For centuries, thick, luxurious hair has been seen as a sign of health, youth, and beauty in humans within nearly every society. When you lose your hair, it can often make you feel devastated. Regardless of your age, sex, race, or lifestyle, hair loss can really knock your confidence and self-esteem down quite a few pegs. You aren’t alone, however – this frustrating issue affects millions of people worldwide.
What is alopecia?
Believe it or not, you know what alopecia is – you’re just not familiar with the medical term. Alopecia is the Latin medical term for the partial or complete absence of hair from the head or other areas of the body. It includes both scarring and non-scarring types of hair loss.
What are the different types of alopecia?
There are various types of alopecia that can affect nearly anyone at any point in their lives, including the following:
Androgenic alopecia: Also known as male pattern baldness, this is the most common type of hair loss and can affect both men and women. A combination of genetics and hormonal imbalance is often the cause of androgenic alopecia. Patients will typically experience hair loss only on the head. Men usually notice hair loss at the hairline and on the crown, resulting in a receding hairline. Women will typically see a gradual loss of hair without a receding hairline.
Alopecia areata: Considered an autoimmune skin disease, alopecia areata is a non-scarring form of hair loss that affects people of all ages, sexes, and races. Usually, it first appears in childhood and can cause hair loss on the scalp, face, and other areas of the body. While hair will normally grow back on its own, the experience can be different for everyone.
Alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis: These conditions are advanced forms of alopecia areata. Alopecia totalis results in a complete loss of hair on the head while alopecia universalis causes total hair loss on the head and body.
Cicatricial alopecia: Also known as scarring alopecia, cicatricial alopecia is usually caused by inflammation, resulting in the destruction of hair follicles and imminent hair loss. Lost follicles are then replaced by scar tissue. If caught early on, it’s possible that hair may regrow.
Traction alopecia: This form of hair loss occurs when there’s too much tension placed on the hair. Typically, certain hairstyles like tight ponytails or braiding, repeated hair dyeing, and hair bleaching can cause traction alopecia.
What types of alopecia can The Lifestyle Center treat?
While we are capable of treating several kinds of alopecia including traction alopecia, we primarily focus on androgenic alopecia.
How is alopecia treated?
We use only the most advanced and trusted methods to treat alopecia, including the all-new ARTAS iX Robotic Hair Restoration System. This system uses advanced vision and artificial intelligence to restore your hair by skillfully and precisely harvesting and implanting the ideal hair follicles into the problem area. The result is a youthful, natural-looking hairline, all created without sutures, stitches, or linear scarring! When it comes to traction alopecia, we have seen success with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments as well as hair transplant methods.
You don’t have to let alopecia rob you of your confidence, happiness, and beauty. Let Richard Moore, M.D. of The Lifestyle Center help you get your life back! Call us today at (314) 863-5556 to schedule your free consultation with us!
