Do you know the cause of psychological hair loss?

Psychogenic alopecia is a common term in medicine. It refers to the phenomenon of hair loss caused by excessive mental stress. This is even more common in today's society, so it is particularly important to find scientific and effective prevention and treatment methods. The contraction of the muscle layer of the scalp tissue causes congestion, which people must understand in order to find a treatment method. Only after having a sufficient understanding of the cause of this disease can the problem be better discovered. Common hair loss is divided into seven types, including hereditary hair loss, seborrheic alopecia, physical hair loss, etc. To cure mental hair loss, you need to relax yourself frequently and maintain a happy mood.

1. What is psychological hair loss?

Psychogenic hair loss is hair loss caused by excessive mental stress. Under the influence of mental stress, the muscle layer of the scalp tissue contracts, causing congestion and poor blood flow, and shrinking the capillaries that supply nutrients to the hair follicles, causing local blood circulation disorders, thereby causing changes in hair ecology and malnutrition. Reduce the quality of the environment in which hair lives, leading to hair loss. Psychogenic hair loss is temporary hair loss and can usually heal itself by improving mental state and reducing mental stress. Being in a state of mental tension, depression, and anxiety for a long time will lead to the disorder of the body's defense system and the autonomic nervous system dysfunction of the cerebral cortex, thereby affecting the metabolic process of various enzymes, gonadal hormones, immunity, etc. in the body, coupled with the influence of genetics and self-quality, which accelerates hair loss or induces hair loss.

2. Classification of hair loss

1. Hereditary hair loss

Hereditary hair loss mainly comes from family gene inheritance and can be inherited for several generations in a family. The hair loss process of patients with hereditary hair loss occurs gradually. At the beginning, the hair edge on the forehead shrinks significantly and the hair on the top of the head becomes sparse. Eventually, only the back of the head is left, which is commonly known as baldness.

2. Seborrheic alopecia

Seborrheic alopecia is a type of hair loss that occurs on the basis of excessive sebum secretion, often accompanied by increased dandruff, oily scalp, and obvious pain and itching. It often occurs in young and middle-aged people with active sebaceous gland secretion, with fine and soft hair. Some are accompanied by seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp. It starts gradually from the top of the head and spreads to the forehead. The scalp is greasy and bright red, with yellow oily crusts. The treatment of seborrheic alopecia must first focus on hair health care, eat less greasy and spicy food, wash your hair frequently, use topical medication to remove oil, reduce dandruff, and reduce inflammation and itching.

3. Physical hair loss

It includes mechanical hair loss such as sexual alopecia, local friction irritation alopecia, burns alopecia and radiation damage alopecia. Mechanical alopecia is caused by certain special hairstyles that cause hair to break or fall out, such as women's braids, buns and other hairstyles, and men's parted hair styles, all of which can cause mechanical alopecia. Hair needs to maintain a certain degree of natural looseness and appropriate elasticity to pressure. If it is directly subjected to tension, like Peking Opera actors and female athletes, who often pull their hair back and tie it tightly with ribbons or rubber bands for performances and competitions, it can easily cause the hair on the forehead to break and fall off, and the hairline to recede. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight and frequent use of a hair dryer can also cause hair to become thinner. Radiation damage is clinically divided into four degrees, all of which can cause hair loss.

4. Chemical hair loss

Cancer patients receiving anti-cancer drug treatment and long-term use of certain chemical preparations such as the commonly used gentamicin, allopurinol, thyroxine, thiouracil, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, propranolol (Inderal), phenytoin sodium, aspirin, indomethacin, and birth control pills often cause hair loss. Hair cosmetics such as perms, cleansers, and hair dyes are also common causes of hair loss. In recent years, the incidence of thinning hair in women has been increasing, which may be related to the abuse of hair cleansers caused by irresponsible advertising.

5. Symptomatic hair loss

Anemia, liver and kidney diseases, malnutrition, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome, acanthosis nigricans, and febrile diseases such as typhoid fever, pneumonia, meningitis, influenza, etc. can often lead to hair loss and cause thinning hair. This type of hair loss is called symptomatic alopecia.

6. Infectious hair loss

Hair loss caused by fungal infection, parasites, viruses and purulent skin diseases is called infectious alopecia. Varicella on the head, herpes zoster virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Treponema pallidum, and tinea capitis caused by various fungi can all cause hair loss; local skin lesions such as seborrheic dermatitis, lichen planus, fungal or parasitic infections can also cause hair loss.

7. Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata, commonly known as "ghost baldness" or "ghost touching the head", is a localized patchy hair loss that occurs suddenly and progresses slowly. The cause may be temporary inhibition of hair growth caused by neuropsychiatric factors, endocrine disorders, and immune dysfunction. Infection or other internal organ diseases may also be involved. It is characterized by sudden appearance of round or oval patchy hair loss on the head, usually without any subjective symptoms, and the affected scalp is smooth and shiny. As the disease progresses, the damage expands, the peripheral hair becomes loose and easy to fall off, and some patients may lose all their hair. In severe cases, eyebrows, beards, armpit hair, pubic hair, etc. may also fall off. The disease can heal itself, but it often relapses and the course of the disease may last for several months or longer. During the recovery period, the new hair is thin, soft, and grayish white, gradually becomes thicker and black, and finally returns to normal. For the treatment of alopecia areata, the cause should be found, and then psychological treatment such as psychological counseling should be adopted, and oral and topical medications can also be used as a supplement.

8. Endocrine disorders and hair loss

Hair loss caused by hormone imbalance due to abnormal endocrine gland function is called endocrine disorder alopecia. Postpartum period, menopause, oral contraceptives, etc. can cause estrogen deficiency and hair loss within a certain period of time; hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, hypopituitarism, hypoparathyroidism, adrenal tumors, late-stage acromegaly, etc. can all lead to hair loss.

9. Nutritional metabolic hair loss

Excessive sugar or salt intake, protein deficiency, iron and zinc deficiency, excess selenium, and certain metabolic diseases such as argininosuccinic aciduria, homocystinuria, hereditary orotic aciduria, methionine metabolism disorders, etc. are also causes of hair loss. Sugar-induced alopecia: Sugar-induced alopecia is hair loss caused by excessive sugar intake. During the metabolism of sugar in the human body, a large amount of acid is formed, which destroys B vitamins and disrupts the pigment metabolism of hair, causing the hair to gradually lose its black luster and turn yellow. Too much sugar in the body can increase sebum, which can induce seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp and lead to massive hair loss. Salt alopecia: Salt alopecia is hair loss caused by excessive salt intake. Salt can cause water retention in the human body, and can also cause excessive water retention in the hair, affecting the normal growth and development of the hair. At the same time, excessive salt in the hair provides a good place for bacteria to grow, making it easy to suffer from scalp diseases. In addition, too much salt can induce a variety of sebum diseases, cause increased dandruff, and aggravate hair loss.

Androgenic Alopecia

Androgenic alopecia is also known as premature baldness, commonly known as "baldness", and has a high incidence rate. It refers to the gradual loss of hair after entering adulthood, with the temples quickly receding, the front hairline rising, the hair on the top of the head becoming thinner or even bald, and the condition is progressively worsening. The disease is characterized by progressive hair loss on the forehead and top of the head. It is more common in men who engage in mental work, and hair loss often begins around the age of 20-30. Hair loss generally starts from the forehead and both sides of the temples. The front hairline gradually recedes backwards and the forehead becomes higher. As age increases, the hair on the top of the skull gradually falls out, but there is often remaining hair on the occipital and hairline on both sides. In severe cases, the hair on the top of the head and forehead falls out in large areas, leaving only a large circle of hair distributed in a horseshoe shape around it. The skin in the hair loss area is smooth or has a few sparse, soft, short hairs left. The course of male stimulus-induced alopecia progresses slowly. The degree of hair loss in female patients is relatively mild. Most of them have sparse hair on the top of the head, and the hair becomes thinner and softer. This type of baldness affects the appearance of both men and women. The cause of androgenic alopecia may be related to genetics and androgen. This type of baldness is mostly permanent hair loss.

Postpartum hair loss

Postpartum hair loss in women is actually a physiological phenomenon, which is related to the physiological changes, mental factors and lifestyle of the mother. Generally, it will stop on its own about half a year after delivery, so don't be too nervous. The speed at which women's hair changes is closely related to the level of estrogen in their bodies. When estrogen increases, the rate of hair loss slows down; when estrogen decreases, the rate of hair loss accelerates. The woman is in the recovery stage within 6 months after delivery, and the secretion of estrogen is significantly reduced, causing hair loss. Experts say that postpartum hair loss is a temporary physiological phenomenon. New hair will grow after the hair loss. There is no need to worry about it, and don't seek medical treatment indiscriminately. Abuse of drugs is not good for infants.

Diffuse hair loss in women

Diffuse hair loss in women is also known as female androgenic alopecia, male pattern baldness in women or female pattern baldness. This is the most common type of hair loss in women after their 20s. Most cases develop slowly and diffusely with thinning of the hair, an increase in short hair at the front hairline, and gradually worsening hair loss. As research progresses, our understanding of the cause of this disease is becoming more and more in-depth. This type of hair loss is closely related to male hormones and genetics.