Teenagers Lose Their Hair Too




Baldness is a problem of older people, so when teenagers lose their hair, they panic and try to hide it, because they think this could only happen to them. While teen alopecia is rare, it might take place due to some disorders in the young people’s bodies. It can be diet flaws, tight hair style, sickness, or a side-effect of a medical treatment.

Teenagers are very concerned about their physical appearance. They want to look good and to impress other people, so hair loss is not part of their plans unless it is part of their image: for example, brake dancers usually have their hair shaved off because part of their moves is based on head-stands. Although it might work out for some people, not everybody has to learn such dancing just because hair starts shedding. Hair loss might take place, but in the majority of cases it is temporary.

Everybody uses some amount of hair daily. Usually it is about 50-100 hair strands depending on hair thickness. After old hair falls out, it is replaced by the new growth. But in some cases hair loss in beyond normal and it is a matter of serious concern. Here are a few problems that a teenager might consider:

1.    Poor hair treatment and styling. Many serious hair treatments might have negative influence on hair. Making perms, having hair dyed, bleached of straightened can weaken hair and make it fall out. Some hair styles also have negative impact on hair: cornrows or any other situations when hair is pulled too tightly, cause tension which leads to traction alopecia (hair loss caused by friction). If this happens, the teenager should stop wearing the hair style because traction alopecia might be permanent if the follicles will be severely damaged.
2.    Eating disorders. While trying to look good, teenagers try different diets and experiment with their eating habits in general. Lack of protein, iron, silica and essential vitamins lead to hair loss.
3.    Trichotillomania. Some people pull out their hair if they are stressed. The result may be different: from damaged hair of different length to bald patches all over the scalp. This psychological disorder is called trichotillomania. Teens with this disorder have to be treated by a specialist until they stop pulling the hair out.
4.    Hormonal problems. The period of adolescence is when people go through hormonal changes. While for the majority of them it is not followed by hair loss, this condition is possible if the teenager already has health problems connected with hormones: diabetes, thyroid disease, lupus, or polycystic ovary syndrome.

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Posted on June 4, 2010 
Filed Under Hair Loss

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