Baldness refers to excessive hair loss from the scalp. Although it is normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs per day, hair loss becomes noticeable after approximately 50,000 hairs are lost. One of the major cases of baldness is alopecia, a genetic condition affecting more than five million people in the United States that may result in hair loss on the scalp or body. Baldness may be caused by other factors such as heredity, side effects from medication, certain medical conditions, hormone imbalances, stress, hair pulling, aging, poor nutrition, chemotherapy, tight hairstyles, chemical relaxers, pregnancy, or menopause.
Common
People may react to baldness by feeling isolated, withdrawn, anxious, depressed, sad, fearful, angry, ashamed, embarrassed, or helpless. They may lose self-esteem or self-confidence, feel unattractive to others, or become self-conscious. Men’s baldness tends to be viewed more positively as a sign of masculinity or virility, while women’s baldness tends to be viewed more negatively as a loss of femininity or sexuality. For people experiencing cancer-related baldness, hair loss represents a loss of vitality, health, and physical strength.
Remedies
Baldness remedies vary by the amount of time or expertise required by users and cost. People with patchy or partial hair loss can experiment with a variety of styling options. Men may comb over their hair to cover the balding area or wear long hairstyles, while women may use hair extensions or weaves, wear short hairstyles, or dye their hair a light shade to conceal bald areas. Unisex options include head shaving or the use of hats/scarves, laser combs, hair thickeners, volumizing hair products, ointments, and vitamins. There are several prescription drugs that people can use to combat balding. Rogaine, a line of hair care products that can be used by men or women, has been clinically proven to grow hair. These products are available by prescription or over the counter. Propecia is a daily pill for men that treats male pattern hair loss. Hairpieces such as wigs or toupees are also a popular method of hair replacement. Hairpieces come in a variety of colors, textures, densities, and styles, and may be used to cover temporary or permanent hair loss. The cost, durability, comfort, and appearance of hairpieces vary based on the materials used and the level of craftsmanship in their creation. Hairpieces are usually made from horse or human hair, wool, feathers, or synthetic material. Another remedy for baldness is a hair transplant, a medical procedure where a surgeon removes hair from a part of the scalp that has abundant hair growth and places it in areas that have thinning or no hair. Hair transplants may need to be repeated as other areas of the scalp lose hair over time. A related procedure is scalp reduction surgery, which involves decreasing the areas of bald skin by removing hairless portions of the scalp and covering them with hair-covered scalp. A variation of scalp reduction involves folding hair-covered scalp over bald skin.
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