Hair is a person’s crowning glory because it makes a huge difference in one’s appearance. This explains why hair loss is a cause of anxiety for many people, even if it results from the natural aging process TREATMENTS FOR HAIR LOSS. Although there have been years of research to find a cure for hair loss, millions of men and women worldwide are still affected.
A whole industry deals in correcting hair loss, including hair recarpeting, hair treatment, and natural hair transplants to help restore your appearance. Before we consider viable treatment for hair loss, let’s understand what it is and what causes it.
What is hair loss?
Generally, both men and women lose between 50 to 100 hairs daily, but these shed hairs are replaced by new ones in a naturally balanced process. However, when this process is interrupted- when the shed hair is more than the ones that grow in, you experience hair loss (alopecia). Though hair grows in several parts of your body, hair loss on your head is probably the most worrying trend for many adults.
Hair loss in men starts on both temples, progressively receding to form an “M” shape. The hair may thin at the crown and could advance to complete or partial baldness. On the other hand, women may not experience total badness, but their hair loss is characterized by hair becoming thin all over the head.
What causes hair loss
Several factors can contribute to alopecia, including:
Hereditary factors
This cause of hair loss is called androgenic alopecia,which happens due to aging. As men grow old, their hairline gradually recedes, or they may experience bald spots, while women experience thinning hair on their scalp.
Medical conditions and hormonal changes
Auto-immune disorders such as alopecia areata and trichotillomania can result in patchy hair loss. Hormonal changes due to thyroid problems, menopause, pregnancy, and childbirth can also cause hair loss.
Radiation and medications
Radiation such as chemotherapy and certain medications used for cancer, heart problems, arthritis, gout, and depression can inhibit hair growth, causing hair loss.
Chronic stress
People who have experienced emotional and physical shock may experience temporary thinning of the hair, and chronic stress may also lead to permanent hair loss.
Hairstyles
Certain hairstyles such as cornrows can pull your hair tight, thus resulting in traction alopecia. Hot-oil hair treatments can also contribute to hair falling out, and if scarring happens, it could cause permanent hair loss.
Hair loss could also be a symptom of vitamin D deficiency.
How to treat hair loss
Treatment procedures for hair loss depend on what is causing your hair loss. You may need to stop certain habits that contribute to hair loss in some instances. However, in some instances, treatment of alopecia areata and other hair loss types involvesmedications that can help you reverse or slow down the process.
- If hormonal changes and stress cause hair loss, you may not need any treatment since the loss may stop after some time.
- Hair loss caused by hairstyling practices and hot chemical treatment can be treated by ceasing to use the chemicals and the styles on your hair.
- If your hair loss is due to a lack of essential vitamins, treatment could be taking multivitamins or supplements.
Other medications for hair loss include:
- Minoxidil- You can apply this lotion on the scalp to increase blood flow in that area. Increased blood flow means more nutrients that feed the hair follicles, thus improving growth. However, the effect is temporary, meaning if you stop using the drug, hair loss will continue.
- Finasteride- This drug inhibits the conversion of testosterone into androgen DHT. Finasteride can reduce DHT by 60%, helping to prevent hormones from affecting the susceptible follicles. However, this drug cannot work on women, and it is only effective as long as you use it.
- Dutasteride- This drug was designed to help treat prostatic enlargement; however, some dermatologists use it to treat male baldness. Like finasteride, dutasteride hinders the activity of type I and type II of enzyme DHT, thus reducing potential damage to hair follicles. However, it must be taken daily to realize its benefits.
Note: The above medications can slow down hair loss by stimulating regrowth from viable follicles at the early stages of hair loss. However, they may not help you if you have inactive follicles.
- Hair transplantation- Hair transplantation is another treatment for hair loss where hair follicles resistant to DHT are harvested from the back of your head and transplanted to bald areas.
Your skin’s minuscule plugs containing reduced hair are removed and replaced by plugs with active follicles. Though you will have the same amount of hair at the end of the surgery, your hair will be evenly distributed around your scalp. Surgical procedures can be expensive, and you may face the risk of infection or scarring.
- Laser therapy- This procedure, also called low-level laser therapy (LLLT), uses heat and light treatment. Some researchers hypothesize that LLLT stimulates epidermal stem cells, thus resulting in hair growth in men and women. The stimulation shifts the follicle into the growth phase.
Treatment of alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is a patchy hair loss on the head, eyebrows, beards, and other body parts. This type of alopecia affects both young and older people. Dermatologists will likely recommend varied treatment depending on your age, where you have lost the hair and the amount of hair loss.
If you have a few areas affected by alopecia areata and are above 10 years, your dermatologist will likely recommend:
- Minoxidil or Rogaine to encourage blood flow in the region and growth of follicles.
- Injections of corticosteroids- This medication is often injected in bald places after 4 to 8 weeks. It is recommended for individuals with few hair loss patches.
- Anthralin- This medication is applied to bald spots and allowed to stay there for some time before it is washed off. It functions like minoxidil, but it causes skin irritation.
The bottom Line
A lot of research is underway to find a permanent hair loss cure, but so far, none is available. The medication used by several dermatologists can only slow down or prevent hair loss when you detect the problem early, but they cannot cure the problem. Some hair loss can be reversed if you stop what is causing it or if the condition that generated it, like pregnancy or stress, is gone.
