Several causes of lost or thinning hair can be illness-related and may require a hair replacement procedure to correct the condition. There are a wide range of procedures and treatment methods currently available. However, despite the fact that most of them are effective, one hair replacement procedure may be more applicable to correct the situation than others. Your replacement professional will be able to determine which surgical procedure will benefit you the most when your condition is illness-related.
Be aware of the fact that hair loss and thinning can proceed rapidly or slowly and if it progresses too far before the condition is addressed hair replacement surgery will be ineffective. The following will provide you with specific information regarding conditions that are illness-related and how they can be corrected:
Alopecia Areata – this is an autoimmune skin disease that is highly unpredictable in nature. It causes hair loss all over an individual’s body, not just the scalp areas. The condition causes the body’s autoimmune system to erroneously attack the hair follicles and retards the growth of them in the process. In its initial stages, the person begins to notice small, round balding spots on the scalp. However, it evolves into a complete loss of the hair and can spread to other areas of the body as well.
Cancer Treatment – due to harsh medications and treatments (e.g. chemotherapy or radiation), many individuals suffer with the loss of scalp and body hair which necessitates hair replacement surgery once the treatments are completed. Despite the fact that chemotherapy and radiation are extremely aggressive treatments for killing cancer cells, they oftentimes result in hair loss and changes in growth patterns.
Many patients have claimed that darker or lighter hair growth resulted after the treatment was administered. Remember that re-growth only occurs once the treatment has been completed and the follicles could take up to a year to fully recover. Typically, the hair replacement specialist or surgeon will recommend that you wait to see how growth patterns are effected before any action is taken.
Other conditions and illnesses – there are several other illnesses that can trigger hair loss or thinning and changes in growth patterns. These include the following:
- anemia
- diabetes
- lupus
- malaria
- polycystic ovarian disease
- scleroderma
- secondary syphilis
- thyroid disorders
If any of the above have caused hair loss or thinning, you should consider discussing your condition with a hair replacement surgeon to see if they can help.
