Hair Loss Cause - Infectious Agents

Hair and scalp care is very important if you want to maintain your fine-looking hair. But do you know that it is also essential in keeping your hair? Infections in the scalp and hair are one of the major causes of hair loss.

Scalp Infections

Hair that falls out in patches and has a ring-shaped look in the scalp is a sign that a person is infected with ringworm. Also known as “tinea capitis”, this infectious agent usually starts as a small harmless pimple that grows in size making the affected area inflamed. Then it marks the infected area with a red scaly patch which may blister and ooze. The fungus starts on the scalp then it gets into the fibers of the hair making it brittle and causing it to fall off. This fungal infection affects the scalp but it grows in any part of the body too.

The Microsporum audouinii fungus is the most common cause of ringworm worldwide. It is transmittable so avoid direct skin contact with an infected person or sharing personal items with them like towels and comb. Check the pets too, especially cats, because they may be carriers of the Microsporum gypseum fungi that also causes ringworms.

There are cases when this infection goes away without treatment but it really depends on the fungi involved. If a person is infected with ringworm, it is still best to treat it for it reduces the possibility of the fungi growing back.

Griseofulvin is a drug that kills various kinds of ringworm fungi. It binds with keratin so it immediately prevents the fungi from further contaminating the hair. Other anti-fungal drugs like Terbinafine, Itraconazole, and Fluconazole also treat ringworm.

Seborrheic dermatitis is another scalp infection that causes inflamed and in some cases, oily skin that is painful or itchy. Unlike ringworm, this is not contagious. The cause of this infection is not fully determined but studies show that it is attributed to some genetic condition. Head injury, stroke and even Parkinson's disease are linked to this infection. Chronic and stress fatigue can also worsen the condition.

This type of dermatitis can be treated. Some use medicated shampoos that contain azole, salicylic acid, selenium sulfide, zinc pyrithione or tar to control scaling. But topical or oral antibiotics treat and reduce inflammation. The treatment is usually long because seborrheic dermatitis is persistent.

Follicle Related Infections

One of the infectious diseases that are related to hair follicles is folliculitis. It is a condition where the opening of the hair follicle is surrounded by little rings that are inflamed. Hair falls out when folliculitis is already severe. It can destroy the follicles badly that it can lead to permanent damage. This condition is due to the Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria which can be treated by application of bacitracin, mycitracin, or neomycin antibiotics.

Another common infection is the Demodex folliculorum. Demodex is a very small creature that looks like a worm. Infected persons don’t even know these living creatures are eating their dead skin cells and oil because it is only 0.3 mm long. Contrary to popular belief, this mite doesn’t cause hair loss; it only causes itchiness on the scalp.

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