Hair diseases treating Another important cause of falling hair is stress, such as worry, anxiety and sudden shock. Stress leads to a severe tension in the skin of the scalp. This adversely affects the supply of essential nutrition required for the healthy growth of hair. There are many surgical procedures which will help to restore the hair from falling. Surgical restoration is the only permanent solution to baldness. It involves a series of operations that extract plugs of scalp from the sides and back of your head, where hair grows densely, and implant them on top and in front, where you are going bald. Scalp reduction is performed on patients with well-defined bald spots in the crown area of the scalp. It is sometimes done in conjunction with hair transplantaion to reduce the size of the bald scalp, especially in patients who do not have enough donor hair to cover the bald areas. For men, hair loss is male pattern baldness. Yes, there are other types of hair loss, including rare conditions such as alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis, where the entire scalp and entire body, respectively, become completely bald due to a viral condition that is irreversible. There is also patch baldness, in which hair falls out in patches of the scalp. This is caused by stress or poor nutrition or adverse scalp conditions. But the hair will usually grow back once the cause has been rectified. Male pattern baldness that is the condition responsible for over 98% of all hair loss in men. It gets its name from the pattern of hair loss, which ultimately results in a horseshoe of hair that resides on the sides and back of the head, while the top of the head is completely bald. Some men begin MPB by losing the hair in their hairline. Others start in the crown. Minoxidil (Rogaine). This over-the-counter medication is approved for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata. Minoxidil is a liquid that you rub into your scalp twice daily to regrow hair and to prevent further loss. Some people experience some hair regrowth or a slower rate of hair loss or both. Minoxidil is available in a 2 percent solution and in a 5 percent solution. New hair resulting from minoxidil use may be thinner and shorter than previous hair. But there can be enough regrowth for some people to hide their bald spots and have it blend with existing hair. New hair stops growing soon after you discontinue the use of minoxidil. If you experience minimal results within six months, your doctor may recommend discontinuing use. Side effects can include irritation of the scalp. Finasteride (Propecia). This prescription medication to treat male-pattern baldness is taken daily in pill form. Many people taking finasteride experience a slowing of hair loss, and some may show some new hair growth. Positive results may take several months. Finasteride works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that shrinks hair follicles and is an important factor in male hair loss. Rare side effects of finasteride include diminished sex drive and sexual function. As with minoxidil, the benefits of finasteride stop if you stop using it. Finasteride is not approved for use by women. In fact, it poses significant danger to women of childbearing age. If you're a pregnant woman, don't even handle crushed or broken finasteride tablets because absorption of the drug may cause serious birth defects in male fetuses. Corticosteroids. Injections of cortisone into the scalp can treat alopecia areata. Treatment is usually repeated monthly. Doctors sometimes prescribe corticosteroid pills for extensive hair loss due to alopecia areata. Ointments and creams can also be used, but they may be less effective than injections.
Restore your hair by hair transplantation Since hair transplantation is a surgical procedure, all patients must be in good health. Hair transplantation is an office procedure that takes approximately four to eight hours depending on the extent of the planned procedure. Most people return to work two to five days after the surgery. The site from where the hair is taken is usually a fine scar line which is hidden by the permanent hair in that area. After the procedure there are tiny marks where the grafts have been placed. Initially there is some crusting over these areas (5-14 days) but after this, these areas are usually not detectable. In most cases, immediately after the hair transplant the hairs fall out of the grafts, and do not regrow for 1-3 months. After this they begin to grow as normal hair. With each session there is more hair, and the resulting appearance is thicker hair. Women with localized thinning on the top of their heads or thinning around the temples often make good candidates for hair transplantation. Prior to evaluation for hair transplantation, it is important for women to discuss your thinning hair with a dermatologist and/or endocrinologist to make sure there is no other treatable reason for the hair loss. Hair transplantation is universally accepted as a treatment for hair loss. While it was developed and first offered as a hair-loss treatment for men, women have increasingly found hair transplantation a viable option to correct the cosmetic deficit of thinning hair. Advances in hair transplantation techniques and better understanding of the biology of female hair loss contributed to the evolution of hair transplantation got women. Hair loss is not "an inevitable sign of getting older". It has been reported in studies that about 80% of women experience some degree of hair loss before menopause. Much of this hair loss has a hereditary basis-female pattern hair loss.
