Hair Loss Treatment

Hair is often referred to as “the crowning glory”. It is obvious that both males and females find it difficult to come to terms with hair loss. Alopecia which is how doctors refer to the loss of hair can be inherited from either or both of your parents. This tendency for loss of hair gives rise to male-pattern or female-pattern hair loss respectively. Almost 50% of the population has this type of hair loss by the time they have crossed fifty years of age. A major cause of hair loss in children is ringworm of the scalp. In adults, mental or physical stress like surgery, illness and high fever may result in hair loss. Cancer patients suffer a lot of hair loss during cancer treatment especially chemotherapy. In women, hair styling like tight braids or ponytails too may result in hair loss. The male type of baldness usually has a pattern of receding hair along the hairline and also thin hair on the crown. It is generally found in men between the ages of 25 and 40. The hair gets finer and shorter with advancing age. Finally, age of a person also plays a role in hair loss. As a person ages, he or she grows less hair. The hair too is of inferior quality and has a tendency to break easily.

Hair loss- when to seek help

Hair loss is normal fact of everyday life. In fact we lose up to 100 hairs a day while combing, brushing, and shampooing our hair and you need to worry only when you lose hair in excess of this amount. There are many reasons for hair loss especially at a young age. The possible reasons include heredity, illness or disease, stress, medications, or even hair styles.

Even though some amount of hair loss is natural, you should seek treatment if you have sudden increase in hair fall. In some case there may be a rash or bacterial infection on the scalp. The bacterial infection may be accompanied by swelling or tenderness with fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Hair Loss Treatments – Pros and Cons

Excessive hair fall can lead to patches of baldness on the scalp. Baldness occurs when excess “shedding” of hair follicles occur. In general nearly 10% of hair falls out during the growth stage. Bald patches emerge when the gradual loss of hair is more than 10%. The factors which contribute to baldness are diet deficiencies, age, stress, medication side effects, scalp conditions like psoriasis, and scalp injury.

Unfortunately, the information available on hair loss treatment is often complex, contradictory, or more commonly irresponsibly wrong. Most of the heavily advertised “miracle cures” are useless and it is best not to succumb to their temptation at all. Basically, hair loss treatments work in two ways. The popular hair loss treatment Minoxidil and the ultraviolet therapy known as PUVA try to re-grow patches that are affected by excess shedding. On the other hand, the drug Finasteride and corticosteroid injections work to prevent further baldness.

In general, h air loss which is caused by medications, mental or physical stress, lack of protein or iron in diet, or by wrong hair style may be remedied. One simply needs to avoid certain medications, reduce stress, get adequate protein and iron through the diet, and use hairstyles that do not damage the hair. However, hair loss due to genetics cannot be prevented.

One of the most popular hair loss treatments is Minoxidil. It is available as “Rogaine” in your neighborhood drug stores. It has proved to be very effective for some men and is available at drug stores without a prescription. However, there are cases where Minoxidil has not worked. Another draw back is that there is no telling how long you need to go on using the medicine – the period of usage could vary from a few applications, or a prolonged use of a year or so. One also needs to factor in the cost because the cost of Rogaine is a bit on the higher side.

Finasteride, which is available as “Propecia” is another popular common hair loss treatments available on the market. It is a prescription drug and is available in the form of pills. It helps to reduce the rate of hair loss. However, some men have reported side effects like erectile dysfunction and it is not recommended for women.

Anthralin is another popular remedy for men seeking hair loss treatments. Anthralin is a tar-like substance and is used topically. Though it has been proven effective in many cases there are reports of side effects. Some men have reported scalp irritation when using Anthralin, and therefore it is nor recommended for men with sensitive skin.

There are a number of alternative baldness treatment solutions which have gained popularity in North America because they have almost no side effects. These include Homeopathy and Chinese medicine which have been popular in Asian countries for many years now. Some of these hair loss treatment therapies are:

Other Hair Loss Treatments