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If any of the stages of hair growth are disrupted, the individual may become bald. For example, if follicles shut down (meaning that they stay in the resting phase, and then shed the hair) instead of growing new hairs, there will be less hair on the head. Another reason might be interference with the formation of new hair cells at the root during the growing phase. If follicles have been destroyed (ie., a burn, loss of layered skin or trauma), there will be baldness in that area. An individual can also look bald if the hairs are growing but are so fragile that they break just as they emerge from the follicle.
Type of Baldness
1. Male & Female Pattern Baldness
Knowing that each case of hair loss is unique, Special Service has made available several options to help both men and women with their thinning hair.
Receding hair is loss of hair at the sides of the forehead. It happens to most men eventually - usually at or after middle age, but it can start at any time after puberty. Some men also have loss of hair on top of the head, and eventually only the sides and back of the head have hair, forming a horseshoe shape. This is known as common baldness, androgenic alopecia or male-pattern baldness.
Surprisingly, if you were to view a balding scalp under a microscope you would see that there are the same number of hair follicles as before, but each is shrunken, producing hairs that are fine, short and pale. You would also note that a higher proportion than usual of the follicles are in the resting phase. Three factors are at work in male-pattern baldness: male hormones, genetics and ageing.
Female Pattern Baldness: For women, thinning hair can occur throughout the entire scalp or in random patterns.In many cases hormonal changes and age will cause thinning over the entire scalp while certain genetic conditions and medical treatments can result in spotty or total hair loss. For these cases, Special Service may incorporate several technologies to achieve a desired result.
The main hormone is testosterone. Both men and women have testosterone in the blood, but men have higher
levels. The skin of the scalp converts testosterone to another substance called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Hair follicles in areas that are destined to become bald seem to be especially sensitive to DHT, and shrink when exposed to it. Follicles on the sides and back of the head are not affected by DHT.
Confusingly, DHT is necessary for growth of the beard and hair on the chest. This explains why bald men can have bushy beards and hairy chests. Nobody knows how DHT produces opposite effects on hair growth on different parts of the body.
Heredity (genetics) is important. If you have relatives with thin hair or who are bald, you may well develop the same problem. This tendency can be inherited from either the mother's or the father's side of the family and can skip generations.
Aging makes baldness more likely. Forty percent of men have noticeable hair loss by age 35, and 65% by age 60. Most elderly people have thin, fine hair even if they are not noticeably bald.
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