Despite what people say about not judging a book by its cover, it so happens that most people are judged by their covers- the way they look. And a full, healthy head of hair is pivotal to many individuals’ self-confidence and appearance. Hair thinning or falling out can be quite agonizing. Luckily for you, there are a lot of things you can do to prevent hair loss or encourage hair growth.

As with every other medical condition, the best approach to slow down or stop it altogether is to address the root cause. Be it surgery, childbirth, or any other extreme stressor. If instances like these are factors, hair loss can be short-lived (telogen effluvium). At other times, things get a little more complicated. In this blog, we will break down tips on how to stop hair loss and we will give you the answers to every question you might have in your head.

Overview

Hair loss, known in the medical field as alopecia, can impact your scalp only or your full body, and it can either be temporary or permanent. The underlying reasons for it might be medical conditions, hormonal changes, hereditary issues, or sometimes it might even come as a normal stage of aging. Anyone is vulnerable to hair loss in their head, but men are more at risk.

In plain English, baldness adverts to unreasonable hair loss from the scalp, The most common cause of it being hereditary hair loss with age. Numerous people choose to let their hair loss follow its natural progression unhidden and untreated. Others, decide to cover it up by putting scarves, hats, makeup, and hairstyles to use. And then there is a group of people, that is getting bigger each day, that decides on treatments available to prevent further hair loss or restore growth. Ahead of going after hair loss treatment, make sure to discuss with your doctor the underlying cause of your hair loss and which are the best alternatives to solve it.

Symptoms

Hair loss can come in different forms, depending entirely on the underlying grounds. It can appear all of a sudden or progressively and impact simply your scalp or your full body.

The effects of hair loss may include:

• Eventual thinning on top of the head. The most widespread kind of hair loss impacts people as they are aging. In men, it begins with the receding at the hairline on the forehead. While in women, it is more of a broadening of the part in their hair. A significantly usual hair loss pattern in aged women is a receding hairline (frontal fibrosing alopecia).
• Circular or patchy bald spots. Many individuals lose hair in circular or patchy bald spots on the scalp, eyebrows, or beard. The skin starts becoming itchy or painful before hair falls out.
• Abrupt loosening of hair. Emotional or physical shocks can be the reason for loose hair. You might suddenly start noticing handfuls of hair coming out when washing your hair, combing it, or even when gently tugging on it. This kind of hair loss is typically the cause of overall hair thinning but it is temporary.
• Whole-body hair loss. Certain medical treatments and conditions, such as chemotherapy for cancer can lead to loss of hair across the body. The hair, however, grows back.
• Patches of scaling that spread over the scalp. This is the main symptom of ringworm. It might be joined by redness, swelling, broken hair, and oftentimes, oozing.

Causes

Generally, we as individuals lose 50 to 100 hairs per day. This goes usually unnoticed due to the fact that new hair is growing at the very same time. Basically, hair loss happens whenever new hair is unable to replace the hair that has fallen out.

As a rule, hair loss is associated with one or more of the following elements:

Family history (heredity/ genetics)

The most widespread reason behind hair loss is a genetic condition that occurs with aging. Namely, androgenic alopecia. Known commonly as male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness. The hair loss typically happens little by little and in prognostic patterns- thinning hair alongside the crown of the scalp in females and a receding hairline and bald spots in men.

Hormonal changes and medical conditions

As aforementioned, there are many factors that can be the cause of permanent or temporary hair loss, among which: hormonal changes due to thyroid problems, menopause, childbirth, or pregnancy. Medical conditions encompass trichotillomania (a hair-pulling disorder), ringworm (scalp infection), and the most prevalent one, alopecia areata (an autoimmune disorder that results in patchy hair loss).

Medications and supplements

Hair loss can additionally be a side effect of certain medications, including those employed for arthritis, heart problems, gout, high blood pressure, cancer, and depression.

Radiation therapy to the head

This does not need much explanation- due to radiation therapy done to the head, the hair might not be able to grow back the same way it was before.

A very stressful event

Numerous individuals go through an overall thinning of hair for a few months following an emotional or physical shock. This hair loss, however, is temporary.

