Hair loss

Hair loss is quite normal. A person loses an average of 50 to 120 hairs every day. This will often happen completely unnoticed. If your hair is thinning, or if you regularly lose more hair than usual, you may start to notice changes. For example, several bald spots may appear on your head. There can be several reasons for this, including:

• Old age. You often lose your hair according to a certain pattern. Men suffer from this more often than women and heredity usually plays a major role in this.
• Diffuse hair loss. Your hair becomes thinner and you lose more hair than usual. This can be caused by fever, being underweight, stress, illness, pregnancy and/or medication.
• The appearance of scars on your scalp due to a disease.
• Chemotherapy. This can result in you losing a great deal of hair within a short period of time.
• A hairdo which is too tight (tight buns, ponytails and braids).
• Trichotillomania. This is a psychological disorder whereby a person pulls hair out of his or her head.
• Syphilis. This is a venereal disease, whereby you can get bald spots on your head a few weeks after the infection.
• A fungal infection on your scalp. The hairs break due to flaky, red spots.
• Alopecia areata. You suddenly get round, oval bald spots on your scalp. These spots can also develop on your eyebrows, or in your beard and pubic area.

The symptoms will differ per cause. Hair loss will generally mean you’re suffering from:

• Thinning hair.
• Patterned hair loss or sudden hair loss.
• Bald spots.

There are many products against hair loss available on the market, but their effectiveness is usually not sufficiently proven. There are lotions, shampoos with caffeine and creams you can buy from your chemist or pharmacy. Make sure you obtain some good advice about the use of these products and read the package leaflets beforehand. Isn’t your hair loss stopping? Or is your hair no longer growing in certain places? Then think about wearing a hairpiece or wig. We also recommend you protect your scalp from the sun. Apply sunscreen to the bald spots and/or wear a cap or headscarf.

Hair loss can be very unpleasant, but in most cases you won’t need to contact your GP. However, you must call if you:

• Are still young and find it very bothersome.
• Suddenly develop bald spots on your head, in your beard, in your pubic area or in your eyebrows.
• Develop gloomy feelings or psychological complaints due to the hair loss.
• Are worried.
• Have a fungal infection which has gotten worse or won’t go away.