Mycotic Infections and Hair Loss

Although it might sound complicated a mycotic infection really is just a fungal infection that has taken root and has a capability of growing and infecting other areas. It should be noted that fungal outbreaks can happen to any part of the body and cause skin irritation, affect the normal function of the mucus membranes and even affect the normal function of the victim’s internal organs if the fungal infection is allowed to persist. Of particular interest to us here is when fungal infections affect areas of the scalp and take hold there as most of the time they will also affect the hair follicle and even sometimes the hair itself causing it to fall out prematurely.

In the whole grand scheme of things there are over 100,000 types of fungus with only a small portion of that can actually cause severe problems with the skin and hair. Generally infections are only passed through direct contact with an infected person, an infected animal, sharing clothes with an infected person or even sharing personal hygiene products such as towels or even hair brushes with an infected person.

Although the main reason we are talking about mycotic infections here is because it causes hair loss we have to be aware that hair loss is probably one of the least dangerous of all the side affects of prolonged mycotic infections. It is very important that infections like these aren’t left to continue for long periods of time as they will severely compromise the victim’s immune system. This will cause an imbalance in the ability for the human body in producing antibodies and might mean that the victim might loose their ability to deal with severe infections which will mean a lifetime of long term antibiotic treatments.

One of the most important things to remember about mycotic infections is that animals experience this more than humans especially when it comes to fungal infections that affect normal hair growth and maintenance. We have all seen animals which look terrible because of patches of fur missing. These animals have a mycotic infection and if you get too close to them it is more than likely that you will also get an infection just like them. If you have contact with affected animals the microscopic fungi will be transferred and settle in the keratin of the hair and later bloom to affect the hair and scalp. The most common sorts that are transferred from animals are Tricophyton and Microsporum. Both of these fungal types can spread very rapidly and are highly contagious so it is vital that you make sure your pets are clean before you get close to them.

When it comes to mycotic infections there are generally two types or derivatives of fungal infections that will cause hair loss. The first type is the normal skin fungi. Fungi of this type lives relatively superficially on the skin. The fungal infection usually is rounded and swollen which indicates the boundaries. When the fungal infection is left to bloom the affected area will normally start scaling. The color ranges from a reddish pink area at the beginning of the infection to a reddish brown color when the infection is at its worst. This type of fungi affects hair growth by disrupting the normal growth pattern of hair. Hair in the affected area have much less shine and are generally much less “healthy” compared to other hair in the same area. The area of scalp will be slightly itchy and will often weep with clear serum if scratching bursts the top layer of skin bursts.

Another form of fungal infection that will cause hair loss is deep skin fungi infections. These infections are rarer than the ones that we have mentioned earlier but harder to treat and also more dangerous. The first signs of the deep skin infection are small freckles where the skin pores are. This is the area where the fungal infection has taken root. Over time the freckles will spread out to form a shape that is more recognizable as a deep skin fungal infection. Some examples of these types of infections are ringworms where a hard disk in the shape of a round worm forms and will eventually cause hair loss. In addition to that deep skin fungi infection can also have other inflammatory complications which can really be much worst than the hair loss. Skin if left untreated can atrophy and start to degrade eventually dying.