By the age of 50, about 85% of men will have significant hair thinning, according to the American Hair Loss Association.

Sometimes it can be a sign of a medical condition, but typically, this hair loss is nothing to worry about in terms of your health. However, it can be a cause of worry when it comes to how you look. This can lead to a lack of confidence and low self-esteem that can have a real impact on the way you live your life.

Hair loss, medically known as alopecia, can be permanent or temporary. This usually depends on the cause and the type.

But before we look into the causes and types, it’s useful to know the life cycle of hair follicles.

 

What is the life cycle of a hair follicle?

The stages are:

1. Anagen - This is when the hair is growing and can last about 3 to 5 years, although occasionally a hair can grow for 7 or more years.
2. Catagen - This is when hair follicles shrink and the growth of hair slows down, with the hair separating from the follicle, but staying in place for the last days of growth. It usually lasts about 10 days.
3. Telogen - This is known as the resting phase where the hair doesn’t grow and lasts about 3 months. The hair is then shed and replaced with new hair, beginning the cycle all over again. This stage is sometimes split into two, with the shedding phase named exogen.

 

What causes hair loss?

There are various reasons for hair loss, including:

• Male pattern baldness
• Stress
• Illness
• Treatment for cancer
• Iron deficiency
• Weight loss

 

 

What are the types of male hair loss?

The different types of hair loss vary in terms of cause, permanence and look. The types include:

 

Androgenic alopecia

More commonly referred to as male pattern baldness, androgenic alopecia is the result of both genetics and hormones.

Typical of this type of hair loss is a receding hairline and loss of hair from the frontal scalp and crown. The hair follicles change resulting in the hair that’s grown being smaller, shorter and lighter, until finally the follicles stop growing hair at all. This type of hair loss can start in men’s early 20s or even as young as the teenage years.

 

Involutional alopecia

This type of hair loss is the result of ageing. As you get older the percentage of your hair that’s growing at any one time decreases. This means the anagen phase is shortened, with more hair going into the telogen phase. The hairs that you still have decrease in number and get shorter.

 

Telogen effluvium

This type of hair loss occurs because more hairs go into the telogen phase. This means that rather than losing the average 100 hairs a day, you could lose up to 300, leaving hair looking thinner.

There are various causes of telogen effluvium, including physical injury, weight loss, iron deficiency, surgery and psychological distress. This type of hair loss doesn’t usually last more than 6 months, although it isn’t impossible for it to last for years.

 

Scarring alopecias

There are many different types of scarring alopecia, but what’s common across the forms is that hair follicles are replaced with scar tissue, potentially destroying the follicles permanently. The scars may result from inflammatory skin conditions and other skin disorders. It usually starts with small patches of hair loss that get bigger as time goes on. The speed at which hair is lost can be gradual or rapid.

 

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. Doctors are not sure why the immune system attacks the hair follicles, however, they do think it may have something to do with people’s genes. With this type of hair loss, hair falls out in patches. How much is lost varies from person to person. Hair may grow back permanently, or it may grow back and then fall out again.

 

Alopecia universalis

All hair on your scalp and body is lost with alopecia universalis. That can include eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic hair and nose hair. This type of hair loss is an autoimmune disease. It can run in families, but the exact cause of alopecia universalis is not known.

 

Traction alopecia

Repeated hair pulling can lead to traction alopecia. Hair tied up a lot too tightly is prone to this condition. If you stop the pulling before it’s too late, then it can be reversed. But continued for too long means the loss may be permanent.

 

Can you get a hair transplant?

The types of hair loss that result in bald patches, like alopecia areata, are not typically suitable for hair transplants.

However, hair loss that’s hereditary and permanent is usually suitable for a hair transplant.

Although you may be a suitable candidate for a hair transplant, it can be a costly procedure.

Well, that’s if you get it done in the UK. For an FUE hair transplant in the UK, you’ll be looking at paying anything from £3,000 to £15,000.

Whereas in Turkey, a hotspot for hair transplants, you can pay as little as £1,800 if you choose to go with MedicoTrips. The lower labour costs and operational fees mean a cheaper procedure is possible.

But the lower price doesn’t mean lower quality. In fact, Turkey boasts some of the most experienced and talented medical specialists around.

So, if you’re interested in getting a hair transplant and want to know more about the procedure, get in touch today on +(44) 0121 288 4552.