Some of the most common questions I get on my blog are how to tell the difference between hereditary or androgen-driven hair loss (AGA) and alopecia or medical/stress related hair loss (called TE or telogen effluvium). The shedding condition is often (sometimes incorrectly) thought to be more temporary in nature. Often, a difference between the two is considered to be the presence of thinning, balding, flyaways, or shorter hair that appears in the development of androgenic alopecia. Although sometimes, people will come out and ask “is it possible to cut hair short with TE?” I will answer this question in the next article.
What is miniaturization, exactly?: You may already know this and you may not, but hormones, DHT, or aging cause hair to become thinner. What happens is that the hair gets affected by these various factors and then falls prematurely and thins back. This happens over many cycles of hair loss and re-growth, so in the first round it may be only a 10% reduction in hair diameter (and not very noticeable.) But by then many of these cycles have passed , the thickness of your hair can be reduced by 50-70%. This is when it becomes noticeable and this is when people often seek help. But by this time, you are already deep in the process.
Sometimes miniaturization occurs only in the areas most affected by DHT, which are often the temples, crown, and top of the head. But some individuals will have a complete or more diffuse dilation and this diffuse dilation does not always mean that you do not have AGA. It is also possible that both AGA and TE are running at the same time, as unlucky as that would be.
Can TE or CTE cause miniaturization?: The short answer is yes, but it’s not entirely common for this to happen. It is more likely that thinning or fine hair is due to androgens or age. However, some medical conditions (especially those related to your thyroid or adrenals) can affect the density of your regrowth. (The same is true of the drugs used to treat these conditions.)
And, some severe cases of telogen effluvium, or CTE, can lead to an inflammatory process that can block or obstruct your hair follicles so that they can no longer produce high-quality, thick hair. Occasionally, they have a few defective or unproductive hair cycles and will eventually work their way back to normal. But sometimes, you have to reduce the inflammation, let the scalp heal, and then follow both of these things up by aggressively stimulating the scalp so that it produces the best quality hair that is possible at the time.
How do you know whether it is AGA or TE that is shortening your hair?: This question is a bit more complicated. You can look to see if you have any common triggers for temporary shedding and you can look at any family history that you may have or see if you have any other symptoms of excess androgens. (excess facial hair or oily skin and scalp in women) for both sexes.) You can also try to determine if your loss pattern is androgenic and is more pronounced in those high androgenic areas.
But honestly, the treatment is the same no matter what the case. Step one is eliminating any triggers. Step two is addressing the inflammation. And phase three is encouraging development that’s going to provide proper coverage.
Source by Ava Alderman
