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Alopecia universalis is a condition in which a person either rapidly loses all body hair or is born without any body hair. The underlying cause of alopecia universalis is not yet known, but doctors are beginning to consider whether or not it is a genetic disorder. Alopecia universalis has also been diagnosed in individuals with autoimmune disorder issues.
The chemicals used in permanents as well as hot oil hair treatments can result in swelling of the hair follicles because they can become inflamed, FamilyDoctor.org notes. Inflammation is detrimental to your scalp and hair follicles.
Hair pulling disorder, or trichotillomania, is an impulse control disorder that manifests in a continuous need or desire to pull out one's own hair from various areas on the body. Hair pulling may be mild and relatively easy to overcome, or it can be obsessive, constant and even disfiguring. According to the Trichotillomania Learning Center, an estimated 2 million to 10 million people in America have the condition. Nonetheless, it is a newly recognized disorder and has not been extensively researched.
Hair pulling disorders are a type of anxiety disorder. According to psychologist Steven Phillipson of OCD Online, there is debate among psychiatric authorities as to whether hair pulling disorders are a subset of obsessive-compulsive disorder or related to a lack of impulse control. Either way, the sufferer feels she must pull out hair on her body to relieve the feeling of anxiety she gets when she doesn't pull. Hair pulling disorders can affect both men and women.
Hair Loss Dysmorphic Disorder is a subset of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. This is a chronic mental illness characterized by the patient being preoccupied by a perceived flaw in the appearance of his hair. The flaw may be either real, though minor, or imagined. The condition may be so severe in some patients that they withdraw from public appearances.
Our modern environment is filled with chemicals. Our bodies are regulated through enzymatic and hormonal activity that is also chemical. We sometimes take the chemical reactions around us--and inside us--for granted. We don't notice them until an imbalance changes our appearance, such as causing our hair to fall out.
