What Are The Causes Of Hair Diseases

Introduction

It’s interesting to note that humans have approximately 5-6 million hairs on their entire body. Hair forms an essential part of your epidermis, covering all external body parts expect feet soles, palms and lips however they’re more prominent on scalp, armpits and genitals. They not only regulate body temperature, cause loss of excess water and toxins but also play an important role in establishing secondary sexual characteristics (presence of hair on chest and face of males). Hair loss is a common problem faced by most men and women today. This article covers information on diseases hair.

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Science Behind Hair Growth:
Generally, your hair grows one inch long in approximately 25-30 days. Average lifespan of hair cells is 6 years. New cells are replaced by old cells at the base of hair follicle and the dead, cuticularized cells are pushed out of epidermis to form long hair shafts.

Diseases Hair: Origin
Common hair diseases include thinning, infection, flaking and temporary or permanent baldness. These diseases were known to men since last couple of centuries and natural remedies were invented to cure them however, hair problems became persistent in 1950. New drugs were introduced in 1980 to cure various issues. A survey conducted by health departments in 2008, in US states that people spend approximately $1 billion to deal with hair loss.

Diseases Hair: Common Causes
Alopecia or hair loss affects both males as well as females. It results in loss of few hairs on daily basis. This may occur due to negligence, overexposure to chemicals, pollution and lack of proper care or hereditary traits. It results in temporary or permanent baldness on top and sides.
Alopecia areata is a condition in which hair is lost in small, round patches. In addition to theses, vitamin deficiency, diabetes, lupus, thyroid problems and lack of nutrition may contribute to different forms of Alopecia.

Pediculosis capitis or head lice causes contagious infection in hair scalp resulting in thinning of hair and loss of blood from hair follicles, a condition commonly found in young kids. Besides this, Seborrhea or dandruff (in a layman’s term), is a form of scalp infection which causes oil imbalances and over production of dry epidermal cells. These result in thinning of hair from roots, dry scalp and frequent itching.

Tinea Capitis or scalp ringworm is a common fungal cause of diseases hair. It results in apperace of scaly spots and irregular patches of broken hair.

Folliculitis is a common skin condition that results in inflammation of hair follicles resulting in formation of pimple like swelling.

Features

Treatments:
Two important hair loss drugs approved by FDA include Finasteride (which is an isoenzyme) and Minoxidil or Rogaine that act as Rogaine. In addition to this, homeopathic treatments like Lycopodium, Fluoric acid and diluted Phosphorus are also offered. Physicians also prescribe daily intake of iron and Vitamin C to combat these problems.

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