—And there is no particular age to the baldness

By M Margaret Burke

BALDNESS has no discrimination. It is a situation that both men and women experience and there is no particular age at which this begins to occur. However, one must hasten to say

that men are far more likely to get bald – they tend to lose their hair thickness and amount at a faster rate, especially as they get older. But some men seem to be more in a hurry to loose their hair and so in their early 30s many of them could begin ‘molting’, though not to replace the shed hair with anything other than baldness or a wig.

Women also lose it
Although hair loss among men may seem to be more of a prominent problem, women have problems too. While many women also notice the trend of losing their hair – by thinning-out or complete loss more in their 50s or 60s, yet many of them begin to have the slowdown in growth or complete loss since in their mid-thirties or thereabout…One immediate solution would sometimes be the very attractive, natural-looking or popular hairstyle wigs (false hair) and this is what sometimes makes it less noticeable.

Dr Orrisha Denbow, a practising physician at the University of the West Indies Hospital in Jamaica, in an exclusive interview told the Guyana Chronicle, “The average human sheds 50-100 strands of hair per day. Hair loss commonly occurs when there is a disruption between the cycle of hair growth and shedding. The hair follicle is then replaced with scar tissue as a result.

She said, “Baldness refers to the excessive loss of hair from one’s scalp. This can be the result of hormonal changes, hereditary causes, medical conditions or side effects of various medications. Hair loss can occur in men, women and even children.

“Hair loss can occur in various patterns some being temporary, while others permanent,” she explained.
The beginning of the balding process of these young women – middle, front and sides respectively

Dr. Denbow said that female patterns of hair loss more often causes diffuse thinning without hairline recession. These causes, she said can be as a result of a number of reasons.

“Family history (hereditary), which can affects the age at which you lose hair, the rate of hair loss and the extent of baldness at a specified age,” she said, even as she went to explain that there are certain exceptional cases of women experiencing thinning of the hair from as early as their late teens or early 20s. But such ‘extreme’ cases and how thin it will become are determined by genetic and hormonal factors, which should be checked out by a physician, but not worried about…How soon the mother, aunts, or maternal grandmother started to experience thinning can be a good indication of when the younger female may begin to experience such signs too.

She stated further, “Hormonal changes, which can be as a result of pregnancy may occur with hair loss that follows childbirth; after the child is born estrogen levels fall back to normal and so additional hair foliage drops out.”

Having problems with thyroid is another situation that can cause hair loss, “An under-active thyroid or an overactive thyroid can cause thinning of the hair,” she offered.

She went on to state that infections may be another reason for hair loss in the female and even baldness. “Various types of infections may invade the scalp, which can lead to hair loss. One common example is tinea capitis (fungal infection) or folliculitis.

Trauma
Dr Denbow said that ‘Traction alopecia’, which is a situation most commonly present in persons who pull on their hair with excessive force, for example, the use of tight ponytails and cornrows, which causes individual hair strands to become weak and break off, can lead to loss of hair volume and loss of normal hair line.

She went on to explain that ‘Trichotillomania’, which refers to the loss of hair by compulsive pulling and bending of the hair; an irresistible urge to pull out hair, is a problem that is normally present around puberty, and which can result in temporary or permanent hair loss.

The use of drugs is also another reason why people may experience hair loss. She said, “Any drug that affects the normal hormonal body balance can have pronounced effects on the individual, resulting in hair loss. For example, anti-hypertensives, oral hypoglycemic agents, steroids, hormonal replacement therapy, as well as chemotherapy can all result in hair loss.”
Extreme thinning of the hair Baldness in the center of the head Balding from the back of the head

General condition and causes
Hair thinning in women is different from that of male pattern baldness, where men’s hair tends to recede from the forehead or the crown of the head, women tend to notice thinning on the top third to one half of the scalp. In this case women may see a part that is gradually becoming wider or see more of their scalp than normal when their hair is pulled back. Therefore, although the front hairline is affected to some extent, except in cases where there is normal recession, which happens to everyone as time passes, the hair loss of the women fortunately, rarely progresses to total or near total baldness, as it may be with men.

Some other causes for hair loss or balding in women can be hair dyeing, weaving, hairpieces, or a change in hairstyle, which can affect the very root of the hair.

The problem could be due to illness that was previously undetected, a hormonal imbalance, or poor diet, but the sooner you determine the cause, the sooner you can correct the problem and stop the loss. The factors listed above can cause disruptions in the growth cycle of the hair follicles and resolving the issues causing the disruption will allow your hair to return to normal.

Dr Denbow herself, with a full head of hair, encourages all women to take care of their hair; a very important aspect of their daily lives. “Hair is a God-given gift to us, and even though our length and texture would vary, yet for each and every one of us there is beauty there. Take care of what you have,” she urged. Contact: mercilinburke2017@gmail.com