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If you’re feeling distressed about your hair loss issue, you need to take it easy on yourself. Alopecia or hair loss is a very common condition. It is caused by a disruption in the body's normal hair growth cycle. Hair loss can be temporary or permanent, affecting your scalp or entire body. Many reasons can lead to hair loss, such as hormonal imbalance, heredity, medical conditions or ageing. Loss of hair on the head is more prominent in men.
Baldness often refers to a significant loss of scalp hair. The most frequent cause of baldness is hereditary hair loss as people age. Some people would rather naturally let their hair loss progress without treatment or disguise. Some may disguise it with hats, scarves, makeup, or hairstyles. Others decide to use one of the treatment options to stop additional hair loss or encourage growth. Visit a top hospital for hair loss treatment in Malleshwaram if you are suffering from any of the below types of hair loss.
Causes of Hair Loss
The following are the main causes of hair loss:
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Hereditary
As you age, your hair thins and becomes less dense. Variations in the testosterone hormone, ageing, and inheritance are all contributing factors. There is a hormone-mediated miniaturisation of the hair follicle in those who are genetically susceptible. The prevalence of hereditary or pattern baldness is far higher in men than in women. Males can develop baldness at any time after puberty.
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Physical or Emotional Stress
The medical word for this type of hair loss is telogen effluvium. As you shampoo, comb, or run your hands through your hair, it frequently falls out in handfuls. This may go unnoticed for weeks or months after a stressful incident.
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Age
Most people lose hair as they age because hair growth slows. The follicles that produce new hair in our scalps eventually quit making new hairs, which causes hair loss. Moreover, the hair's colour begins to fade.
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Drugs and Dietary Supplements
Several medications, including those for cancer, arthritis, depression, heart issues, gout, and high blood pressure, can cause hair loss as a side effect.
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Hairstyle
Hair loss may result from wearing tight ponytails, cornrows, braids, or other styles that pull on your roots. This type of hair loss is referred to as "traction alopecia." Permanent hair loss can be the result of damaged hair follicles.
Other reasons may include vitamin deficiency and dieting.
Types of Hair Loss
Hair loss is classified into the following types:
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Scarring Alopecia, also called Cicatricial Alopecia
This kind of hair loss is caused by the destruction of hair follicles (shafts on the surface of your skin that hair grows through). Infections, toxins, burns, or autoimmune diseases are the reasons for this. Scarring alopecia can cause permanent hair loss since healthy hair follicles are necessary for hair growth.
There are two varieties of cicatricial alopecia:
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An inflammatory or autoimmune condition that specifically targets and kills your hair follicles is the cause of primary scarring alopecia.
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Alopecia with secondary scarring is a side effect of skin damage or injury. Radiation, tumours, infections, and burns all have the potential to cause hair loss.
The non-cicatricial hair loss types consist of female/male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia), telogen effluvium (stress hair loss), and alopecia areata.
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Androgenetic Alopecia
It is the most prevalent kind of non-scarring alopecia. Androgenetic alopecia affects approximately 50% of men and women. It is characterised by the shrinkage of hair follicles as a result of a change in the hair development cycle brought on by high amounts of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is produced when the enzyme 5α-reductase metabolises the hormone testosterone.
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Telogen Effluvium (TE)
It is the second non-scarring kind of alopecia (TE). Any age can have TE, which is caused by many hairs shifting from the anagen (growing) phase to the telogen (resting) phase. As a result, the scalp is widely covered in diffused hair loss. Postpartum women frequently encounter this syndrome 3 to 4 months after giving birth. Thyroid issues, hormonal changes (such as menopause), nutritional deficiencies, drug interactions, as well as mental or physical stressors can all contribute to TE.
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Alopecia Areata
A section of the hair follicle is attacked by the immune system because it considers it to be a virus or bacteria. Circular patches of total hair loss are the result. Broad areas of hair loss or even complete baldness on the head might occur occasionally.
Consult a top dermatologist in Malleshwaram if you are experiencing hair loss of any kind.
How to Stop Hair Loss?
The following are the ways you can prevent the loss of hair:
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Protein-Rich Foods
These include eggs, oats, millet, ragi, soya, almonds chicken, etc.
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Multivitamins
Vitamins and minerals are crucial to hair development and retention (vitamins A, B, C, and D, Iron, Selenium, and Zinc).