Hairstyles and treatments

Outrageous hairstyles or hair styling that involve pulling your hair tightly, such as cornrows, or pigtails, can lead to a kind of hair loss named traction alopecia. Permanents and hot-oil hair treatments can also be the underlying reason for hair to fall out. If scarring is involved in the hair loss process, it might mean that the hair loss could be permanent.

Diagnosis

Prior to setting a diagnosis, your medical practitioner will highly assess your physical condition and ask about your hair care routine, your diet, and your medical and family anamnesis. You might also be advised to undergo tests, such as:

• Blood screenings. These tests might aid in uncovering medical conditions that lead to hair loss.
• Pull tests. Several dozen hairs are pulled to see how many come out. This aids in establishing the phase of the shedding process.
• Scalp biopsy. Samples are scraped from the skin or from a number of hairs plucked from the scalp to assess the hair roots under a microscope. This can assist in determining the effect of an infection on hair loss.
• Light microscopy. A special tool is used to assess hairs trimmed at their bases. With the help of the microscope, the doctor is able to uncover probable disorders of the hair shaft.

Treatment

There are numerous effective treatments available for some kinds of hair loss. There is a chance of reversing hair loss, or at least slowing it down. With certain conditions, such as alopecia areata otherwise known as patchy hair loss, hair might regrow without the need for any treatment within a year. Treatments for hair loss involve medications and surgery.

Medication

In the event that your hair loss comes as a result of an underlying disease, needless to say that treatment for that disease will be needed. On the other hand, if there is a certain medication that is causing hair loss, the doctor will recommend stopping its use for a couple of months.

Medications are commonly used as a treatment for pattern or genetic baldness. Among which:

Minoxidil (Rogaine)

Over-the-counter or non-prescribed minoxidil comes in different forms such as liquid, foam, or even shampoo. In order for the product to be efficacious it should be applied to the scalp skin once daily for women and twice daily for men. The foam is generally preferred to be used when the hair is wet. The prevention of further hair loss and the beginning of hair regrowth takes at least six months of treatment. However, it should be noted that the effect varies from one individual to another meaning it might take a few more months to tell whether the treatment is the right solution for you. In case it is working, you will be advised to continue using it indefinitely to retain its benefits. As with any other type of medication minoxidil does have its side effects such as irritation of the scalp and unwanted hair growth on the neighboring skin of the face and hands.

Finasteride (Propecia)

Specifically made for men, finasteride is a prescription drug that should be taken daily as a pill. It works by slowing down hair loss and putting it to a complete stop, and in some people, it even helps in growing new hair. Though it takes a few months to show whether it is efficient or not, it needs to be taken continuously to retain any benefits. It is notable that finasteride does not work as well for 60-year-old men and beyond. Regrettably, finasteride has its side effects too but fortunately, they are very rare and they include: diminished sex drive and sexual function and an enhanced risk of prostate cancer. Pregnant women should absolutely abstain from touching crushed or broken tablets.

Other medications

Other oral alternatives include dutasteride (Avodart) and spironolactone (Aldactone, Carospir).

Hair transplant surgery

The most common types of permanent hair loss only affect the top of the head. A hair transplant, or hair restoration surgery, can make an all-out effort of the hair left.

Throughout a hair transplant surgery, a cosmetic surgeon, or sometimes even a dermatologist, extracts hair follicles for a part of the head that has a high amount of hair and transfers it to a bald spot. Each patch of hair contains one or several hairs, known widely as micrografts and minigrafts. There are methods that require the taking of a larger strip of skin containing multiple hair groupings. Similar to other surgeries, a hair transplant procedure is painful, the reason why you will be administered local anesthetics or even general sedatives, if necessary, to ease any discomfort. But differently from other surgeries, a hair transplant procedure does not need hospitalization, meaning you are allowed to go back home right after the surgery is completed.

There are possible risks and complications included but it should be noted that they are very rare, risks such as bruising, swelling, infection, or bleeding. Another thing to be mindful of is the fact that there might be more than one surgery needed to get the expected results. And ultimately, genetic hair loss will eventually progress despite surgery.

Laser therapy

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has lately given its approval on a low-level laser device as a treatment for genetic hair loss in both women and men. There haven’t been many studies around it yet, however, the few small studies done have given full information on how it improves hair density. To know more about it, more studies are needed.

