Hair is an important part of every person's appearance and is considered one of the symbols of beauty. Lush hair full of volume is a sign of health and youth, and analogously, hair loss affects the lower psychosocial status and quality of life.

A small number of dermatological conditions cause as many emotional problems as hair loss in both men and women, he explains. Dr. Elena Arsova, trichologist.

"As with any medical problem, a patient who has a problem with hair loss requires a comprehensive medical and pharmacological history, physical examination of the hair and scalp, and adequate laboratory tests to determine the cause of the hair loss," said Dr. Elena. :

"Hair loss has a complex and multifactorial nature. The most common forms of baldness are hereditary hair loss, telogen effluvium and alopecia areata. "While the hereditary factor dominates in men, telogen effluvium is more common in women."

Hereditary hair loss

The genetic code for hair loss is written in the cells of the hair follicles, but to activate the genetic message, androgen hormones are needed, so here we come to another factor in hair loss. The main hormone for hair loss is dihydrotestosterone or DHT, which in women binds to the hair follicles and signals the follicle cells to work less. These "lazy" cells produce thin and weak hair, and over time they completely stop working.

Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is hair loss that results in severe hair loss, up to 200-300 hairs per day. Occurs due to various health factors, such as iron deficiency, thyroid hormone imbalance, childbirth, menopause, diet, surgery, infectious processes, high stress, taking certain medications…

More recently, coronavirus has been one of the causes of effluvium. It can be acute or chronic. In telogen effluvium, a large number of fibers (up to 30 per cent) abruptly enter a phase of decline.

Stress is also a common cause of hair loss. Cortisol is a hormone that increases due to stress, damages proteoglycans and around the hair. Proteoglycans are important proteins for hair and its function. As a result of stress and increased cortisol, hair loss and thinning is activated.

And of course poor diet, which contains little protein and nutrients, smoking, alcohol, insomnia, are additional factors that cause hair loss in men.

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata or alopecia areata is an autoimmune hair loss due to the formation of antibodies against one's own hair. Antibodies interrupt the hair growth cycle and lead to hair loss. The causes of this alopecia are not fully explained.

The genetic factor plays a role especially in the more aggressive form of alopecia. The triggering factor may be an infectious focus in the body or a recent infectious disease, another autoimmune reaction usually hypothyroidism, stronger allergic reactions or a tendency to allergies and re-stress.

A prerequisite for providing proper patient care is an understanding of the pathological dynamics of hair loss and the potential causes of hair loss. That is why only trichologists can help you in case of hair loss.