How to cope with hair loss

A full, healthy head of hair is the foundation of many people's appearance and self-confidence. It might be upsetting if it starts to thin or fall out. Fortunately, you can take several steps to stop hair loss or promote hair growth.

Addressing the underlying reason, whether childbirth, surgery or another significant stressor, is the best method to delay or stop hair loss. Hair loss may occasionally be transitory if causes like these are present (telogen effluvium).

Other times, the root cause is more intricate.

What’s hair loss in women?

Women who suddenly lose a lot of hair are said to be experiencing hair loss. Humans normally lose between 50 and 100 individual hairs each day. Hair shedding is a natural process in which some hairs fall out, and new hairs grow in.

Hair loss occurs when the balance is upset—when less hair grows, and more hair falls out. Alopecia is the medical word for hair loss. Nearly every area of your body has hair growth. Vellus hair is defined as light, fine, and short hair. Terminally androgenic hair is longer, darker, and thicker.

Types of hair loss

While some types of hair loss are transitory, others are permanent. The most common types of hair loss consist of the following:

Androgenic alopecia: Anybody may experience this form of genetic baldness (hair loss in women).
Alopecia areata: It is an autoimmune condition that causes body and head hair to fall out.
Telogen effluvium: This type of hair loss is marked by rapid hair shedding over a brief period. It normally takes place a few months after your body has gone through a stressful phase. Unexpected hormonal changes can also bring it on.
Anagen effluvium: Chemotherapy is one medical procedure that can cause this extremely quick hair loss.

What is alopecia?

This is the general word used in medicine to describe hair loss. Depending on the type, alopecia has a wide range of causes. Male-pattern baldness is the most prevalent type, though female-pattern baldness can occasionally affect women as well. Other types include scarring alopecia, telogen effluvium, and alopecia areata, which cause patches of baldness.

You can take steps to lessen the emotional damage that frequently results from hair loss, so having alopecia needn't be something you feel ashamed of. Much information about alopecia treatment is available, and you have wider choices.

A doctor can give the daily pill Propecia (finasteride) to stop testosterone from converting to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that shrinks hair follicles. Those receiving this medication may need to persevere for a while, as it can take up to six months of consistent use to start working.

In clinical trials involving thousands of men, it was discovered that two years of finasteride use led to an increase in hair growth in 66% of men. Nearly one-third (31%) of males had a small improvement, 31% had a big improvement, and 5% had a significant improvement in their hair growth.

What are the complications of hair loss?

For many people, losing their hair, whether temporary or permanent, can be emotionally challenging. Baldness may develop as a result of some type of hair loss.

Safeguarding your scalp is crucial if you're experiencing major hair loss. Cover your head with a hat, scarf, or other headgear outdoors, and use sunscreen daily. Sun exposure raises the risk of skin cancer.

Symptoms of hair loss

Depending on your hair loss type and the cause, different people experience it differently. Common signs consist of:

shrinking hairline
Hair thinning throughout the head.
Loss of small bald patches on the scalp.
Hair loss on the scalp and body.

What is the relation between hair loss and menopause in women?

Your hair may go through one of two changes during menopause. Hair growth in the areas where it did not previously exist. Or, you might notice that your hair is getting thinner. Changes in hormone levels during menopause could be one of the causes. As levels of estrogen and progesterone decline, the effects of androgens—male hormones—increase.

When hair follicles diminish during and after menopause, hair may become finer (thinner). In these circumstances, hair grows more slowly and sheds more frequently.

To assist you in coping with changes in hair development, your healthcare professional will conduct a complete examination and obtain a thorough medical history. You can be asked to get your thyroid hormone or iron levels checked. If the medications you take are proven to impair hair growth or loss, they may need to be changed.

How can you treat hair loss?

Your healthcare professional will address the underlying cause, whether a drug, hormone imbalance, thyroid condition, or nutrition. In many cases, addressing the root cause of the issue is all that is required to stop hair loss. The following are the ways you can treat hair loss:

Medication: The initial line of treatment for thinning hair is topical, over-the-counter drugs applied to the scalp (such as minoxidil or Rogaine). Finasteride, also known as Propecia, is an oral drug available only by prescription for males who have male-pattern baldness.
Hair transplant: During a hair transplant, your physician carefully pulls strands of hair from a region of your head where the hair is thickest. The provider then implants those strands into your scalp, where your hair is the thinnest.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP): Your healthcare professional isolates the plasma from your blood after drawing it. This platelet-rich plasma is then injected into your scalp. PRP therapy can stop hair loss and promote hair regrowth.

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