Before knowing about the treatments for hair loss, let us know what causes the hair loss exactly. The loss of hair is the normal part of the hair growth cycle and replacement. The hair follicles will go through the process of growth and resting in a non-transcribed manner. One could say genetics might factor in both women and men. Heredity or genetics might justify the loss of hair, when said the genetics the major thing which comes to mind is alopecia or baldness. The rest might depend on the factors like stress level, diet, illness, medications and many more. Speaking about heredity and hair loss, these two can be interrelated like the male pattern of baldness and the female pattern of baldness. It will usually occur gradually in a more predictable pattern like decreasing hairline and bald spots in men and thinning of hair in the women.
Reason for the hair loss
A lot of research has gone into finding the basic root cause of hair loss, when looking into that pandora a lot of reasons come up, let’s look into that quite briefly in the below section:
Excessive stress or hormonal changes:
The population can have hair fall due to extreme stress and pollution. Hormonal changes and other hereditary problems are the main factors.
Drug medications, lack/excess of vitamins or minerals:
Chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer patients; unusually high levels of vitamin A or low level of iron or protein and women, birth pills can cause hair loss. These are the main factors for hair loss, drugs are used to treat high pressure, heart problems, depression, or gout. Chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer patients; unusually high levels of vitamin A or low levels of iron or protein for women.
Diseases/Infection:
Some diseases like thyroid or severe infection or flu; like ringworm or fungus infection of the scalp can result in hair loss.
Childbirth:
For women who gave birth might temporarily feel hair loss due to the changes in the body. In some cases, conditions like trichotillomania the scalp hair, eyebrow hair, and eyelashes.
Treatments for the hair growth which works
Minoxidil
This is a topical agent which helps in the widening of the blood vessels allowing more blood and oxygen for the hair follicles as it is nutrient dense it helps in reducing hair fall. As with any topical agent, this has to apply in an effective daily method to see the best results.
Finasteride
This is a drug that interrupts the production of Dihydrotestosterone or also known as DHT which induces hair fall or damage genetically. To withhold this, a reaction in the hair follicles finasteride helps to chelate this agent and slows hair loss. This is not an OTC drug and it is a prescribed medication. This has to be consumed by men once a day to escape from genetically inherited alopecia.
Low-level light therapy
This growth factor concentration therapy has specific strength as this is frequency driven, this helps in the widening of the hair follicles which surges the cellular efficiency leading the hair to regrow and rejuvenate. This treatment should be consistent and the hair left in the follicles has shown tremendous positive outcomes.
Telogen effluvium
This is a situation where more hair in the dormant phase which is telogen rather than the growth phase anagen has hair loss. However, this type of hair loss can be very much predictable even though it is not permanent. But this helps the hair to grow back because it helps in decreasing the surge of the stress hormone and causes a healthy balance.
Now coming to hair transplant therapies which have taken a wide eye from everyone as one passes certain age and loses all the hair nothing seems to be an option other than going for a hair transplant. There are many ways for a hair transplant but here you will see the major types of hair transplant procedures used widely all over the world.
Scalp reduction
This is the process where it comes in the earliest of the transplantation methods. During this process, the scalp where there is balding will be removed surgically and most of the time this will the crown at top of the head, after removal the scalp area that has the hair is stretched over to cover and replace the spot which has been removed. This is a meticulous process which is applicable for the suitable type of cohort who has a good quantity of hair on the back and on the sides of the scalp. One can even say after the follicular unit of hair transplant and the follicular unit of hair extraction the scalp reduction procedure has been reduced.
Follicular Unit of hair transplantation
The follicular unit of hair transplantation is an intrusive method. The follicular units of the hair are made into groupings as they are grown naturally on the scalp. Typically this contains 1,2,3 or 4 hair. This begins with the doctor cutting the strip of the tissue from the scalp, before cutting it into thousands of follicular units. These units are then strategically placed around the head and after the doctor has created certain pockets of holes in the scalp by removing the thin strip of hair from the patient’s head, then this hair moiety from the donor area is taken, the donor area is the place where the hair loss is not liable. Then this will be transplanted to the balding area through the scalp and let the hair grow. As the above procedure might seem complicated however this technique has very satisfying results.
Follicular Unit extraction
The other method is the follicular unit extraction which involves taking the individual follicular unit which grafts from the back of the head one by one by cutting around it through a tiny, specialized instrument or robotic machine and removing the hair follicles. This process can be tedious and will take a few numbing injections. Once removed the donor area, the follicular unit is then transplanted.
Does hair loss treatment covered by insurance?
There is a myth that hair loss treatment will be covered by insurance, there is no such thing as hair loss insurance. No company or any organization will cover the hair loss or alopecia, any expenses for the cost of the treatment should be bore by the individual itself.
For more information talk to experienced dermatologists at Noa Skin and Hair Clinic in Kadapa and Bengaluru
