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Hair Loss News Archives
July 2005
National Hair Loss Awareness
Month
The American Academy of
Dermatology marks August 2005 as the third annual
National Hair Loss Awareness Month.
The month-long
public awareness campaign of the American Academy of
Dermatology is designed to educate men and women
about hair loss, the importance of early detection,
and available treatment options.
The public education campaign raises awareness about the signs of hereditary hair loss, a condition that affects over 80 million American men and women.
“There are many common misconceptions about hair loss,” states David Michaels, the Managing Director of Boca Raton-based Lexington International, LLC, distributor of the HairMax LaserComb. “People should understand the myths associated with hair loss so they can seek early diagnosis and treatment.
Getting
the facts straight about hair loss will raise
awareness to an issue that can greatly affect one’s
self esteem, confidence and even sex drive.”
THREE OF THE MOST COMMON MYTHS ABOUT HEREDITARY
HAIR LOSS ARE:
Myth #1: Hereditary hair loss is passed only
from the mother’s side of the family.
Fact: Men and women should look at both sides
of their family tree for relatives with hereditary
hair loss. The condition can be inherited from their
mother, their father, or from both parents.
Myth #2: Hereditary hair loss is rare among
women.
Fact: In the United States, 30 million
women—or one in four—experience hereditary hair
loss. Less frequent causes for hair loss in women
include stress, illness, medication, diet, and
pregnancy. But 70 percent of women with thinning
hair can attribute it to hereditary hair loss.
Myth #3: Prevalence of hereditary hair loss
varies by ethnic or racial background.
Fact: Race neither increases nor decreases a
person’s likelihood of experiencing hereditary hair
loss. Hereditary hair loss affects all ethnicities.
FACTS ABOUT HAIR LOSS:
Prevalence Hereditary hair loss, or androgenetic
alopecia, affects an estimated 50 million men and 30
million women in the United States.
It can occur in women as early as their 20s, and in men as early as their teens. Genetic predisposition to hereditary hair loss can be inherited from either side of a person’s family tree or from both parents.
It is found in men and women of every race and ethnicity.
By age 40, 40 percent of women and nearly 40 percent of men have visible symptoms of hereditary hair loss. By age 50, 50 percent of both genders show signs of the condition.
Men tend to experience hereditary hair loss around the hairline, at the back of the head and at the crown – the so-called “receding hairline” and “bald spot” of male pattern baldness.
Women generally experience more diffuse
thinning, resulting in what they sometimes describe
as “see-through” hair.