Treatments of hair loss
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| Introduction What is hair loss? Patterns of hair loss
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Introduction
Hair provides the face with a beautiful frame. People often judge others on the basis of the color, style and length of their hair. Even their own self esteem and confidence is based on how presentable their hair is. Over the years, the hair has a strong impact on the perception that people have about themselves, so its every important to keep the hair and scalp healthy and choose the right treatment for hair loss.
Hair loss or Alopecia is a medical term used to describe hair loss from the scalp which may be partial or complete. The different patterns of hair loss can be polygenetic disorders of idiopathic etiology. Despite serious research work, the gene responsible for this action is yet not known. The average age for hair loss has reached early 20’ due to increased pollution, exposure to chemicals and improper diet.
To understand how to go about the treatment of hair loss, we need to understand the patterns of hair loss-
- Patchy hair loss – Chunks of hair falls from various areas of the scalp, leaving some areas unaffected.
- General hair loss – Thinning or falling of hair takes places uniformly all over the scalp.
Before going ahead with a procedure, it’s important to study the patient’s hair type, the hair density in the posterior scalp (donor area in case of hair transplant), quality of hair, density and extent of hair loss. At the same time it’s important to screen the cause of hair loss as it helps to select the best treatment…top
Treatment
Since the etiology of hair loss continues to baffle doctors and scientists alike, there are various theories stating that deteriorating lifestyles, irregularly eating habits and increased level of stress, has resulted in hair loss that is affecting everyone alike. With the increased demand for treatment of hair loss, doctors and beauticians have come up with many ways to tackle it.
Hair loss can be treated in many ways
- Medical- using medicines and surgeries
- Cosmetic- Under going hair loss treatment using chemical products and external applications usually performed in salons.
- Exercise- certain forms of treatments used by different civilizations to counter hair loss problems
- Dietary supplements- addition of certain nutrients in the diet is believed to be an effective treatment for hair lossA) Medical treatment of hair loss
Even in the medical field there are various schools of thought that have their own theories for hair loss and their treatments.Allopathic treatment-
One of the oldest schools of medicine, allopathic treatments for most ailments are the most trusted by people all over. In fact, all the surgical and diagnostic devices have been developed due to allopathic cure leading to efficient and reliable diagnosis of hair loss and its treatment.
The forms of allopathic hair loss treatments are as follows-
SurgicalSurgical methods are incredibly quick and result oriented. If skillfully performed, they can last a life time, with a natural finish unlike the fake appearance that a wig offers. The scalp density of and average human is around 80-100 units per cm2 .So a person with thin , fine hair will produce thin fine hair, while a woman with thick curly will produce thick curly hair. Two of the most popular forms are:
- Hair transplant-Besides being the most effective, if performed by a competent surgeon, it is a safe form of treatment. But it is important to note the caliber and density of hair on the posterior scalp as that is the donor region. Higher the density and better the quality, better the hair growth in the transplanted region. The procedure involve removing the healthy hair bearing portions with follicles that are genetically resistant to baldness and transplanting them onto the bald patch where they take root and grow as natural hair. Also termed as follicular unit transplantation, it can be best explained as redistribution of hair on the scalp. The follicular groupings are removed from the posterior part of the scalp by an elliptical excision and carefully dissected and divided into follicular units which are then added on the recipient site of the scalp. These sites are carefully created between thinning hair and the effect of this surgery can last for years.
- Tissue expansion- another successful way or overcoming alopecia is tissue expansion that involves performing a surgery using a balloon type device implanted under the scalp that helps in expansion of the bald scalp. This generates a favorable condition for the hair bearing scalp to cover up the bald patch. The men who have hair on the sides and at the back are the ones who benefit the most from it. This form treatment of hair loss is also recommended in cases of burn alopecia.
Even in the non-surgical treatment of hair loss, there are two ways to control loss of hair namely-
- Internal- For internal cure, the physician administers drugs like Propecia and Avodart. Though the effect of the drug varies depending on the constitutional setup of the person and degree of baldness, it has proved to bring some relief to people suffering from alopecia areata. But the use of Propecia is limited to only men.
- External- Certain external applications like Minoxidil, marketed as Rogaine have shown remarkable results in thickening of hair by promoting hair regrowth. It is a potassium channel opener i.e., it is a vasodilator that broadens the opening of blood vessels, thus resulting in increased blood circulation This helps the hair roots to strengthen and regrow. It is applied directly on the scalp and gently massaged till it is well absorbed. On early interventional of hair loss, this form of treatment has shown good prognosis…top
Ayurvedic Treatment
Ayurveda, again a very old reputed school of medicine, differs in its approach to diseases from allopathic modes of treatments. It abides by the laws of 3 doshas: “Pitta”, “vata” and “Kapha”. Hair loss is believed to be caused by excessive “Pitta dosha” in the body. Equilibrium can be brought in even in pitta dosha by using Ayurvedic techiniques like diet, oil massage and yoga. The forms of hair loss treatments can be summarized as –
Ayurvedic diet- as per pitta dosha, people suffering from alopecia should adhere to the following rules- Avoid excess salt and spice in food
- Avoid pickles, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, vinegar, doughnuts and coffee as all these aggravate the condition.
- Start your day with cold cereals, cinnamon toast and cold apple tea.
- Stick to vegetarian diet at meat and fish don’t agree with the Pitta dosh.
- Avoid alcohol, fermented and processed food as they exacerbate the condition.
- Consume starchy food such as vegetables, grains and beans.
- Drink 1/3 cup of aloe vera juice daily to reduce pitta
- Nibble on small amount of sesame seeds as they are a rich source of calcium and magnesium that help to strengthen hair follicles.
