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LONG TERM TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM

ANAEMIA: Symptoms: paleness, tiredness, fainting, breathlessness.
Low  Serum ferritin levels / tissue iron stores
HYPOTHYROIDISM : Weight gain, lethargy, sensitivity to cold, dry skin, brittle hair and nails, loss of other body hair and slowness of speech.
HYPERTHYROIDISM: Weight loss with increased appetite, extreme nervousness, eyeball protrusion, oily skin, muscle weakness, fatigue and excessive sweating and constantly feeling warm.
DIABETES: Frequently need to urinate, tiredness, perpetual thirst.
STRESS: Which ever the original reason can be self perpetuating.

The above symptoms cause an interruption of the hair growth cycle. Hair grows for between three and seven years in the Anagen or Growing phase, it then shrinks away from the dermal papilla and enters the Catagen or Changing phase, which lasts two to three weeks. The hair then enters the Telogen or resting phase which lasts for between two to four months.  Two to four months is the time lapse between the symptom or cause and the hair fall.  Normally ten percent of scalp hairs are in the Telogen or resting phase, but they are staggered throughout the scalp, mosaic pattern. When the  growth cycle has been interrupted, forty to fifty percent of the total density can be lost over quite a short period of time.
The important thing to remember is that for every hair lost another will take its place.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

Balding test? You can try this at home

Grandma told you that it was normal to lose 100 hairs a day. How did she know? Did she ever count them? Was that an average, or specific to you? Is it what you should expect at the age of 16 or 60?

No one knew. Until now, even dermatologists who specialize in hair loss took it as an unsubstantiated given that it’s normal to lose 100 hairs a day, based on the wisdom of the ages and backed by a mathematical equation. The equation assumes that the average head has 100,000 hairs, 10% of which are in the telogen, or resting, phase. That means they’re no longer growing, they’re getting ready to give it up, but they’re going to take about 100 days before they bail out and hit the shower floor, curl up in the sink drain or entwine themselves around the bristles of your brush. So 10% of 100,000 is 10,000. Divide that by 100 days and you get a daily loss of 100 hairs a day.

Not to split hairs, but the neatly figured math was based on…well, nothing. No one ever proved that we have an average of 100,000 hairs. “This number has been passed down without anyone ever questioning it,” says Dr. Jeffrey Miller, professor of dermatology at Penn State College of Medicine.

So instead of counting hairs, or assuming a number that’s normal, Miller and colleagues came up with a quick and reliable way to figure out if you’re balding. In a study published in this month’s Archives of Dermatology, researchers studied hair loss in 60 men, half age 20 to 40 and half age 40 to 60, all of whom had healthy heads of hair and no signs of going bald.

They were all given identical combs and told to shampoo every day for three days. On the fourth day, before shampooing, they each combed their hair forward over a pillow case for 60 seconds. Then they counted the hairs on the pillow case.

The average number was almost identical for both age groups: 10.2 hairs on the pillow case for the younger group, 10.3 hairs for the older group. And when the same men repeated the drill six months later, the counts remained the same, indicating they were in no immediate danger of balding.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of comb or brush you use as long as you use the same one,” says Miller. “And make sure it’s clean when you start.” The range of hair loss in the study was 0 to 78 hairs among the younger men, and 0 to 48 among the older men, though most lost about 10 hairs in the 60 seconds of combing.

The number of hairs on your pillow matters less than that the number remains consistent. Do it three days a month, and track it for six months. “It’s a simple, objective home test for a condition that’s fraught with emotion,” says Miller.

If the number of hairs shed remain consistent with each 60-second comb-out, you’re probably not over-shedding. But if there’s an increase, you might consult a dermatologist for an evaluation. Hair loss can result from low thyroid output, from low levels of iron or from some medications.

The study was funded by Merck & Co., which makes Propecia, a drug to treat hair loss. And Miller is a consultant for Pfizer Inc., which makes Rogaine and is testing other drugs for hair loss. But neither company influenced the study, he says.

Miller is currently working on a similar study of women’s hair loss.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/06/balding-test-yo.html

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

Wigs

Wigs are a common treatment choice in patients with alopecia areata. You can get some wigs on the NHS. However, this needs a referral to hospital as only a skin specialist can sanction the prescription of a wig on the NHS.

Other treatments
Various other treatments may be used or advised. These include the following:

Special light therapy or phototherapy (PUVA) has been used with some limited success. This treatment requires many light therapy sessions in a hospital out-patient department.

The immunosuppressant medicine called ciclosporin usually works well to cause hair re-growth in extensive alopecia areata. However, its use is limited by potential side-effects. Also, hair loss often recurs when the medication is stopped.

Dermatography (tattooing) can be used to simulate eyebrows that have fallen out.

Counselling is sometimes helpful for people who find it difficult to cope with hair loss.

Remember to use sun block or a hat to protect bald patches when out in the sun.
There is not enough evidence to say how effective complementary treatments are in treating alopecia areata. (For example, acupuncture, aromatherapy, etc.)

Further help and advice

Alopecia UK (online)
Web: www.alopeciaonline.org.uk.
Alopecia UK is a registered charity that supports people living with alopecia areata by providing information, support and advice. It also works to raise public awareness and understanding of alopecia areata throughout the UK and supports and funds research.

Alopecia Awareness
162 Manor View, Par, Cornwall, PL24 2EN
Tel: 01726 814 371
Web: www.alopecia-awareness.org.uk.
Provides a range of help, information and support to anyone associated with hair loss.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help