What Is The Treatment For Hair Loss
If hair loss is caused by an illness, treatment of the illness is the best treatment for hair loss. The decision to treat androgenetic alopecia depends upon its emotional effect on the patients sense of well-being. Many different therapies to stop hair loss and to regrow hair are promoted you should discuss these options with your physician to establish their validity.
Treatment options for androgenetic alopecia include grooming techniques, wigs and hairpieces, medications, and surgery.
- Styling hair to cover the areas with the most hair loss is effective for mild cases. Washing and styling the hair will not cause further hair loss.
- For more severe hair loss, wigs and hairpieces can provide good results if you are willing to try them. Either of these options can be used in combination with medications or surgery if the results of styling or the hairpiece alone are not satisfying.
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Treatment of this problem at home is difficult.
- Most people will need to see their doctor to determine if there is a medical problem causing hair loss and to consider if treatment is indicated.
A wide variety of nonprescription products and services are offered for hair loss.
You should discuss them with your physician before initiating any therapies, especially if you are on medications or have chronic illnesses.
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy
Platelet rich plasma therapy will require a blood sample to get started. After you have blood drawn, the fluid will be placed into a centrifuge that will separate the blood into different components. The platelets, which are a type of blood cell, will be treated and injected into the affected area of your scalp. Its believed that these platelets can help to stimulate new growth.
Although early research is promising for this approach to hair loss treatment, more studies are needed to know whether this is a safe and effective treatment for male pattern baldness.
What Are The Common Causes Of Hair Loss In Women
What causes hair loss?
- Hair style: Your style of hair can cause hair loss when your hair is arranged in ways that pull on your roots, like tight ponytails, braids, or corn rows. This type of hair loss is called traction alopecia. If hair follicles are damaged, the loss can be permanent.
- Vitamin deficiency.
- Over processed scalp hair .
What causes anagen effluvium hair loss?
- Toxic substances, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and some medications. These cause sudden hair loss that can occur anywhere on your body. It happens to hair in the growth stage. Sometimes, this type of hair loss can be permanent if your hair follicles are damaged.
What causes telogen effluvium hair loss?
- Extreme physical stress or shock to your body: This causes temporary hair loss. This category includes events like losing a lot of weight, surgery, anemia, illness and having a baby.
- Extreme emotional stress: mental illness, the death of a loved one, etc.
- An abnormal thyroid.
- Medications and supplements: blood pressure medicines, gout medicines and high doses of Vitamin A.
- Hormone changes caused by pregnancy, menopause or birth control pills.
What causes FPHL ?
- Genes: Your familys genes can cause thinning of hair along the top of your head.
- Aging: Hormone changes as you age can cause balding.
- Menopause: This type of hair loss often gets worse when estrogen is lost during menopause.
There are also some conditions that affect hair loss:
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What’s The Best Doctor To See For Hair Loss
If you’ve started to notice your hairline receding or the hair on the crown of your head slipping away, you may be experiencing male pattern hair loss.
It’s a genuine medical condition that affects millions of men globally, and this type of hair loss is actually the most common cause of hair loss among men. Nearly 80% of men will experience significant hair loss in their lifetime because of it.
For most men, the process of losing their hair will start sometimes in their 30s, but it can start later or much earlier depending on genetic traits. In fact, genetics and heredity are key factors in whether you’ll be affected by male pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia.
While male pattern hair loss is a progressive condition that results in continual hair loss over time, there are hair loss treatments that can delay loss and even stimulate new growth. The first step to treatment may involve seeing a medical professional.
But which is the best medical professional for hair loss?
Causes Of Permanent Hair Loss
Hormonal imbalances before, during and after menopause can lead to more permanent hair loss, Dr. Simpson says.
Female pattern baldness is largely genetic, affecting hair along the top of a womans head. This typically begins when estrogen levels drop.
A scalp injury that causes scarring can also cause permanent hair loss, she says.
