Understanding Hair Loss
Hair loss can occur for multiple reasons. Aging, hormonal imbalance, and medications can all be reasons for hair loss. A consultation with a hair specialist is sometimes necessary to correctly diagnose the underlying cause of your hair loss in order to determine the best path for hair restoration.
The Hair Loss Cycles
There are four stages of hair growth: Anagen, Catagen, Telogen, Exogen.
anagen phase
The anagen phase is the longest phase, lasting about 3 to 5 years for the hairs on your head. During the anagen phase, your hair follicles are growing, and pushing out hairs that will continue to grow until they’re cut or until they reach the end of their lifespan and fall out. At any given time, roughly 80-90% of the hairs on your head are in the anagen phase.
catagen phase
The catagen phase starts when the anagen phase ends and lasts around 10 days. During this phase, hair follicles shrink and hair growth slows. Only about 5% of the hairs on your head are in the catagen phase at any given time.
telogen phase
The telogen phase is also known as the resting phase. Hair can last in the resting phase for roughly 2-3 months. Around 10-20% of hair is in the telogen phase at any given time.
exogen phase
The exogen phase is the final stage when the hair sheds. Hair can shed from the scalp during washing or brushing activities. Losing 50-100 hairs per day can be normal. Losing significantly more can happen for various reasons , and can be a sign of an underlying health problem.
Most Common Causes of Hair Loss
The most common form of hair loss is known as androgenetic alopecia. This is sometimes referred to as “male pattern” or “female pattern” hair loss. Androgenetic hair loss occurs as the body’s hormones change over time, leading to the accumulation of certain hormones like dihydrotestosterone (DHT), that can damage hair follicles. Other causes of hair loss can be due to injury(physical scarring) , various hair styles (traction alopecia), or have an autoimmune component (alopecia aorta) where the body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles.
Why Choose Crown?
At Crown, our goal is to help you understand the reasons behind your hair loss, and help you in your hair restoration journey. Our trained hair surgeons combine the latest in medicine, science, and surgery to offer you an unrivaled experience. It is important to utilize every tool available in the fight against hair loss.