Posted on July 9, 2007 in Uncategorized
There are many factors that cause hair loss. There can be a number of things which can contribute to excessive hair loss. For instance, after about 3 or 4 months of an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This type of hair loss can be related to stress due to illness and it is temporary.
Sometimes, even hormonal problems may lead to hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or under active, you can face hair loss. This type of hair loss usually can be helped with the treatment of thyroid disease. Another reason for hair loss can occur if male or female hormones which are also called as androgens and estrogens are out of balance. If you correct the hormone imbalance, it can stop your hair loss.
Many women notice hair loss after 3 months of getting their baby. This loss is hormone-related. During the time of pregnancy, some high levels of hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return back to pre-pregnancy levels, the hair falls.
Another possibility of hair loss can be some medicines being consumed. This kind of hair loss is cured when you stop consuming the medicine. Some medicines which can cause hair loss include blood thinners, medicines used for gout, medicines used in chemotherapy, vitamin A pills, birth control pills and antidepressants.
Other causes can be certain infections. Fungal infections in scalp can cause hair loss and this is more prominent in children. The infection can be treated with antifungal medicines.
Hair loss can also occur as part of such like lupus or diabetes.
If you wear pigtails if you use tight hair rollers, it can lead to hair fall. If you use hot oil hair treatments or chemicals, it causes inflammation of the hair follicle. This can result in scarring and hair loss.
Male-pattern baldness is one of the common causes of hair fall in men. Men having this kind of hair loss have it inherited. Men who lose their hair at an early age develop more baldness. Women may also develop baldness. Under this, the hair becomes thin over the whole scalp. Maybe the doctor can help you in preventing hair loss. Your doctor might ask you some questions. This can be about your diet, the medicines you are taking and so on. It could also be about any recent illness and general questions relating to your hair care. There are treatments for hair loss and it depends on the type of hair you have. If you are consuming a medicine which is causing your hair loss, your doctor can prescribe a different medicine for you. The doctor can recognize and treat an infection can help in stopping the hair loss. You can also correct hormone imbalance can may prevent further hair loss.
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August 10th, 2007 at 11:05 am
My child is five and she’s been checked for Thyroid and that came back normal. Her hair continues to fall out and break off. Is there anything particular that I should ask her pediatrician to look for? Please let me know.
Thank-you,
Kelli
August 21st, 2007 at 6:10 am
Hello Kelli,
In most Thyroid cases hair loss will slow down, and eventually stop, once hormone levels are stabilized and in the normal range. But in case you think it has been quite some time for your child to recover from this symptom of thyroid, then you need to make some clarifications.
Clarifications needed in your child’s case are:
Consult with a doctor to see if your child has any nutritional deficiencies that can be corrected with right supplements. This is because hair loss may also be a result of under-nourishment.
Get your child checked from a dermatologist and confirm if the hair loss is the result of the Thyroid she was suffering from. Experts say, “A good dermatologist experienced in hair loss can do a complete workup in order to assess the various causes of hair loss, and run tests that may identify other autoimmune conditions besides thyroid that may cause hair loss.”
If the dermatologist confirms that the hair loss is due to thyroid, then make sure if your child’s medication is the root cause for it. If your child is taking levothyroxine (i.e., Synthroid, Levoxyl, Unithroid, Levothroid) as thyroid hormone replacement, and still losing hair, then the hair loss might be a side effect of the medicine. Many doctors do not know this fact. To confirm this fact you can refer the Synthroid patient literature.
Make sure from your child’s pediatrician if your child is undertreated. If your child has been receiving less TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) or has not taking the right drug, she might be undertreated.
Consider Alternative treatment for hair loss and take special care to treat it properly.
Thank you
Administrator, YgoY