Hair loss
Hair loss is also a concern as alopecia. Hair loss results when hair falls out from one part of the head. The head is usually affected. Hair loss can spread from a small area to the entire body. Usually, there is no inflammation or scarring. In some people, hair loss causes psychological distress. Common types include male-pattern or female-pattern hair loss, alopecia areata, and a thinning of the hair called telogen effluvium.
The cause for male pattern hair loss is a result of some genetic factors with male hormones; the cause for female pattern hair loss remains unknown the cause for alopecia areata is autoimmune, and typically, the cause of telogen shedding is a stressful physical or psychological event. Telogen effluvium is extremely common after pregnancy.
Less frequent causes of non-inflammatory and non-scarring hair loss are trichotillomania, certain drugs such as chemotherapy, AIDS, hypothyroidism, and malnutrition, including iron deficiency. Causes Hair loss diseases with the presence of scarring or inflammation include fungal infections, lupus erythematosus, radiation therapy, and sarcoidosis. Hair loss diagnosis is partly dependent upon the regions affected.
Hair Loss Symptoms
Symptoms of hair loss are associated with hair falling off usually in circular patterns, dandruff, lesions in the skin, and scars. Alopecia areata usually occurs in areas where the hair falls off that men usually do not have hair lost from, like eyebrows, the back of the head, or above the ears. Generally, male pattern baldness does not happen here. In male pattern baldness, hair starts falling or thinning around the temples and scalp. Female pattern baldness presents at the frontal and parietal levels.
Dermatological
A face, shoulders, and limbs scarred in multiple places point to cystic acne. The most severe condition, cystic acne, arises from the same hormonal imbalance that leads to hair loss and is considered to be associated with dihydrotestosterone production.
Psycho-social
Hair loss is an extremely complex psychological concern. Hair is a part of overall identity, especially for women who often associate it with being feminine and beautiful. In men, a full head of hair is often associated with youth and vitality. Those losing their hair are usually in a situation where their appearance is out of sync with the way they feel about themselves and often fear looking older than they are or less attractive to others. If such psychological problems from baldness are present, they are more serious initially.
Hair loss due to cancer chemotherapy has been reported to cause a change in self-image and body image. It has been reported that in most patients, even when hair grows back, the pre-existing body image does not return. For patients, this creates a problem in relaying feelings and a tendency to avoid conflicts with the family. Family counseling helps patients manage the psychological factor if it arises.
Causes of Hair Loss
Medications
Some medications cause permanent hair loss. Some of the drugs used to treat fungal infections cause massive hair loss. These include drugs for the management of blood pressure, drugs for diabetes, and heart problems. Any medication that affects hormonal control in the body leads to significant hair loss including pills for birth control hormone replacement therapies steroids and treatments for acne.
Trauma
Alopecia areata is common in persons who wear ponytails and braids wherein hairs can be pulled at will. Heavy brushing, heat, or cold can damage the scalp by causing damage to the cuticle, which forms the hard outer layer of the hair. Single hair shafts become fragile and begin to break off. This results in poor bulk volume of hair.
Frictional alopecia is the loss of hair due to friction of the hair or follicles, usually around the ankles of men due to socks, where even after the socks are not worn, the hair does not grow again.
Trichotillomania is hair loss that is caused by compulsive pulling and twisting of the hair. The presentation of this condition tends to start during the onset of puberty and typically continues into adulthood. Because hair roots are constantly being removed, permanent hair loss can be the result.
Pregnancy
Hair loss typically happens postpartum after giving birth and does not cause baldness. The hair is usually thicker when the woman is pregnant because estrogen is circulating. Three months after birth, the level of estrogen falls, which brings about hair loss, but it often falls more specifically around the hairline and the temple area. The hair usually returns to normal, so no treatment is needed. Another similar situation occurs in women undergoing treatment with clomiphene, which enhances fertility.
Diagnosis for hair loss
Surgery
Hair transplantation is usually performed using local anesthesia. A surgeon relocates healthy hair from the posterior and lateral aspects of the scalp to the thinning areas. This procedure takes an average of four to eight hours, and several sessions would be needed to obtain fuller hair. The transplanted hair falls out within some weeks but grows back for good after a few months.
There are surgeries including follicle transplants, scalp flaps, and hair loss reduction. These surgery procedures are more often preferred for those who feel uncomfortable seeing hair loss. They can be painful and costly besides risking infections and scarring. The area that has been left The balding scalp is covered by the hairy scalp. Scalp reduction is generally done in conjunction with a hair transplant to create a natural hairline, especially for people suffering from diffuse hair loss.
This then could be judged six to eight months after the treatment is done, for its quality as new hair.
Chemotherapy
Cooling caps may be used to avoid hair loss when a person undergoes taxanes. It is not recommended to use them when the tumor is located in the head, and in lymphoma and leukemia cases. In general, the side effects from head cooling administered with chemotherapy are minimal.
Medicine
The treatments for different types of hair loss are less effective. Many people develop allergic reactions to the propylene glycol found in minoxidil solution a foam version of minoxidil has been developed, without propylene glycol. People do not see their hair grow back after each minoxidil treatment. There is proof that three drugs work for male pattern baldness minoxidil, finasteride, and dutasteride.
Minoxidil is an over-the-counter drug for the treatment of male pattern baldness and alopecia areata. It is applied topically to the scalp, usually as a liquid or foam twice daily. Oral doses can be taken, although the route of administration has not been approved by the FDA.