HAIR LOSS – Causes, Prevention and Treatment Options
Hair loss is one of the most common and rapidly increasing sign of today’s highly stressful and demanding life-style. Losing few hair daily during head-bath and combing is normal but hair loss becomes significant when you start losing more than 100 strands per day! Hair loss can be very distressing and disturbs your self-confidence; making you concerned about how you are being perceived by others.
What causes hair loss?
The causes are diverse starting from your genetic or family history to faulty diet comprising of fast food or junk food. Stress plays havoc on hair’s health and pushes it from growing phase into falling phase. Pregnancy and lactation is another physiological condition when there is diffuse and alarming hair fall mainly due to stress and changes in hormonal milieu inside the body. Various drugs like birth control pills, antiepileptics, antitubercular drugs, steroids may cause increased hair fall which is further precipitated by diseases like thyroid dysfunction and diabetes. Much-in-fashion hair treatments like rebonding, perming, colouring further worsen the hair strength by damaging the outer protective layer ‘cuticle’. Improper hair care like wearing pigtails or cornrows or using tight hair rollers can lead to hair loss due to pull on your hair.
How to prevent hair fall and strengthen the existing hair?
Always keep your hair clean and wash them regularly. It will protect them from dandruff, itching and hair lice, which ultimately results in hair fall. Massage your scalp with lukewarm oil at least twice a month. Never comb your hair when they are wet; the roots of the hair are the weakest when they are wet. Avoid excessive use of hair dryer and let hair dry in natural air for a while. And last but not the least, never underestimate the role of balanced diet, good exercise, measures to reduce stress and cutting down salon interventions. If the problem of hair fall persists, consult a Dermatologist or Trichologist to pin-point the exact cause.
What are the Treatment options?
Medical treatment: Medications serve an important role in both prevention and treatment of hair loss, particularly in the early stage. Minoxidil helps by increasing the blood supply to the hair thus increasing nutrition and stimulating hair growth. Multivitamins and antioxidants which are rich in nutrients like biotin and iron may be added for the desired effects. Drugs like finesteride show definite increase in hair growth and density.
Surgical treatment: Hair Transplant remains the treatment of choice especially in male pattern baldness. It is done by two techniques: follicular unit transplant (FUT) or follicular unit extraction (FUE). In FUT or strip method, hair are taken from the back of scalp by a linear strip and implanted over the affected area. However, it leaves a linear scar at the back of the head. FUE is the latest, scarless surgery for harvesting individual hair follicle units which can be taken from back of scalp, chest, arms or legs. The transplanted hair are shed in next 4 to 6 weeks and it takes 3 to 6 months for full natural growth.
Newer Treatments:
Laser Treatment: is the latest tool in hair restoration which uses Cool Lasers (low-level red laser light) to stimulate hair growth and reduce shedding of hair. It acts by stimulating the follicles on the scalp by increasing energy production. It is absolutely safe with no side-effects.
Mesotherapy: It is the most advanced and recent modality where multiple microholes are created over scalp using microneedles through a dermaroller technique. Then platelet rich plasma or anti-hair loss solutions or stem cell serum is instilled inside the scalp though these microholes for prevention of hair fall and stimulation of new hair growth. It gives exemplary results in 4 to 6 weeks following therapy in the form of new hair growth and strengthened existing hair!
Thus considering the options available in today’s cosmetic Dermatology; don’t lay back, arrange an appointment with your Dermatologist and nail your problem right!
