Hair loss is a symptom of health problems! Learn about possible causes and treatment options
Does hair have to fall out? When do we talk about excessive hair loss?
There are about 100-150 thousand hair strands on a human scalp. Each of them has a life cycle - naturally as a result of miniaturization of a follicle it fall out during washing, combing or other activities. This is a phenomenon as a result of which we lose from 50 to 100 hair strands every day.
The problem starts when the number of lost hair strands exceeds this daily norm. If your hair falls out, the reaction should be quick. Excessive hair loss can be a sign of an abnormality or a signal sent by a body under strain that demands changes.
Not so obvious causes of hair loss
Hair loss is a problem that everyone of us will entercounter at a certain point in life, to a greater or lesser degree. Hair falls out when their life cycle is disturbed. This, in turn, can have many different reasons. Currently, one of the most common is strong and chronic stress. Also, it is typical to experience hair loss after pregnancy, during or after infectious diseases with fever (including COVID-19), after various surgeries and as a side effect of the use of certain drugs. Excessive hair loss may also be a symptom of serious diseases and hormonal disorders, such as hyperandrogenism or thyroid problems, so it always requires consultation with a specialist.
The following types of hair loss are distinguished:
Telogenic alopecia
This is excessive hair loss typical of women. The cause of this problem is the shortening of the hair growth phase caused by external factors. The most common of these factors include stress and traumatic experiences, but also, among others, nutritional deficiencies resulting from poorly balanced diet, intense weight loss, iron deficiency due to anaemia, as well as strong exposure to UV rays and mechanical damage resulting from improper care.
Androgenic alopecia
This most common type of alopecia affects 80% of men and as much as 42% of women. This type of hair loss is caused by the genetic activity of the enzyme called alpha-reductase. It is found in the follicle - it processes testosterone responsible for its miniaturization. In women androgenic alopecia is often associated with hormonal disorders.
Alopecia areata
The cause of hair loss can also be a disease. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition. It is characterized by the occurrence of inflammation around hair follicles, which form the foci of alopecia usually of oval shape.
How to stop hair loss? Tests as the basis
The basis for treatment of excessive hair loss is the correct diagnosis of the cause of the problem. Therefore, an appointment with the doctor will be necessary. Most information about the patient's general health will be obtained through a blood test. Complete blood count allows the specialists to obtain important information about deficiencies or potential diseases.
A doctor specializing in conditions located in the area of scalp and hair is a trichologist. In order to diagnose the cause of excessive hair loss, a trichologist can perform trichoscopy - an innovative imaging that allows for a very thorough assessment of the condition of the scalp and hair. A device called a trichoscope enlarges the image up to 500 times. As a result, the trichologist can precisely determine the cause of hair loss and recommend a treatment.
When a treatment is needed, or what to do stop the hair from falling out
Professional diagnosis will allow you to implement professional treatment. Sometimes changes in diet and lifestyle, quitting habits or reducing daily stress is required to stop hair loss. In most cases, however, pharmacotherapy is also needed. Products for hair loss of specially selected composition can be used orally or topically.
It is also worth trying out modern aesthetic medicine - professional treatments for excessive hair loss. Sometimes it is the only way to get a quick and truly satisfying effect.
What treatments for hair loss will bring a real effect?
The most effective treatments for hair loss in men and women are those carried out at the aesthetic medicine clinic. At Sense Med Concept, the doctor individually adjusts the therapy to the patient's needs:
Scalp mesotherapy
Mesotherapy treatment is one way to deal with hair loss. Depending on the needs and, among others, the patient's skin condition, various preparations are used. Platelet-rich plasma mesotherapy consists in inhibition of natural aging processes - especially for delicate scalp. The patient's blood is centrifuged and the part devoid of red blood cells is obtained from it. The product is injected into the treatment site. The vitamins, nutrients, proteins and electrolytes contained in it allow you to get the regenerative effect of the skin. It also increases blood circulation, and stimulation of stem cells stimulates renewal, which significantly reduces hair loss.
Vitamins for hair loss are also found in special preparations used to strengthen and thicken the hair.
Stem cells
This treatment of hair loss involves autologous stem cell transplantation - a professional method used to treat androgenic alopecia. The product for hair loss regenerates damaged hair follicles. It not only inhibits the hair loss process, but also stimulates hair growth.
Thulium laser treatment
The thulium laser treatment brings effects both in androgenic alopecia and telogenic hair loss. A laser beam causes an immediate increase in blood flow in the tissue, which directly translates into nutrition of the scalp and oxygenation of hair follicles. The effect is not only inhibition of the hair loss process, but also significant strengthening and thickening of hair.
Trichological treatments for hair loss give the best result in combination with elimination of the source of the problem. At Sense Med Concept, every patient is provided with the care of a doctor who adjusts the form of individual therapy, preceded by tests aimed at identifying the cause of hair loss. In most cases, combined therapies, mainly pharmacotherapy combined with treatments, prove to be most most effective.
The Sense Med Concept article contains information about services.
medical revision: Beata Jasica
Source:
Brzezińska-Wcisło L., Lis A., Kamińska G., Wcisło-Dziadecka D., Fizjologia i patologia wzrostu i utraty włosów na głowie u człowieka [in:] „Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii” PDiA 2003; XX, 5, pp. 260–266