The medical term alopecia or likewise known as hair loss means losing hair because of lots of reasons. These reasons may include such heredity which brings about pattern baldness both in men and women, lack of proper diet, taking in pills, certain illnesses resembling cancer, thyroid disease or lupus which weaken the immune system, undertaking medical cures for specific cases, pregnancy, and varying hair styles that put lots of stress on the scalp that hinders hair growth.

If you are losing much more as opposed to what is estimated, it is time to be bothered that you might be suffering from hair loss. If you suffer from symptoms such as the hair falling out suddenly or in clump, patchy hair loss, red scalp or parts that have flakes, and total loss of hair in nearly all parts of the body, it is time to consult the specialist. He or she will pinpoint what brings about your hair fall and can propose alternative treatments and different choices.

Visiting the physician

If you're visiting the medical doctor for the very first time to seek medical advice concerning your hair loss, expect that he or she will ask regarding your health and family. The physician will inquire on your recent medical status to find out if you underwent treatments that may cause this condition. He or she will likewise ask concerning your familys history to find out if the hair loss is brought about by the genes or genetic in view of the fact that this might point out that you are suffering from pattern baldness.

It is better to write down all of the foodstuff that you eat and all of the pills that you take previous to seeing the medical doctor. This will help the medical doctor find out sooner what brings about your condition. Throughout your visit, expect that she or she will ask information like for instance your hair care routine, your existing emotional and physiological condition as well as other aspects of your life as your hair loss might be caused by anxiety.

Aside from asking questions, expect that the physician will do test on your hair and your scalp. This is really significant so the doctor will know how much hair you have lost and what is the condition of your scalp. Be prepared given that the doctor will examine your scalp to know if there are any indications of infection like for instance reddishness, scaling or flaking. To be sure concerning the diagnosis, they must pull a number of your hair strands to know how string or weak it is. This test is called the pull test. Seeing how effortless the hair comes out from the follicles will help the medical doctor know which part of your hair is resting and what part is growing.

The medical doctor may even do the following set of tests throughout your visit:

1. Acquiring samples of skin scrapings.

If there are flakes or scrapings, the doctor will get samples of it and test it to know if there is infection or what brings about the condition.

2. The punch biopsy.

This is considered as the final option if all of the tests are done and no result or diagnosis has been made. Individuals who go through alopecia areata and scarring alopecia should undergo this test immediately. Here, the doctor makes use of a piece of circular device to be able to remove a small part from the deeper layers of the skin.

3. Blood tests.

This is generally unusual in screening for hair loss but a few physicians recommend it to find out if the condition might be caused by an underlying medical condition comparable to autoimmune diseases.