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Health-Related Hair Loss
While hair loss is more harmful to the psyche than
anything else, some of the causes of baldness may represent serious
health problems. That's why it's important to talk about hair loss
with a physician.
One problem, says FDA's Cook, could be a condition
called alopecia areata. It's an autoimmune disease of unknown cause
in which inflammatory cells attack the bulbs of the follicles under
the scalp, leaving hairless patches. In more serious cases, hair may
fall out from the entire head--eyebrows and beard included--and the
entire body. Many times, though, the hair returns spontaneously.
Childbirth, severe malnutrition, chemotherapy,
thyroid problems, and a form of lupus can also cause hair loss.
Something as simple as pigtails or cornrows, if
worn too long, can cause hair loss, too, because of the stress they
cause to the hair shaft.
The medical opinion concerning the role of
emotional stress in balding is mixed. If stress does play a role,
however, it's only at times of extreme emotional trauma, according
to Kayne at the University of Washington Medical Center.
quoted in "Senior
Health" online
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Hairpieces
Finally, if you prefer to dodge the pain,
time and cost of surgery, there's always the old, reliable
hairpiece.
Obviously, all toupees and wigs are not
created equal. Just as the transplant is only as good as the
surgeon, the hairpiece is only as good as the person
creating it and the materials used.
There are a variety of ways of affixing
the hairpiece, which consists of human or synthetic hair
implanted one hair at a time into a nylon netting. No method
is permanent.
The hair weave involves sewing a wig into
existing hair.
Also there are more traditional methods:
You can use bonding (a type of glue), metal clips, or simple
tape to attach the hairpiece to the scalp. Unlike the
weaves, these give you the option to take the hairpiece on
or off with ease. Many companies advertise "hair systems" or
"hair clubs," which, according to Santangelo, offer
check-ups to clean, color and tighten the hairpiece.
Lark Lambert, consumer complaint
coordinator for FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors, notes
that in addition to maintaining the cleanliness of
hairpieces and wigs, it is important not to neglect the
scalp under the wig. Keeping it clean and healthy avoids
skin irritation and disease, he says. Also, as a
precautionary safety measure, first-time users of hairpiece
adhesives and solvents should test a patch of skin for 48
hours to determine possible skin sensitization to these
products.
quoted in "Senior
Health" online |
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