Hair care tips Did you notice that when you shampoo your hair the amount of lather often varies? Usually, the more lather you have, the less buildup you have on your hair. It's also important to fully rinse out the shampoo to eliminate any residual detergents--they can damage the hair shaft and scalp. Frequently shampooing can dry out your hair and, therefore, must be followed by the use of a moisturizing conditioner. It is very important to work the conditioner through all of your hair and leave it in for three to five minutes. Again, many people misapply and misuse conditioner by not working it through to the ends of the hair and not leaving it on long enough. Hair requires the same overall nutrition that the body does: plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, grains and protein including lean meat and fish. Dietitians recommend foods high in biotin, including brown rice, bulgar, brewer's yeast, soybeans, green peas, lentils, oats, sunflower, seeds and nutritious nuts. Nutritionists advise healthy hair seekers to eat well-balanced diets that incorporate healthy proteins along with foods high in vitamins B, C, E, A and K. Hair instantly responds to the addition of protein-rich foods such as meats, eggs, cheese, seeds and nuts. Fish packs a double punch of protein combined with health building essential fatty acids and natural oils. We recommend you discuss your diet with a medical professional.
Hair growth Hair is composed of Keratin, a special protein that also produces our fingernails and toenails the nails and forms the protective outer layer of our skin. Each strand of hair consists of three concentric layers, the cuticle, the cortex and the medulla. The innermost layer of hair is called the medulla and reflects light giving hair the various color tones it has. That's why hair color looks a lot different in sunlight than it does in the shade. Whether you have straight or curly hair depends on the shape of the cortex. If the cross section of the cortex is round you will have straight hair, if the cortex is oval shaped you will have curly or wavy hair. About 90 percent of the hair on a person's scalp is growing at any one time. The growth phase lasts between two and six years. Ten percent of the hair is in a resting phase that lasts two to three months. At the end of its resting stage, the hair is shed. When a hair is shed, a new hair from the same follicle replaces it and the grow-ing cycle starts again.
Terms and definitionsAlopecia Areata
- Alopecia areata is a hair loss condition which usually affects the scalp. It can, however, sometimes affect other areas of the body.
Hair loss
- A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.
Hair transplantation
- Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure used to treat baldness or hair loss (alopecia). Typically, tiny patches of scalp are removed from the back and sides of the head and implanted in the bald spots in the front and top of the head.
Protein
- Important building blocks of the body, composed of amino acids, involved in the formation of body structures and controlling the basic functions of the human body.
- Complex organic molecules made up of amino acids. Proteins are basic components of all living cells and are therefore among the principal substances that make up the body.
Ringworm
- The term "ringworm" refers to fungal infections that are on the surface of the skin. The early belief was that the infection was due to a worm, which it is not, although the name has stuck. Some of these fungi produce round spots, but many do not.
Thyroid
- A gland in the throat that produces hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.
- A large gland in the neck that functions in the endocrine system. The thyroid secretes hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.
Alopecia
- A hair loss, baldness, and epilation.
- Alopecia, also called hair loss, baldness, and epilation, is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Baldness
- A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.
Biotin
Follicles
- A follicle (from the Latin folliculus) is a term to describe a small spherical group of cells containing a cavity.
Grafts
- To transplant or implant surgically into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.
Hormone
- A substance, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism.
Scalp
- The skin covering the top of the human head with its attached hair.
Stress
- Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on something.
- The relative force with which a sound or syllable is spoken.
- Accent or a mark representing such emphasis or force.
- An applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body.
- A mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.
- A state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain.
- A physical and psychological response that results from being exposed to a demand or pressure.
Testosterone
- A white crystalline steroid hormone, C19H28O2, produced primarily in the testes and responsible for the development and maintenance of male secondary sex characteristics. It is also produced synthetically for use in medical treatment.
|
