Hair falls reasons and their treatment

Hair loss or Baldness

Overview

The most common cause of baldness is an abnormally high rate of hair thinning on the scalp. Hair loss due to ageing is the most prevalent cause of baldness in men and women. Some people choose to allow their hair loss to run its course without treatment or concealment, and this is acceptable to them.

Hairstyles, make-up, hats, and scarves can all be used to hide them. Then some choose a therapy to stop additional hair loss or re-grow it.

 Consult your physician about your hair loss and treatment alternatives before deciding a course of action.

Here are some interesting facts about hair thinning:

• Each day, we shed 50 to 100 hairs on average. This is how things are done around here.
• Hair thinning affects more than half of all women in the world.
• According to the American Hair Loss Association, around 85 per cent of men are balding by the time they reach the age of 50. (AHLA).
• As many as 25 per cent of males with hereditary hair loss begin losing their hair by the time, they are 21, according to the AHLA.

In women, what is hair loss?

When a lady loses a large volume of hair without notice, she suffers from hair loss. Approximately 50 to 100 single hairs fall out of a person’s scalp per day. Shedding of hair is a typical occurrence throughout normal hair growth and renewal cycles. When the balance is upset, hair falls out, and less hair develops, resulting in thinning hair. Loss of hair is not the same as hair shedding. Hair loss is called an acne disorder by the term “acne”.

Aside from the palms and soles of your feet, lips, and eyelashes, hair develops on nearly all of our skin surfaces. Vellus hair refers to hair that is light, fine, and short. Terminal/androgenic hair is heavier, darker, and longer than non-terminal hair.

Hair loss is common in which women?

• Hair loss can affect every woman or girl. However, it’s more prevalent in the following:
• Women above the age of 40.
• those recently out of childbirth.
• Particularly with regard to women who have undergone chemotherapy and those who have been damaged by different medications.
• Hair damage is more likely to occur in women who habitually wear their hair in tight ponytails or braids or who use harsh chemicals on their hair.
• Women who are going through menopause. 

Men’s baldness can be defined in many different ways.

Alopecia or androgenic alopecia, the most common cause of hair loss in males, is male pattern hair loss. According to the National Library of Medicine, male pattern baldness affects more than half of all males over 50. (NLM).

Anyone who is male is in danger:

Even though male pattern baldness can begin in adolescence, it is more frequent in older men, and the risk increases with age. The influence of one’s genes cannot be overstated. Male pattern baldness runs in families; thus, those with male relatives are at greater risk. This is especially true if their maternal relatives are involved.

  Symptoms:

         Male Pattern Baldness

             Female-pattern baldness

Hair loss can express itself in various ways depending on the underlying reason. It may affect your scalp in some cases, while in others, it may come on suddenly or gradually.

Hair loss can cause a variety of symptoms:

• The top of the skull begins to thin out with time:

  Hair loss as we get older is the most frequent form of hair loss. The hairline on the forehead of males commonly begins to recede in men. Hair parts of women are often wider than those of males. A receding hairline is a hair loss trend that is becoming increasingly frequent in older women (frontal fibrosing alopecia).

• Hair loss in a circular or uneven pattern:

Circles of baldness may form on the scalp, the beard or eyebrows of certain people as they lose hair. Before the hair falls out, your skin may be uncomfortable or irritating.

• Hair loss that occurs suddenly:

Hair might fall out as a result of stress, whether it’s physical or mental. A lot of hair might come out when combing, shampooing, or even if you gently tug at your hair. In most cases, this form of hair loss results in a transient thinning of the hair.

• Hair loss across the whole body.

There are several medical disorders and treatments, such as chemotherapy for cancer, that can lead to complete hair loss in the entire body. The hair normally regrows after a few months.

• Scaling that spreads across the scalp in patches.

Ringworm may be the cause of this. Broken hair, redness, swelling, and, at times, leaking may accompany it.

What causes hair loss?

