You look in the mirror and see your hairline receding farther and farther back. You notice increasing numbers of hairs in your drain or stuck in your brush. You feel bare patches on your scalp or areas where hairs are few and far between. In your frustration and disappointment, you ask yourself, “Why is this happening to me??”
That is not a rhetorical question. Rather, understanding the “why” behind your hair loss is the first step in doing something about it. At the Miami Hair & Skin Institute, we take a holistic approach to hair restoration that begins with a thorough, personalized evaluation to determine the reasons behind your thinning hair. Once we do so, we can recommend the treatment option best suited to restoring your hair to its full, youthful appearance.
If you are experiencing hair loss or hair thinning, it is likely due to one of the following causes:
Your Genes
By an overwhelming margin, pattern baldness – androgenetic alopecia – is the most common cause of hair loss in men and women. Over 95 percent of hair loss cases involve androgenetic alopecia, a hereditary hair loss condition that affects over three million Americans each year. This condition causes hair miniaturization, a phenomenon in which follicles become thinner and finer each time they progress through the hair growth cycle. Eventually, the follicles will die and fall out.
Your Immune System
Alopecia areata is a hair loss condition that involves a direct assault on your hair follicles by your own immune system and white blood cells. This attack shrinks the follicles and subsequently slows down hair growth. In turn, this leads to sudden hair loss in quarter-sized patches that can progress across the scalp rapidly and unpredictably.
More extreme versions of the condition include alopecia totalis (Complete loss of hair on the scalp) and alopecia universalis (total loss of hair on the scalp and body). Hair follicles are not destroyed by alopecia areata and can typically regrow as soon as the inflammation dwindles.
Though not as common as androgenetic alopecia, which is the culprit in the vast majority of male pattern baldness cases, alopecia areata still affects two percent of Americans or roughly 6.8 million people.
Your Hairstyle
If you apply constant tension to your hair follicles, they will eventually experience damage, weaken, and ultimately die and fall out. This is called traction alopecia.
The five primary causes of traction alopecia are:
- Wearing unnecessarily tight pigtails, ponytails, or braids for extended periods.
- Trichotillomania, a psychological disorder characterized by constant (and often unconscious) hair twisting, plucking, or pulling.
- Hairstyles that require hair to be tightly wound for a prolonged period.
- Hairpieces and weaves that must be affixed/clipped to the hair.
- Helmets, particularly compression-helmets like those worn while playing football, snowboarding, skiing, horseback riding, etc.
Your Lifestyle
Stress, a traumatic event, or a lack of sufficient sleep cause changes to our body chemistry that can have a range of adverse health effects, including damage to our hair follicles that can lead to thinning or hair loss. Fortunately, shock loss is almost always a temporary phenomenon.
Your Hormones
Many cases of hair loss are the result of hormone imbalances. Several hormones can impact the growth, strength, and health of our hair. The most frequent problems with hormone imbalances that can contribute to hair shedding and loss include thyroid imbalances and hormonal changes accompanying menopause and pregnancy.
No Matter The Reason Behind Your Hair Loss, The Miami Hair & Skin Institute Can Help
At the Miami Hair & Skin Institute, our world-renowned hair restoration physicians diagnose and treat hair loss cases no matter what the underlying cause. Through advanced hair restoration surgical techniques, technology, and alternative non-invasive treatments, we can help patients suffering from hair loss regain their hair and self-confidence.
To receive your personalized evaluation and treatment plan, contact us online or call our office directly at 305-925-0222.