FAQS

Why does my hair fall out so easily?

The loss of hair impacts many people’s lives to different degrees at some point seeing as it is a very usual occurrence. The underlying reasons of it might be one or a mezcal of the following: nutritional changes, illnesses such as anemia or thyroid disease, hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, puberty, and menopause, severe stress, genetics, vitamin D deficiency, or side effects of tough medication (such as chemotherapy).

Why is my hair thinning?

Hair thinning in male pattern hair loss can be ascribed in many men to hereditary factors and hair follicles' sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Au contraire, female pattern hair loss, which is quite similar to the male pattern when it comes to miniaturization of hair follicles does not have any known cause.

Is there a difference between male and female hair loss?

Both women and men can go through androgenetic alopecia, which is set off by genetics and hormones. Hair loss happens more immensely and much faster in men. As a matter of fact, hair loss in men may show itself as early as puberty with the commencement of hair receding near the temples, and the arrival of the typical “M” shaped hairline. Contrariwise, hair loss in women starts with thinning at the top of the head, which is visible at the part line. Hair thinning can go underway as early as their mid-20s or 30s, because of aging and hormonal changes. In certain instances, baldness and hair thinning in women may also happen because of treatable illnesses such as anemia or thyroid disease.

Can stress cause hair loss?

The answer to this question depends ultimately on the amount of stress you are going through and the impact it has on the normal functions of the body. Habitually, the daily stress we experience is not sufficient to lead to hair loss. Nevertheless, severe stress that comes as a result of traumatic events, such as surgery, extreme weight loss, a dramatic change in diet, or perhaps a divorce, can lead to physiological imbalances in your system.

Such physiological alterations can be the cause of hair loss because they start shocking your body’s normal processes. So, several natural functions are interrupted or disturbed, including your hair cycle growth. In some other cases, such physiological alterations might trigger a bigger amount of hair on the head to go into a resting phase, giving the idea of hair loss or hair that is not growing.

Is it normal to be bald at 18? What is the best age for a hair transplant?

From our expertise, undergoing a hair transplant is not recommended for young people with extensive hair loss. Taking into account the fact that the donor site is quite restricted and the site seeking transplant is extremely big, there might be a clash between the patient’s expectations and the true probable outcomes. If a young fellow wants to proceed with the hair transplant, the outcomes would not presumably look just as good as they would expect it to look.

As per the rule of decades, in a selected group of men in their mid-20s, around 20% have a chance of losing their hair. Meaning, 80% of men in their mid-20s have good hair, yet. With that being said, any kind of hair transplantation is unable to achieve the same full volume that numerous currents have and will have during their 20s, because hair transplants are quite restricted by nature. The rule of thumb is for a young person to wait for about 10 to 15 years prior to determining the full expansion of his pattern baldness, after which he might take into account a hair transplant.

Youngsters struggling with hair loss might also take advantage of two FDA-approved drugs to aid: finasteride and minoxidil. Our experience has shown though that younger patients do not retaliate to either of the drugs.

Are hair transplants a temporary or permanent answer for my baldness?

By its very nature, hair transplants are transferred from the permanent area in the back of the scalp, the reason why, the hairs that outlive the transplant are not apt to thin or fall out. With the follicular unit extraction method (FUE), hair is taken out of the permanent zone, so it might so happen that some of the transplanted hair is prone to hair loss. With the follicular unit transplantation method (FUT), hair is taken from the donor site in the back of the head that has generally and genetically resistant hair follicles to hair loss, so they are less susceptible to hair loss and have a higher rate of survival.

Though the donor site can be reaped time after time for hair grafts, it is after all a restricted source of hair.

Some other factors can lead to transplanted hair grafts falling out, including not enough blood supply attaining transplanted follicles, hair follicles remaining outside the body too long prior to being transplanted, and blood pressure throughout transplantation- known as popping.

What to do with scabs after a hair transplant?

Following a hair transplant procedure, many are scared of doing anything that might cause pain to their grafts. The crusts and scabs are practically dead skin cells, mucus, and other elements of the healing process. To maintain your hair in shape, you should use an appropriate moisturizer and a great shampoo to scrub them off. The scabs will typically diminish within a couple of weeks.