There are many different reasons why people lose their hair, but androgenetic alopecia is the most prevalent one. Men are more likely to suffer from male pattern baldness, as it is more often known. Female pattern baldness is the name given to this condition in females. According to the American Hair Loss Council, it is to blame for 95% of all occurrences of irreversible hair loss.

This form of hair loss isn’t necessarily a sign of a medical condition. An ailment that is linked to:

The fact that it is passed on via family heredity

The process of natural ageing

androgens, which are male hormones

Androgenetic alopecia is predisposed by genetics, which may disrupt critical enzymes like 5-alpha reductase, which turns testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. Genetics may be involved in this process (DHT). Androgens are present in both hormones.

The hair follicle shrinks as DHT levels rise or when it becomes more susceptible to DHT. Hair falls out earlier than usual since the anagen phase is also shortened.

Both men and women can develop androgenetic alopecia over time. When it comes to men, it results in a receding hairline and thinning at the crown of the head. These symptoms characterise male pattern baldness.

A receding hairline is not common in women. Rather, they see a widening hair part on the top of their head due to hair thinning. Hormonal changes in women’s bodies make this form of hair loss more common in women than males.

Hair loss or bald areas may be caused by other factors.

Though baldness is the most prevalent result of androgenetic alopecia (alopecia androgenetica), it is not the only one.

Unlike alopecia, hair loss in these situations does not normally follow a predictable path. Because of this, they don’t cause your hair to fall out in a traditional balding pattern.

Conditions that cause hair loss, some of which are long-term and others that can be reversible, include:

• Traction alopecia: Tight ponytails, braids, corn rows, and hair extensions are all examples of hairstyles that put undue strain on the follicles. Hair loss can result from repetitive stress, known as traction alopecia. However, if you delay treatment, the hair loss will be irreversible.
• Alopecia areata: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune illness in which the body destroys its hair follicles, leading to hair loss. There is no guarantee that the hair will come back on its own.
• Anagen effluvium: Hair follicles are damaged during the anagen phase due to exposure to a hazardous chemical. Sudden but usually curable baldness can result from this. Chemotherapy is the most common culprit, but radiation therapy and other medications are also to blame.
• Telogen effluvium: Stress or shock causes hair loss in people with this disorder. It is most common after a traumatic event such as surgery, sickness, or extreme weight loss. Hair usually grows back between two to six months.
• Tinea capitis: There is ringworm on the scalp known as tinea capitis. A scaly patch appears when the fungus invades the scalp and hair follicles. If left untreated, scarring can lead to irreversible hair loss.

Loss of hair might be an unintentional side effect of another ailment. Possibly, it’s connected to:

• hypothyroidism

• hyperthyroidism

• a lack of nutrients

• Anaemia due to a lack of iron

• Diets with a low protein content

Other factors may be at play:

Every day, most people shed between 50 and 100 hair. Because new hair is growing simultaneously, this frequently goes unnoticed. Hair loss happens when the hair that has fallen out is not replaced with hair that grows in the opposite direction.

Factors that might cause hair loss include but are not limited to the following:

• Genealogy and history of the family (heredity):

  The most common reason for thinning hair is inherited hair loss. Men’s hair loss, female hair loss, and androgenic hair loss are all words that characterize this condition. Typical signs in men include a receding hairline and hair loss in patches, whereas, in women, thinning hair on the scalp’s crown is the most noticeable change.

• Medical disorders and hormonal shifts:

  The hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, and thyroid disorders all have the potential to permanently or temporarily cause hair loss. Medical diseases include alopecia areata, an immune system-related hair loss problem, ringworm on the scalp, and trichotillomania (the compulsive act of pulling out one’s hair), all possibilities (trik-o-til-o-MAY-nee-uh).

• A wide range of pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements:

Medications for cancer, arthritis, depression, heart issues and gout can cause hair loss as a side effect.

• Head radiation treatment:

If you lose your hair, it’s possible that it may not regrow in the same condition as previously.

