphere countries, herbal hair-loss applications are showing promise, and growing in popularity among Western hemisphere physicians and patients. In fact, a recently published study in the Journal of Drugs In Dermatology revealed several potential topical, plant-based treatments for Androgenetic Alopecia (Alopecia developed from genetic and environmental factors), Alopecia Areata (Hair-loss resulting from auto immune disorders), and chemotherapy-induced Alopecia.
Procyanidin B-2 (flavonoids found in the skins of young apples) proved a promising treatment for Androgenetic Alopecia patients while garlic and onion were among the study’s hopeful Alopecia Areata treatments. The extensive study also revealed that, with daily topical application, the caffeine and volatile oils in green tea helped regrow the hair of patients whose Alopecia was induced with the start of chemotherapy. While the described treatments showed a good bit of promise, the study’s coordinators were particular to note that each treatments long-term potential could not be adequately measured until larger, well-controlled scientific studies could be completed.
Recently, Dr. Griffin has developed a completely herbal topical treatment for patients with hair-loss. This combination formula, produced by reputable compounding pharmacies, has proven successful in trials of female patients who didn’t have any luck with other prescription treatments.
Dr. Griffin also stresses that these potential treatments are just that, potential, and individuals should first utilize the time-tested Propecia®-based therapies to aid in stabilizing hair-loss and promoting hair re-growth. If you are interested in pursuing a hair-replacement procedure, call Dr. Griffin’s office or visit his website today. You can also stay up-to-date on the latest advancements in the field of hair restoration by subscribing to his blog.
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