Ayurvedic Massage – A good oil massage stimulates growth of hair follicles thus increasing the health of the hair and the scalp.
- A gentle massage of coconut oil on the scalp for a few minutes promotes blood circulation. Rubbing some coconut oil on your feet every night also helps in restoring hair follicles back to health.
- Massaging almond oil helps to strengthen hair follicle and reduces hair loss
- Massage of Brahmi or Bringraj oil also helps a great deal in increasing blood circulation to the scalp.
- Massage with Amla oil which is rich in vitamin C replenishes the roots and adds shine and strength to the hair…top
Yoga - This ancient form of exercise is trusted to treat hair fall by putting the body through exercises that result in increased blood circulation to the scalp. Two of the most common forms that yield great results are
- Shirshasana- this is a form of headstand in which gravity help in providing instant blood supply to the head, providing the hair follicles with rich blood supply.
- Pranayama- These are breathing techniques adopted during yoga that results in increased inhalation of oxygen due to which fresh, oxygenated blood travels to the heart from the lungs. This fresh blood is pumped from the heart to the rest of the body and is utilized by the tissues and cells for their proliferation.
Ayurvedic herbs - Applying selected Ayurvedic herbs can yield some lasting results.
- Boil lemon leaves in water, cool and rinse the scalp and hair with it.
- Bathing the hair with apple cider vinegar and saga tea stimulates the growth of the hair.
- Licorice extracts are believed to efficiently treat hair loss
- Washing of hair with reetha, amla and shika kai strengthens the hair, thus preventing hair fall.
Homeopathic Treatment
Homeopathy is a 200 year old system of medicine which is based on the principle of ‘like cures like’. It goes by the belief that it’s the whole individual that has to be treated and not just the disease. Even in the case of hair fall it adheres to this rule stating that such condition is brought about by a change in disposition of the person. The medicines are administered based on the patient’s constitution and not just the specific disease.
The medicines administered are based on the discretion of the attending physician. It’s been proved that homeopathic remedies do not have any severe adverse reactions and hence are safe even for pregnant women and babies. The most effective homeopathic remedies are-- Fluoric acid- for brittle hair that falls out in small tufts
- Kali carbonicum- For weak, dry and thinning hair
- Kali Sulphuricum- For hair suffering from dandruff, which is thick, yellow, moist and sticky resulting in severe hair fall and bald spots.
- Natrum mur- For greasy scalp suffering from hair loss and dandruff.
- Phosphorous- Specifically for hair fall in huge chunks
- Phosphorus acidum- Provides an effective treatment in alopecia stemming from depression.
- Selenium- For hair loss where it is painful to even touch the scalp.
- Calc Phos – For hair loss after fever
- Kali Sulph- For severe hair fall coupled with dandruff and scaly eruptions
- Selenium- For under nourished hair and scalp.
In case of hair loss, physicians are cautious to administer drugs in low potency as it results in negligible aggravation and brings about sure shot relief.
B) Cosmetic treatment of hair loss
Cosmetic forms of hair treatments provide temporary relief from hair loss/alopecia by successfully camouflaging the baldness. These are progressively advocated over surgical treatments as they are reversible and easy on the pocket. The cosmetic treatments available in the market are.- Hair weaving- this is an aesthetic form of hair integration involving addition of hair (human or synthetic) to the scalp by braiding/weaving it in. The final results are impressive with woven hair growing with the root area of the patient’s hair. But this method needs to be maintained with regular visits to the salon every 4-5 weeks. Hair weaving is preferred for patients with scarce hair growth on the region above the frontal bone (receding hair line near the temple) and is preferred by male patients suffering from alopecia.
- Hair bonding- This process differs from hair weaving as it is only recommended to patience suffering from thinning of hair that result in bald patches on the scalp. In case of women, using natural hair for bonding allows them to curl, straighten and blow dry their hair which is not possible in case of synthetic hair as heat can damage them. They can also be used for beautifications as they give a quick alternative for long or colored hair.
- Sprays- Certain hair sprays and colors are applied on the scalp to give it a fuller appearance, though the effects may not the profound, it provides a quick fix for thin hair.
C) Exercise
Exercising the scalp proves to be an effective means to ward off hair loss problems. Patients are advised to gently massage the scalp using their fingers as this action promotes blood circulation and infuses the roots with essential nutrients. Another benefit of this is that the enhanced blood circulation helps in washing out toxins and unwanted substances that endorse bad hair growth. Thus the cleansing helps in regrowth of hair.D) Dietary supplements
For people with relatively unhealthy diet, it’s important to scrutinize the potential causes and correct them. Severe dieting program’s to overcome weight gain results in severe nutritional deficiencies leading to hair thinning and falling. The most vital nutrients for hair growth are vitamins and minerals and the perfect way to maintain a healthy supply of these nutrients in the body is to have a healthy diet.
The foods that promote hair growth are-- Fruits- fresh apples, oranges, melons, berries etc are rich in vitamins providing the body with a good dose of natural nutrients. As these are eaten in their raw form, without cooking, the body gets the advantage of high supply of vitamins.
- Vegetables- Though all the vegetables have a good amount of nutrition, the green leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage and broccoli offer the maximum benefit especially if consumed in raw forms such as salads.
- Dairy- dairy food comprising of milk, cheese and yogurt is a rich source of vitamin B-12 and calcium that help in having healthy hair.
- Nuts- Daily intake of nuts helps to promote hair growth as they are rich in monounsaturated fats.
The cost and duration of all the above treatments differ. But the good news is that there at least one hair treatment that suits every pocket. Depending on the degree and duration of damage, the patient is spoilt for choice…top
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Filed under: Hair Loss by admin on Mon, June 14th, 2010
June 14, 2010