• A harrowing situation:

Many people begin to notice losing hair a few months following a stressful event, whether it was physical or emotional. Temporary hair loss is the result of this condition.

• Hairstyles and hair care products:

Tight hairstyles like pigtails and cornrows can lead to traction alopecia, which causes hair loss. Permanents and hot-oil hair treatments can also lead to hair loss. Loss of hair may become permanent if it leaves scars.

Possibilities for harm

Many factors, including stress and lack of sleep, can lead to hair loss:

• An ancestry of baldness on one or both sides of your family
• Age
• Significantly reduced body weight
• Diabetes and lupus are examples of medical diseases that might lead to a worse quality of life.
• Stress
• A lack of food

Things that won’t lead to hair thinning:

The following are not to blame for hair loss, contrary to the common opinion:

• putting on a hat is an example of this.
• The use of wigs
• Washing your hair often
• dandruff

What are my alternatives for treatment?

The following are the most often used therapies for male and female pattern baldness, respectively:

Medications

• Minoxidil. Men and women can benefit from the over-the-counter prescription topical minoxidil, also known as Rogaine. Hair regrowth from this procedure might take up to six months or more.
• Finasteride. Hair loss in males can be treated with the prescription medicines Propecia or Proscar. Hair regrowth or a slowed balding process is the most common side effect.
• Spironolactone. Spironolactone, also known as Aldactone, is used off-label for treating female pattern baldness by physicians. It decreases the synthesis of androgens and limits the effects of DHT, the hormone that can lead to hair loss.
• Hormone treatment. In women, oestrogen and progesterone medication may reduce hair loss during menopause.

Other alternatives:

• Laser resurfacing:   It is possible to cure both male and female pattern baldness with laser treatment. In order to activate hair follicles, it employs low-energy pulses of light.

• Infusions of protein-rich plasma (PRP):   Platelets from your blood are used in PRP therapy. It’s concentrated and injected into areas where hair is thinning, where it may help promote new hair growth in the affected areas. Androgenetic alopecia is treated with this medication off-label.
• Transplanted hair:   Removing and reinserting hair into bald patches is a common procedure in hair transplants.
• Nutrition:  According to one research, women’s hair growth may improve if they consume more omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and antioxidants.

Prevention

The propensity for baldness in a person is primarily hereditary (male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness). We cannot stop hair loss in this situation.

These ideas might help you avoid certain types of preventable hair loss:

• Always be with a light touch when styling your hair. Brushing and combing damp hair should be done with a detangler and without tugging. It may be possible to avoid pulling out hair by using a wide-tooth comb. Do not use hot rollers, curling irons, hot-oil treatments, or permanent makeup on your hair. Reduce hair stress caused by rubber bands, barrettes, and braids in hairstyles.
• Discuss drugs and supplements with your doctor that may cause hair loss with your doctor.
• Take care of your hair by shielding it from the sun’s harmful rays.
• Put an end to your smoking habit. Men who smoke are more likely to have hair loss, according to some research.
• A cooling hat may be helpful if you are undergoing chemotherapy. You may be less likely to lose hair during chemotherapy by wearing this hat.

Other choices are available:

There is nothing you can do to avoid hereditary baldness. You may, however, take these steps to lessen the chance of additional hair loss:

• Let your hair down and loosen your look: Ponies and braids can cause harm to your hair follicles if you wear them too tightly.
• Reducing the risk of burns: Straighteners and curling irons, two common hairstyling products, have been linked to root damage.
• Massage the scalp: According to recent studies, regular scalp massages may aid hair development. However, be careful not to go overboard. The follicles in your scalp might get damaged if they are repeatedly rubbed and stressed.
• Eat a nutritious diet: Hair loss can occur if a person’s diet is deficient in a range of nutrients.
• Make the decision to stop smoking: Some believe that smoking might cause hair loss.
• With the use of a cooling cap: It’s possible that a cooling cap might lessen hair loss following chemotherapy.
• Make a medication switch: Consult your physician about other options if the medicine you’re taking is causing hair loss.