Christi Allred, age 11, of High Point, N.C., for her question:
CAN WOMEN BECOME BALD?
Babies often develop temporary bald spots on the back of their heads. The problem is usually the result of friction produced by rubbing the head against the bedding which causes the hairs to break off close to the scalp. Bald spots of the same type occur in adults occasionally when work gear or rough clothing produces prolonged friction.
Baldness occurs when the hair on a person's head falls out and is not replaced by new hair. Men are susceptible to baldness while most women are not.
'Male pattern baldness' is the most common type, and it accounts for about 95 percent of all the bald heads in men. A characteristic pattern makes this type of baldness easy to diagnose: it usually starts at the temples with a receding of the hairline that eventually assumes the shape of the letter M. At times it will start on the crown of the head and form a bald area known as a monk's spot.
Eventually the male pattern baldness will see the hairline recede back to where it meets the balding crown, leaving only a thin fringe of hair around the head.
Male pattern baldness may begin early in the 20s and occasionally even in the teens, but the usual time is when a man meets middle age. A number of men are never bothered by baldness, and they keep full heads of hair all their lives.
Sex, age and heredity are all involved in baldness, although the exact cause is not known. When baldness comes, it is permanent and incurable. Treatments and products that claim to prevent baldness or regrow hair, most medical experts agree, are a waste of money since they are totally ineffective.
The only effective way to cover bald spots is to conceal them with hairpieces or distribute the remaining hair through a surgical procedure known as a hair transplant.
Women do occasionally become bald. For most, however, the hair just thins with the advancing of age and the hairline may recede slightly. Bald crowns also are found occasionally on women, but they can usually be covered by combing over the remaining hair.
Thinning of a woman's hair is usually hereditary, and there is a family history of other women with thin hair. A mother can pass on this tendency toward baldness to her sons.
Hair loss after a woman has a baby is not uncommon. It may start toward the end of the pregnancy or immediately after the baby is born, but more likely it will develop several months later. This type of hair loss is temporary, and within a few months normal regrowth will begin.
Prolonged traction on the hair can also produce temporary baldness by pulling the hairs out by the roots. Girls who wear tight ponytails sometimes develop this type of loss: