Common Causes of Hair Loss

    August 2022 in “ JAMA
    Kristin Walter
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    TLDR Hair loss can be caused by hormones, illness, autoimmune disorders, or vitamin deficiencies, and treatments vary depending on the type.
    Hair loss, or alopecia, is categorized as scarring or nonscarring, with the latter being the most common. Nonscarring alopecia can be patterned, diffuse, or focal. Patterned hair loss, such as androgenetic alopecia, involves thinning of hair at the front, top, and sides of the scalp due to exposure to the male sex hormone dihydrotestosterone. Diffuse hair loss, like telogen effluvium, involves loss of hair evenly across the scalp due to factors like illness, surgery, thyroid disease, or vitamin deficiencies. Focal hair loss, such as alopecia areata, involves loss of hair in patches due to an autoimmune disorder. Treatments for these types of hair loss include topical application of minoxidil, oral medication finasteride, low-level laser light therapy, and corticosteroid injections. For telogen effluvium, treatment of the underlying cause is recommended. Severe alopecia areata may benefit from a class of oral medications called Janus kinase inhibitors.

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      Diffuse hair loss and scalp biopsies

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      in Research  692 upvotes 2 months ago
      Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.

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      in Chat  33 upvotes 2 years ago
      Lichen Planopilaris (LPP), a form of permanent hair loss, which can be mistaken for seborrheic dermatitis and is characterized by scalp itching, burning, redness, and dandruff. Treatment options discussed include steroidal creams, finasteride, minoxidil, and RU58841.

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      in Female  9 upvotes 1 year ago
      Female using Rogaine foam for hair loss had scalp punch biopsy, diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA). Doctor recommended starting Spironolactone 50mg.

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