DEPAKOTE HAIR LOSS

Depakote Hair Loss

ALOPECIA Dr. C.N. LOOK CHAPTER 11 1. DEFINITION Alopecia is defined as excessive or abnormal loss of hairs. 2. PHYSIOLOGY Natural hair loss is a physiological phenomenon. It is not a disease. Only when the loss is excessive or when the pattern of loss is abnormal, then it is pathological. Before one talks about the causes of alopecia, one has to understand the physiology of hair growth (Diagram 1). Diagram 1: Hair Cycle 2-6 years Anagen ---------------------------------------> Catagen | male pattern baldness genetics depakote hair loss | Hair shedding <---------------------------------Telogen 100 days 90% of our terminal hairs are at anagen phase which is the growing phase. It lasts for 2-6 years. The scalp hair on average grows at the rate of 0.37 mm per day. Catagen is a transient period. Hair matrix cells stop dividing. As a result, there is no hair growth. Less than 10% bald facts depakote hair loss of our hairs should be in telogen phase which lasts for 100 days (about 3 months). Since on average, each person has about 100,000 hairs. Therefore, less than 10,000 should be in telogen phase and on each day less than 100 hairs fall off physiologically. 3. SPECIAL POINTS TO LOOK FOR When examining patients with alopecia the following points are worth paying attention to: 1) Pattern of alopecia a) Diffuse alopecia is usually due to telogen effluvium, systemic disorder (e.g. hypothyroidism, Fe deficiency, secondary syphilis), drugs. b) Patchy alopecia is typically seen in alopecia areata, scarring alopecia. c) Marginal alopecia affects propecia discussion depakote hair loss the hair margin