Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Hair loss - Causes, Treatment and Prevention

The hair is considered as our crowning glory. From choosing our unique hairstyles—haircut and hair color, we do show some love and care for our hair that easily represents our personality.

Although many people choose to get bald, the unintentional occurrence of hair loss is an issue that should be given attention. There might be an underlying problem about this that will determine if your health is at risk.

According to OnHealth website, there are about 50 million men and 30 million women in the
U.S who are affected by falling out of hair. By the time men reach 50, about 50% of them will
experience it.

Now, let us zoom in to your scalp before you get bald. Also check out nisimreviewsfast.info for more in-depth info about hair loss.

Hair loss can be determined by examining the scalp if the condition is due to the physical destruction and loss of hair follicles. Non-scarring hair loss is the case if the scalp looks perfectly normal with plenty of empty hair follicles while cicatricial alopecia destroys the follicles permanently. The former happens when there is physical or chemical damage to the hair shaft that results in breakage.

Distinguishing hair loss from hair breakage must be done by medical professionals. Medical
health screening for hair loss may include blood tests such as complete blood count (CBC), iron level, vitamin B, thyroid function tests (TFT), and a biopsy of the scalp.

What are the causes?

Identifying the cause of hair loss can be quite challenging since it has many types.
The thinning of hair may arise due to the following causes:

● Genetic factors as well as the overall aging process starting 30s and 40s such as
hormonal changes (in puberty, pregnancy, and menopause), emotional trauma, protein
deprivation, and illness.
● Several health conditions including iron deficiency anemia, thyroid disease, and
secondary syphilis are considered to be the causes of this condition.
● With all these, the most common cause would be alopecia which occurs on normal
unscarred scalp skin. This is produced by the autoimmune destruction of hair follicles in
localized areas of the skin.

As classified by physicians, this can be:

● Patchy hair loss wherein some conditions produce small areas of losing hair while others
affect large areas of the scalp. This is commonly caused by:
o alopecia areata (small circular or coin-sized bald patches on the scalp that grow
back within months),
o traction alopecia (thinning because of tight braids or ponytails),
o trichotillomania (from twisting or pulling hair out),

o tinea capitis (fungal infection), and
o secondary syphilis
● Diffuse hair loss which is caused by
o drug-induced alopecia,
o pattern alopecia,
o protein malnutrition, and
o systemic disease-induced alopecia (cancer, endocrine disease, and telogen
effluvium).

How can this be treated?

This condition can be aided and/or treated through these 5 recommendations:
● Sprinkling hair-fiber powders to camouflage balding areas,
● Attaching hairpieces such as synthetic wigs, human hair wigs, hair extensions, among
others to add a hair of similar color temporarily,
● Undergoing surgery such as hair transplantation or scalp reduction for natural-looking
results,
● Low-level laser devices approved by the FDA for men to stimulate hair growth,
● Reinjecting platelet-rich plasma obtained from the patients’ processed whole blood into
their own scalp, and
● Taking medications including minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia).

How can this be prevented?

The prevention of hair loss manifestation begins with having good hair hygiene—regular
shampooing More than this basic step, good nutrition with acquiring adequate levels of vitamin
B and iron. Plus, the treatment of the underlying medical conditions such as anemia, thyroid
disease, and hormonal imbalances is recommended.

Did you know that there are myths about pattern baldness?

● For males, they say that:
o baldness is inherited through the mother's side of the family but the truth is
genes for baldness can come from either parent.
o massaging the scalp will help in the hair regrowth through stimulating circulation
around the follicles. This may make you feel good. However, there are no studies
that prove this as effective.

● For females,
o having long hair does not strain the roots and the hair to fall out.

o Too much brushing of hair does not cause hair loss as those that come out from
combing are ready to fall out anyway.

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