Hair loss lasting more than two weeks could be a warning sign.
Medical practitioner Dr Cornelia Ndifon says this could indicate alopecia, a chronic autoimmune condition driven by genetics, stress and styling choices.
Speaking to a local radio station recently, she said while normal daily shedding happens, ongoing hair loss lasting beyond two weeks warrants medical attention.
“Alopecia simply means hair loss. Hair loss which is persistent, chronic and permanent.
It starts suddenly, and anything more than two weeks is chronic . . . and then finally no more hair, then you’re done.
That’s alopecia,” she said.
Ndifon said the primary underlying cause is an autoimmune response involving that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own hair follicles.
“The molecular mechanism is that your own white blood cells, the immune cells, attack the hair follicles.
So we call it autoimmune. But that is the most common type,” she said.
RISK FACTORS
Ndifon outlined the major manifestations of alopecia, ranging from an autoimmune response and genetic pattern baldness to physical tension from tight hair styling, emotional stress, and medical treatments like cancer therapy.
She said radiation and chemotherapy frequently cause total hair loss that rarely recovers.
“The radiation causes hair loss, and the possibility of that hair not coming back is very high,” she said.
“Very few people get it back. Radiation completely damages the cells.”
Ndifon said risk factors for developing alopecia include pre-existing autoimmune conditions such as type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), and inflammatory bowel syndrome.
Genetic susceptibility, lower socio-economic status, cancer diagnoses, and urban lifestyle stressors also contribute to the condition.
“Living in urban areas kind of ties to physical and emotional stress. That fast-lane life, getting to work, meeting deadlines.
Your surroundings are the cause of the problem,” she said.
Ndifon said harsh chemical relaxers, perms, and excessive physical pulling from hair styling predispose individuals to permanent follicle damage.
“When you relax your hair, you’re thinning it. As you think about it, you’re going to be combing it and stretching it.
That pulls it out of the follicle.”
