Even though hair fall is intimidating, it is a fact that losing hair in small numbers has nothing to worry about.
But what to do if you’re experiencing abnormal hair fall?
Or your hair have stopped regrowing? Fortunately, we have a number of effective solutions today.
Along with medications, there are laser therapies as well as hair transplants to treat even the worst type of hair loss.
If you’re interested, you can have a look over Medihair´s overview of hair transplant clinics in the UK or other popular transplant destinations around the world.
For now, let’s find out what triggers hair loss and which treatments should you expect.
What Causes Hair Thinning? A Brief Overview
Before jumping to the main topic, let’s find out some possible reasons behind irregular hair shedding:
Androgenetic Alopecia: Hair loss due to genetics is the most reported cause of hair fall. Overall thinning in women and concentrated hair fall in men are the general symptoms.
Though pattern baldness generally begins with aging, some teenagers have experienced it as well.
Alopecia Areata: It is an autoimmune disorder. When your immune system assumes hair follicles as foreign agents and starts attacking them, hair start to fall in patches.
Some people recover from this condition without requiring any treatment, while others seek immune-suppressing or hair growing treatments to combat it.
Traction Alopecia: While it may sound trivial, but certain hairstyles can also lead to serious levels of hair loss.
Tight buns, ponytails, heat styling, and harsh chemicals act as slow poisons for your hair follicles. Avoiding them is the most viable treatment in this case.
Scalp Conditions: A range of scalp infections are attributed to hair loss.
This includes ringworm – a fungal infection, folliculitis – hair follicles inflammation, dandruff, etc.
Depending upon the type of the infection, your dermatologist may prescribe shampoos, lotions, or medications for treatment.
Unhealthy Lifestyle: A nutrition deficient diet will fail to provide your follicles with the much-required vitamins and minerals.
Some studies have also found links between smoking and hair fall. Whereas sleep deprivation, stress, and weakness are other reasons.
If you can relate your daily routine with these factors, giving up unhealthy practices is a sound and simple treatment for you.
Treatments for Hair Thinning
- Medications
- Minoxidil: This OTC solution is available in the form of lotion or shampoo. On application, Minoxidil is believed to alter the hair growth cycle by extending the growth period and limiting the resting phase. It is an FDA-approved treatment for both men and women.
The common side-effects are redness or stinging. However, very rarely, patients have also reported dizziness, irregular heartbeat, and other serious allergic reactions.
In case you experience any, it is better to stop the application and consult your doctor first.
- Finasteride: Prescribed only to adult men, this medication is verified by FDA as a treatment to pattern baldness. It works by halting the production of the DHT hormone. Consequently, hair growth is accelerated.
Though beneficial, there are some serious side effects associated with it. Therefore, it is recommended to seek the advice of a professional before consumption.
- Laser Therapy
- Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy: PRP is a three-step procedure to promote hair growth. Firstly, the patient’s blood is drawn. The sample is then processed in a centrifuge to extract platelet-rich plasma from the rest. The final step is injecting the platelet-rich plasma where hair restoration is required.
Though there are limited studies on PRP, many have found the treatment effective for mild-to-moderate levels of hair loss.
- Low-Level Laser Therapy: LLLT or cold laser therapy, involves using photons to stimulate hair growth. It is widely accepted as a safe, non-invasive, and effective procedure for hair thinning. Nevertheless, one may require several sessions before seeing evident results.
- Hair Transplants
In recent years, hair transplants have emerged as one of the most popular cosmetic treatments. The reason is simple, they have shown effective and permanent results.
Around 41% of patients receiving hair transplants have an advanced degree of hair loss. This implies that those having serious levels of hair loss can find hair transplants as a reliable treatment.
Depending on your condition, the doctor may prescribe you:
- Follicular Unit Transplantation: In FUT, a strip of skin is removed from any suitable donor area (area rich in hair follicles). The incision is stitched and the strip is divided into tiny grafts. These grafts are then implanted into the balding area/s.
Though FUT is an invasive procedure, it is recommended to those wanting wider coverage and comparatively less expensive surgery.
- Follicular Unit Extraction: During FUE, individual hair follicles are extracted from the donor area with the help of a micropunch tool. After that, tiny incisions are cut into the balding area to implant follicles. The area is then covered with a bandage for proper recovery.
Advantages of FUE include a quick recovery period, versatility, and no significant scarring.
The Outlook
If you’re seeing even the slightest signs of hair loss then follow the motto of – the sooner the better.
If you have any qualms about your condition, don’t hesitate to book an appointment with your doctor.
They might suggest these or any other solution suited best for your case.