Hair Loss: Causes and Remedies

 

Hair loss is usually seen as the hallmark of aging men, but this condition, which has many causes, can affect anyone.

Each of us shed about 100 hairs daily as part of the normal hair growth cycle, but excess loss is commonly a problem.

Symptoms & Causes

Shedding hair is dissimilar from hair loss, which is when hair falls out and doesn’t grow back. People frequently shed hair during tense events, such as childbirth, a breakup, a divorce or during times of grief.

Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, and it doesn’t only occur on the scalp. Some illnesses and medications can activate balding over the whole body, though genetics account for most cases on head hair loss.

Aside from heredity, visible hair loss can be caused by a wide variety of factors, including:

  1. Harsh hairstyles or treatments: Hairstyles that regularly use rubber bands, rollers or barrettes, or pull hair into tight styles can worsen hair loss and cause hair follicle scarring. Incorrect used of chemical products such as dyes, bleaches, straighteners or permanent wave solutions can result to permanent hair loss.
  2. Hormone imbalances: In women, hormonal shifts can prompt more hair follicles than normal to enter the dormant phase.
  3. Illness or surgery: The stress from sickness or surgery may cause the body to temporarily stop bodily processes such as hair production. An autoimmune condition called alopecia areata, which has no cure, causes swift body-wide hair loss.
  4. Medications and vitamins: Cancer chemotherapy, which attacks hair follicles in its effort to kill all fast-growing cells in the body, is one reason for hair loss. Other medications’ side effects include hair shedding as well, and excessive levels of vitamin A also contribute.
  5. Nutritional deficits: Heavy dieting or eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia can temporarily cause hair follicles to stop growth. This can also happen from deficient protein, vitamin or mineral intake.
  6. Aging: A natural effect of growing older is slackened hair growth.

Treatment & medication

  1. Hair weaves or wigs: Wigs and hair weaves either totally cover the head or add volume to existing hair, reestablishing the appearance of a full head of hair.
  2. Topical creams and lotions: Over-the-counter minoxidil can return some hair growth, especially in those with hereditary hair loss.
  3. Anti-inflammatory medications: Prescription steroid-based creams or injections can treat hair follicles which are inflamed by harsh chemicals or by excessive pulling.
  4. Surgery: Procedures include joining, which transplants from one to 15 hairs per disc-shape joined to other locations. Scalp reduction eliminates bald skin from the scalp so that hair-covered scalp can be overextended to fill in the bald areas.

 

-Medical Observer

 

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