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A Dermatologists Diagnosis Is Best Before Treating Hair Loss
If you think you have FPHL, its important to see a dermatologist for a diagnosis. Women develop hair loss for many reasons. Other common causes of hair loss in women can look a lot like FPHL. Each of these causes requires different treatment. Without the right treatment, hair loss often continues.
You can find a dermatologist in your area by going to Find a Dermatologist.
What Are The Myths About Hair Loss
Myths about hair loss are widespread. Nothing in the following list is true:
- Youre losing hair because you shampoo it too much, or because youve colored it or gotten a perm.
- Dandruff causes permanent hair loss in women.
- Stress causes permanent hair loss in women.
- If you shave your head, your hair will grow back twice as thick.
- If you stand on your head youll increase circulation, stimulating hair growth.
- If you brush your hair 100 strokes a day that will make your hair healthier.
- Hats and wigs cause hair loss in women.
- Hair loss only affects intellectual women.
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What About A Trichologist
While a trichologist is defined as a hair and scalp specialist, they are more of a bridge between cosmetology and dermatology than their own field. They are generally educated and trained in life sciences and will look at hair loss problems in a holistic way by evaluating their clients’ personal history, lifestyle, genetic factors, and environmental conditions.
Depending on the situation, a trichologist may suggest an individualized treatment, give nutritional advice, and recommend lifestyle changes in order to improve the overall health and appearance of the hair and the scalp.
However, this profession is considered to be para-medical in nature, meaning that they assist physicians and doctors and have not received the same level of education themselves. While a trichologist may work with your doctor to figure out a possible treatment for your hair loss, they can not prescribe medications.
What Treatment Will A Hair Loss Doctor Prescribe
Your hair loss doctor will prescribe treatment based on the cause of your hair loss. If your hair loss is genetic , the most common treatment option is finasteride and/or minoxidil.
These medications work by blocking hormonal hair loss and regrowing your hair for a thicker, stronger and healthier hairline. Each works slightly differently you can learn more about the differences in our guide to Minoxidil vs Finasteride.
Sometimes, you might also be recommended a topical DHT blocker or anti-hair loss shampoo for extra protection.
If your hair loss is caused by stress or another health problem, your hair loss doctor might be able to prescribe something to treat the underlying condition. In some cases, they might refer you to a specialist for a specific treatment to end the underlying problem and the hair loss.
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What Questions Might Your Healthcare Provider Ask To Diagnose And Categorize Your Hair Loss
Your healthcare provider might ask about your habits:
- What kinds of hair products do you use?
- What kinds of hair styles do you wear?
- What types of food do you eat ?
- Do you have a habit of pulling your hair out ?
They might ask about your history:
- Has anyone in your immediate family experienced hair loss?
- Is there anything stressful going on in your life?
- What medications and supplements do you take every day?
- Has hair loss ever happened to you before?
- What foods are in your diet?
And, they might ask about your observations:
- How long have you been losing hair?
- Have you been shedding more?
- Have you noticed hair loss in places other than your scalp, like your eyebrows? Leg and arm hair?
- Does anything worsen your hair loss?
- Does anything improve your hair loss?
- Have you noticed hair loss occasionally or has it been going on continuously?
- Have you noticed if your hair growth has changed?
- Has your hair been breaking more often?
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When Hair Loss Strikes A Doctor Is A Girls Best Friend
- Read in app
A COUPLE of years ago my hair started falling out. Not in clumps, but I noticed more hairs than usual in my comb and in the bath drain.
I went to a trichologist who tested my blood , told me some thinning was natural for a woman in her mid-40s and sent me home with expensive shampoo and a serum to use on my scalp. I used the potions. I took vitamins. I stopped brushing my hair.
I was a wreck. If someone had told me there was a cure in a remote village in the mountains of Bhutan, I would have put on my hiking boots and boarded a plane.
