Glossary

Here are definitions of medical terms related to hair loss.

Alopecia: Partial or complete lack of hair resulting from normal aging, physical disorders, drug reaction, anticancer medications, or skin disease

Alopecia areata: A disease in which well-defined bald patches occur; it usually clears completely within 6 to 12 months without treatment

Erector muscle: Tiny muscle at each hair shaft that is responsible for lifting the hair off the surface of the skin at times of stress or to conserve warmth

Hair follicle: A tiny tube of skin cells that contain the root of the hair shaft

Hair shaft: The protein material twisted into a very fine rope-like arrangement that is considered as "hair"

Hormones: Chemical messengers that produced by the body that stimulates activity by organs or tissues elsewhere in the body

Ringworm: A skin disease caused by a fungus that causes itching and scaling; when it occurs in the scalp, it can result in hair loss

Sebaceous gland: Tiny gland at each hair shaft that provides fats and greases to the hair