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Biotin
Fatty acid production in the body is aided by biotin, often known as vitamin H or vitamin B7. It is crucial to your hair's life cycle; you can lose your hair if your body has less biotin.
Routine washing: Daily hair washing may prevent hair loss by keeping the scalp healthy and clean. It's important to use gentle shampoo. Hair loss may be the result of harsher solutions that dry out and damage the hair.
Hair Evaluation Tests
The following are the primarily used hair evaluation methods:
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Hair Pull Test
This test determines the degree of hair loss. In this test, your dermatologist will gently pull a few portions of hair from various areas of the scalp. Active hair loss is characterised by the loss of six or more strands per day. Before the pull test, you must skip shampooing for at least one day.
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Scalp Examination
An easy, quick procedure called a scalp biopsy involves taking a skin sample from your head for testing and analysis. If you experience hair loss without a clear cause or want to learn more about a skin problem, your doctor may advise a biopsy.
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Trichogram
Trichogram is an alternative form of evaluation for identifying hair issues. It enables the examination of the health of the hair root. A doctor can identify exhausted, dysplastic, and dystrophic hair and assess the quality of the hair shaft.
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Hair card test
A dermatologist uses a card test to look at the condition of the hair shafts and estimate how many new hairs are sprouting. The process is straightforward: The dermatologist divides the hair into a portion and presses a small rectangular card covered in felt against the scalp.
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Vitamin Test for Hair Loss
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Ferritin Test
The ferritin level in blood is determined by this test for hair loss. This protein serves as an Iron storehouse.
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TSH Test
Often referred to as a thyroid-stimulating hormone test, this procedure measures the body's TSH levels by measuring hair loss. This kind of hair loss affects the entire scalp.
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Vitamin D and Vitamin B12
This one is one of the crucial vitamins that promote the formation of new hair cells and accelerate hair growth. Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 levels are assessed during these tests. Shortage of this vitamin can lead to hair loss.
Medical Treatments for Hair Loss
There are various surgical and non-surgical methods of hair loss. Let us discover the common treatment options:
Non-Surgical Hair Loss Treatment
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Minoxidil
An over-the-counter (OTC) medication, often known as Rogaine, is well known for treating hair loss. It is instructed to apply the liquid or foam daily to your scalp. Acne at the application site and scalp irritation are potential side effects.
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Finasteride
This prescription drug, often known as Propecia, may help halt hair loss and even encourage new hair growth. Finasteride helps in preventing the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is responsible for male pattern baldness. Avoid using this drug if you are pregnant or think you might be.
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Prostaglandin Analogues for Hair Growth
Latanoprost, a prostaglandin analogue, has been reported to stimulate eyelash growth. When used topically, it is used in eye preparations for glaucoma and body and scalp hair growth.
Surgical Treatments
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Laser Treatment
Low-level lasers are used in the procedure to target the scalp's affected areas. The laser therapy is administered by a device resembling a salon hairdryer. You are free to sit and unwind until the end of the procedure. These lasers increase blood flow in particular regions, which encourages the development of new hair follicles from inactive follicles. After laser hair therapy, even follicles that have lain dormant for years might be "waken up."
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Hair Transplant Surgery
Men of all ages have seen significant success rates with hair transplants. Hair transplant surgery can enable you to grow new hair on the entire scalp or in small sections. Before viable hair follicles from a healthy area are removed by a surgeon or specialised equipment and transplanted into bald patches, the scalp is first numbed. The outcomes of this non-invasive procedure are long-lasting. Your hairline resembles its natural development pattern with the least amount of scarring possible.
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Platelet-rich Plasma
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections into balding areas of the scalp encourage new hair growth. A centrifuge is used to separate the platelets in the blood before being injected into the scalp.
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Microneedling
A derma roller, a small rolling tool with thin microneedles on its surface, is used in the minimally invasive technique known as micro-needling to create tiny punctures in your scalp or other parts of your skin. A wide variety of other problems and skin problems are treated with micro-needling in addition to hair loss.
If you are struggling with hair loss and nothing seems to work, please book an appointment with a Consultant - Dermatology & Cosmetology at Manipal Hospital Malleshwaram. Let’s get to the root cause of your hair loss issue and we can opt for the most effective treatment plan personalised just for you.
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