Category Archives: Disease

See topic Hair Loss, also links to the various conditions. Telogen Effluvium Alopecia Areata Natural Patterns of Hair Loss ………………. …………..Male Patterns …………………… ………Female Pattern Traction Alopecia Secondary Syphilis Trichotillomania Tinea Capitis (Scalp Ringworm) Seborrheic Dermatitis Folliculitis Cellulitis Psoriasis Discoid Lupus

Discoid Lupus is a skin condition, consisting of plaques covered by a firm scale, which gradually expand.  The difference between it and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is that many people who already have SLE will get Discoid Lupus, but not everyone with Discoid goes on to develop SLE.  SLE can affect many different organs (seeContinue reading “Discoid Lupus”

Psoriasis is a very common skin condition characterized usually by silvery white scales, that leave a red base if they’re scraped off (see pictures below).  It’s an auto-immune disease, often with genetic components, characterized by inflammation.  It affects men and women equally, and seems to be more common in temperate climates as one moves awayContinue reading “Psoriasis”

Hair follicles, the tiny pores in skin from which hairs emerge and grow, can get infected – the condition is called Folliculitis.  We diagnose it by observing that a patient’s “rash” really involves mainly the follicles.  The follicles turn red, and may even have pus.  Often the spaces of skin in-between are unaffected, but ifContinue reading “Folliculitis”

Commonly referred to among clinicians as “Seb Derm,” seborrheic dermatitis is a common, poorly understood skin condition which likely has little or nothing to do with sebaceous glands (the latter secrete an oily substance from hair follicles to keep skin hydrated).  A fungus is often considered responsible for Seb Derm, but it may really beContinue reading “Seborrheic Dermatitis”

Ringworm of the Scalp, called Tinea Capitis in medical terminology, is the same fungus that causes “athlete’s foot,” “jock itch,” and ringworm of the body in general.  It almost only occurs on the heads of children, where it causes one or several patches of hair loss with scaly skin.  Sometimes there are black dots, whichContinue reading “Tinea Capitis (Scalp Ringworm)”

Tricho- is “hair,” in Greek, Tillo- is from ancient Greek for “to pull,” so Trichotillomania means a psychological compulsion to pull at ones hair, sometimes even pulling them out by the roots. It may be a simple nervous habit, with risk of going to extremes. But many people with it have underlying Depression and Anxiety,Continue reading “Trichotillomania”

Female Pattern Hair Loss Female Pattern Hair Loss (FPHL) has also been called “androgenic alopecia,” which is a misnomer, because there’s no proof that male hormones (androgens) have anything to do with it.  It occurs mainly after menopause, rarely before, and may affect up to 75% of women over 75 years-old.  It never advances toContinue reading “Hair Loss — Natural Patterns”

Traction Alopecia means hair loss (alopecia) due to pulling on the hair (traction).  It’s caused by a variety of hair styles which require traction.  It’s much more common in women than men, and in adults than children, simply because it’s adult women who tend to style their hair as such. The first sign, usually beforeContinue reading “Traction Alopecia”

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease.  It usually occurs alone, by itself, but may be a manifestation of Lupus (SLE).  It presents as one or more patches of complete baldness surrounded by normal hair (pictures below).  If we look carefully we might see some “exclamation point hairs,” for which the shaft near the skin is narrower thanContinue reading “Alopecia Areata”