hair loss women

A follicle refers to a crust or cavity from which the hair emerges on the surface of the skin. The term folliculitis is used to describe the inflamed condition of the hair. Depending upon the causal organism
folliculitis causes can be characterized as follows:

• Bacterial Folliculitis
• Fungal Folliculitis
• Viral Folliculitis
• Parasitic Folliculitis

Bacterial folliculitis
Bacterial folliculitis develops when bacteria enters the body through a cut
scrape
surgical incision
or multiplies in the skin near a hair follicle. The bacteria can get trapped and the infection may spread from the hair follicles to the other parts of the body.

Bacterial folliculitis may be superficial or deep. Superficial folliculitis
also called impetigo
consists of pustules which are small-circumscribed elevations of the skin containing pus. The pustules are often surrounded by a ring of redness. Deep folliculitis results when the infection goes deeper and involves more follicles to produce furuncles and carbuncles. These are more serious than folliculitis and can cause permanent damage and scarring to the skin.
Bacterial folliculitis usually occurs in children and adults. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common of bacterial folliculitis causes. It also causes sycosis
a deep chronic infection that involves the entire hair follicle.

Besides the species of streptococcus
pseudomonas
proteus and coliform bacteria have also been indicated as of bacterial folliculitis causes. “Hot Tub” Folliculitis is a condition caused by the pathogen pseudomonas aeruginosa. This disease is often caused due to unsanitary conditions at a spa. The pathogens identified in Gram-negative folliculitis include Klebsiella
Enterobacter
and Proteus species. This type of folliculitis sometimes develops in people receiving long-term antibiotic treatment for acne.

Some superficial follicle infections spontaneously resolve themselves. However
bacterial infections like impetigo
furuncles
carbuncles and “hot tub” folliculitis may not resolve spontaneously and generally require prescription therapy. All these infections are typically diagnosed by clinical presentation
after which predisposing factors are identified and eliminated.

Fungal folliculitis
As the name suggests fungal folliculitis is caused due to fungal infections. Superficial fungal infections are found in the top layers of the skin; deep fungal infections invade deeper layers of the skin. The infection from hair follicles can also spread to blood or internal organs.

The dermatophytic fungus
pityrosporum fungus and the yeast candida folliculitis are the prominent among the fungal folliculitis causes.

Dermatophytic folliculitis is caused most often by a zoophilic species
i.e. fungal species that show attraction to or affinity for animals. The condition presents as follicular pustules around a hardened erythematous (reddened) plaque. A deep fungal penetration causes a high degree of inflammation and determines the extent of hair shaft loss that occurs due to the infection.

Tinea capitis or ringworm of the head is the most important form of pediatric dermatophytic folliculitis. The clinical features of tinea capitis vary considerably depending on the species responsible for the infection. Typically
there is partial alopecia with a varying amount of inflammation.

In the non-inflammatory variants
asymmetrical lesions with short broken hair
1
to 3 mm in length
are observed. Slight inflammation with scaling may be observed on careful inspection.

The most severe inflammatory reactions are called kerion and produce painful boggy masses studded with pustules. These lesions can result in severe hair loss and significant scarring when the disease is in advanced stages. The diagnosis of tinea capitis is established by identifying the organism in infected hairs under the microscope. A diagnosis is often confirmed by cultures.

Tinea barbae is a superficial dermatophytic infection that is limited to the bearded areas of the face and neck and occurs almost exclusively in older adolescent and adult males. The clinical presentation of tinea barbae includes deep folliculitis
red inflammatory papules and pustules with exudation
crusting and associated hair shaft loss. The two main species causing the infection are T. mentagrophytes and T. verrucosum.

Pityrosporum folliculitis is caused by pityrosporum yeasts resulting in an itchy eruption. The lesions are reddish follicular papules and pustules located mainly on the upper back
shoulders and chest.
Candida folliculitis is caused by the Candida species
ubiquitous fungi that most commonly affect humans.

Viral folliculitis
Viral folliculitis involves a variety of viral infections of the hair follicle. Infection by the herpes simple virus (HSV) often progress to form pustular or ulcerated lesions
and eventually a crust. Infection caused by molluscum contagiosum indicates an immuneosuppressed state which manifests as multiple whitish
itchy papules over the beard area. There are also some reports of folliculitis caused by herpes zoster infection.

Parasitic folliculitis
Parasites causing folliculitis are usually small pathogens that burrow into the hair follicle to live there or lay their eggs. Mites such as demodex folliculorum and demodex brevis are natural hosts of the human pilo-sebaceous follicle.

The term "trichotillomania" comes from the Greek words "thrix
meaning
hair" and "tillein" meaning "to pull" and "mania
the Greek word for
madness" or "frenzy". As the name suggests trichotillomania is a psychiatric condition in which an individual has an uncontrollable urge to pull out his or her own body hair. For people suffering from trichotillomania
hair pulling is more than a habit. It is rather a compulsive behavior
which the person finds very hard to stop. The cause of tricholomania is supposed to be the imbalance of chemicals in the human brain.

People with trichotillomania pull their hair out of the root from places like the scalp
eyebrows
eyelashes
or even the pubic area. Some people even pull handfuls of hair
which can leave bald patches on the scalp or eyebrows. Other people pull out their hair one strand at a time. Some inspect the strands after pulling them out or play with the hair after it's been pulled. About half of people with this condition also have the habit of putting the plucked hair in mouth.

Trichotillomania has been mentioned as a disorder in very early historical records. But clinically the condition trichotillomania was first described in 1889 by the French physician Francois Hallopeau. The condition is rare - statistics show it affects only 1% to 3% of the population
although new research suggests that the rate of hair pulling may be around 10% or higher.

Trichotillomania affects about twice as many girls as boys. Most people who have trichotillomania develop the condition during adolescence. However
it can start when a person is as young as 1 year old.

Trichotillomania is often the cause for embarrassment
frustration
shame
or depression for those people affected with the disorder. Those people also suffer from low self-esteem. They usually try to hide their behavior from others. Because of this fact
social alienation is common in trichotillomania patients. Moreover
the patients also try to cover patches of balding scalp by wearing wigs
hats
scarves or hair clips
or by applying make-up or even by tattooing.

Cause of tricholomania
Doctors don't know much about the cause of trichotillomania. It is believed that genetics plays a major role. The compulsive behavior like trichotillomania can sometimes run in families. Some psychiatrists think it might be related to OCD since OCD and trichotillomania are both anxiety disorders. This is one reason why the impulses that lead to hair pulling can be stronger when a person is stressed out or worried.

Experts think that the actual cause of tricholomania is the imbalance of chemicals in the brain. These chemicals
called neurotransmitters are part of the brain's communication center. When something interferes with how neurotransmitters work it can cause problems like compulsive behaviors.

Since trichotillomania is a medical condition
it's not something most people can just stop doing when they feel like it. People with trichotillomania usually need help from medical experts before they can stop. With the right help
though
most people overcome their hair-pulling urges. This help may involve therapy
medication
or a combination of both.

There are therapies in which special behavior techniques are used to help people recognize the urge to pull hair before the urge becomes too strong to resist. The patient learns ways to resist the urge so that the urge becomes weaker and then goes away.

Many people find it helpful to keep their hands busy with a different activity (like squeezing a stress ball or drawing) during times when the urge of pulling hair is strong. Even activities like knitting while watching TV seems to help.