No one wants to lose their hair, but for women it is especially traumatic. Men can shave their heads and look hip, even sexy. Most women dont want to be bald. Though it is more common and visible in men, many women lose their hair. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 30 million women in this country have hereditary hair loss, compared with 50 million men. But many additional women experience thinning hair that results from menopause or health problems.
If your hair is coming out, be advised that of the multitude of treatments on the market for women, few are worth your money, says Dr. Melissa Piliang, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Americans spent an estimated $176 million on hair loss products last year, and chances are some of that money was not well spent. Dont let charming salon owners, seductive ads or fancy gimmicks convince you otherwise.
Thats the background. Now for some guidance:
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Other Concerns With Hair Loss
Treating the cause often stops hair loss, and hair grows back. In some cases, other treatment is needed.
Hair care for cancer treatment
Hair loss caused by cancer treatment requires special care: Use mild shampoos. Do not use a hair-dryer.
Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, where hair growth begins. Because hair often grows back within a year, you may decide not to have treatment. Understanding the come-and-go nature of hair loss with this condition can help you make the best treatment decision. Children and teenagers may need counselling to help them adjust to the hair loss.
Medicines, such as corticosteroids, can be used to treat alopecia areata.
Women taking birth control pills
Women with inherited hair loss who wish to take birth control pills should use a pill type that does not add to hair loss, such as a norgestimate or desogestrel.footnote 2
What Are The Types Of Hair Loss
There are three: anagen effluvium, telogen effluvium and FPHL.
- Anagen effluvium: This is caused by medications that poison a growing hair follicle .
- Telogen effluvium: This is caused by an increased number of hair follicles reaching the telogen phase, which is the stage where hair falls out.
- Androgenetic alopecia/female pattern alopecia/female pattern hair loss /baldness: This type is the most common. Hair thins over the top of the head and on the sides.
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What Is The Prognosis/outlook For Women With Hair Loss
Your diagnosis determines the prognosis:
- Anagen and telogen shedding may stop with time.
- Treat any diseases associated with hair loss.
- Disguise or cover your hair loss using a wig or hat.
- Early treatment of alopecia may reduce the speed of thinning and may promote regrowth.
While hair loss is not itself dangerous, women with hair loss tend to be very upset by the changes to their appearance. These negative feelings can affect self-esteem and social lives. Recent studies suggest that FPHL can be associated with conditions that include metabolic syndrome, endocrine disorders and diabetes.
Thinning Hair And Hair Loss: Could It Be Female Pattern Hair Loss
For most women, FPHL begins in midlife, when a woman is in her 40s, 50s, or 60s. It can begin earlier for some women.
FPHL is a progressive condition. This means women tend to continue losing hair. But women do not lose all of their hair, as do some men. Instead, your part often gets wider. Hair near your temples may recede. Without treatment, some women eventually develop widespread thinning.
Treatment can prevent hair loss from worsening and help women regrow their hair. Treatment delivers the best results when started at the first sign of hair loss.
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What Hair Loss Doctors Should I See
Endocrinologist focus on the endocrine organs which are responsible for hormone secretion. The endocrine organs consist of the pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, testes, and pancreas. An endocrinologist is able to first diagnosis the problem and then also provide treatment to restore hormone balance. Endocrinologist mainly treats:
- Diabetes
- Over and underproduction of hormones
- Menopause
- Cancer of the endocrine glands
When it comes to hair loss, these are great doctors to see if you believe you have an underlying issue as to why you are losing hair. In general, we would suggest seeing them just to rule out there is not an underlying issue.
Dermatologist focus on the skin and appendages . They study the structure, function, and diseases. They can perform medical examinations as well as surgery. This would include laser surgery, skin cancer surgery, photodynamic therapy and cosmetic procedures such as botox, soft tissue fillers, sclerotherapy, and liposuction. Within this field of study, there is dermatopathologist who look at the skin, usually a biopsy of skin, under a microscope. Immunodermatologist focus on the diagnosis and management of skin disease driven by an altered immune system.
A dermatologist is great to see regarding hair loss if we know there is no underlying issue with our endocrine system.