Hair Loss Treatment
Hair loss can affect your entire body or simply the scalp, and it can be permanent or temporary. It could occur due to hormonal changes, genetics, medical issues, or even aging. Men are more likely than women to lose hair on their heads.
Some people may choose to leave their hair loss untreated and unnoticed. Instead, they can use hairstyles, cosmetics, caps, and scarves to conceal baldness. Others opt for the available hair loss treatment to prevent additional loss of hair or to restore hair growth.
Causes of Hair Loss
On average, individuals lose about 50 to 100 hairs per day. But since the new hair grows in simultaneously, this is typically undetectable. Hair loss happens if the hair that has fallen out is not replaced by new hair.
One or more of the following factors are commonly linked to hair loss:
Family history (genetics): An inheritable disease that occurs with age is the most common cause of hair loss. This disorder is known as androgenic alopecia (male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness). In men, it manifests as bald spots and a receding hairline, whereas in women, it manifests as thinning hair alongside the scalp crown.
Hormonal shifts and medical disorders: Hormonal changes caused by pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, or thyroid disorders are some of the factors that can lead to permanent or temporary hair loss. Alopecia areata is an immune system condition that results in patchy hair loss, scalp infections like ringworm. Another medical condition is trichotillomania, a hair-pulling problem.
Supplements and medications: Some medicines, including those used for treating cancer, depression, arthritis, heart issues, high blood pressure, and gout, can cause hair loss as a side effect.
Head radiation therapy: It's possible that the hair will not re-grow in the same way it did before.
A stressful situation: After physical or mental stress, most people notice a general thinning of their hair a few months later. Hair loss of this nature is only transient.
Treatments and hairstyles: Too much hairstyling or pulling the hair tightly can lead to traction alopecia, a kind of hair loss. Examples of these hairstyles are pigtails or cornrows. Hot-oil hair treatments and permanents can also cause hair loss. Normally, hair loss might be permanent if scarring develops.
When to Consider Hair Loss Treatment
If you or your child is experiencing constant hair loss and would like to seek treatment, you should first consult your doctor. Also, if you have a receding hairline (front fibrosing alopecia), discuss with your doctor about getting treatment as soon as possible to avoid permanent or long-term baldness.
You can also consider treatment if you detect abrupt or uneven loss of hair or more than normal hair loss. This can occur when washing cleaning your or the child's hair. At times, abrupt hair loss might be an indication of a medical problem that needs to be addressed.
Hair Loss Treatment Options
There are several effective treatments for certain forms of hair loss. The goal of these treatments is to reverse or at least slow down hair loss. Hair might grow back without any treatment in some circumstances, including alopecia areata (patchy hair loss). Medications and surgery are two options for treating hair loss.
Medication:
If the hair loss is due to an underlying medical problem, you'll need to seek treatment for that condition. Your doctor or dermatologist can ask you to stop taking a particular drug for several weeks or months if it is the cause of your hair loss.
Pattern (inheritable) baldness can be treated with medications. The following are the most prevalent choices for hair loss treatment for females and males:
- Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a medical treatment designed to help people with high blood pressure. It had the unintended consequence of causing too much unwanted growth of hair, according to the manufacturers. This impact prompted pharmaceutical companies to consider it as a hair loss treatment for men and women.
Minoxidil's specific mechanism of action is unknown. However, the medication appears to enlarge the hair follicle, resulting in the growth of a thicker strand of hair.
Furthermore, minoxidil looks to extend a hair's growth phase, resulting in long hair and a greater number of hair strands. Generally, minoxidil has been proven to be both safe and successful if used correctly.
- Finasteride
Finasteride is a drug that doctors recommend to address male pattern baldness. This is usually characterized by hair loss in the crown and center of the scalp. The use of this medicine is associated with a number of guidelines. Only the adults should use it, and it needs to be kept away from the minors and pregnant women or those breastfeeding.
Finasteride was initially developed to combat prostate cancer. It functions by lowering the levels of the hormone DHT within the scalp. This hormone appears to make the hair follicles in the head to be thinner. As a result, it lowers DHT levels, enhances hair renewal, and prevents or slows down hair loss.
Finasteride, unlike minoxidil, has no effect on the growth of hair in other regions of the body.
Hair transplant surgery:
Hair transplant surgery (often known as restoration surgery) is the only surgical procedure available for addressing hair loss. The upper part of the head is usually affected by the most prevalent type of permanent hair loss. Hair transplantation can thus help you make the most of your remaining hair.
A cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist will extract the hair from a hairy area and transplant it to the bald part during a hair transplant operation. There are at least one to numerous hairs in every hair patch (micrografts and minigrafts). A bigger skin strip with various hair groups is sometimes taken.
Although this operation does not need hospitalization, it is uncomfortable. Therefore, you will receive a sedative drug to help you relax. Bleeding, swelling, bruising, and infection are all potential side effects of hair transplantation. It's possible that you'll require more than one surgical procedure to achieve the desired result. Regardless of the surgery, inheritable hair loss will ultimately worsen.
Therapies:
Hair loss therapies usually entail a combination of medicines, lotions, ointments, and shampoos. Having an appointment with your specialists is among the other therapies for hair loss. A number of facilities offer hair treatments for men and women. They usually provide services to assist in determining the effective course of action and tailoring therapies depending on the needs of the individual.
Laser combs:
Hair loss treatment laser combs are a modern type of hair loss treatment. These devices are known to increase hair growth by stimulating hair follicles with focused light. However, laser comb is associated with mixed outcomes and might be most effective when used with other treatments.
Wigs and hair extensions:
Hair loss can be a long-term or permanent condition in certain circumstances. For others, they may opt for a non-medical approach to address hair loss. Wigs and hairpieces can thus be used to conceal hair loss.
Prevention of Hair Loss
Genetics is the common cause of the majority of baldness cases (male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness). Unfortunately, this form of hair loss cannot be prevented.
On the other hand, these guidelines can assist in avoiding preventable hair loss:
- Take care of your hair. Whenever you are brushing and combing your hair, use a detangler and don’t tug, especially if the hair is wet. A broad-toothed comb can prevent hair from being pulled out. On the other hand, you avoid hot rollers, hot-oil treatments, curling irons, and permanents. Rubber bands, braids, and barrettes can cause a lot of tension in your hair.
- Inquire with your medical provider about any drugs or supplements you're taking that could be causing hair loss.
- Quit smoking. Various research studies have found a relation between smoking and male baldness.
- Shield your hair from UV rays from the sun or other sources.
- If you are undergoing chemotherapy treatment, talk to your doctor about getting a cooling hat. The cap could be helpful in avoiding hair loss while receiving the treatment.
Coping with Hair Loss
Coping with hair loss differs widely from one person to another, as it does with any disorder that modifies one's physical appearance. As part of the therapy, some people may want to go for counseling. Others opt for a haircut that tends to conceal their baldness, like completely shaving their hair.
At times, hair loss might have a negative impact on a person's self-esteem, leading to stress and a lower quality of life. You should seed medical assistance right away if your quality of life has been significantly affected as a result of hair loss.
Conclusion
Generally, hair loss can be distressing, whether it's due to genetics, a medical condition, or stress. You should know that there are various hair loss treatment options you can attempt. Luckily, professional dermatologists are there to assist you in choosing a suitable treatment based on your condition.
Your hair loss may be reversible. As soon as you detect anything wrong with your hair, seek hair loss treatment nearby right away. The sooner you begin your treatment, the better.