WHAT IS HAIR LOSS?
Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to the loss of hair from the scalp or the entire body.
It occurs due to disruption in the hair growth cycle.
It can be hereditary or may occur secondary to medical illness, hormonal changes or drugs.
It may affect men, women and children. A normal individual sheds 50 to 100 hairs per day, but it is not noticeable as new hair growth occurs simultaneously.
Hair loss that occurs with ageing is usually hereditary and is the commonest reason for baldness.
In women, hair is considered to be an essential part of their identity, while in men, healthy hair is considered to be a sign of youth and vigor.
Hair loss affects the appearance of an individual and hence cause psychological distress and inferiority complex.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HAIR LOSS?
Signs and symptoms of hair loss differ in men and women.
But increased hair loss on combing or on washing hair is usually the presenting complaint of most of the individuals.
THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HAIR LOSS IN MEN MAY INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1. A receding anterior hairline
2. Hair thinning at the crown area
3. Visibility of bald scalp
THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN MAY INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Diffuse hair thinning over the entire scalp
2. Widening of central partition of hair
3. Thinning of the pony tail
4. Positive hair-pull test
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS?
Signs and symptoms of hair loss are different in men and women. But the increase in hair loss when combing or washing hair is usually the complaint of most people.
MALE PATTERN HAIR LOSS
What is Male Pattern Baldness?
Male Pattern Baldness is the most common form of hair loss in case of men.
In this condition, the hair loss usually begins with a receding frontal hairline at both the corners in a U-shaped or M-shaped pattern.
It can also begin from the vertex of the scalp.
This condition is also called Androgenetic Alopecia.
Male pattern hair loss is commonly observed in adult men.
But, it can begin in the teenage years as well, becoming more significant with the increasing age.
It is categorized into 7 stages.
In the first stage, the hair loss is somewhat unnoticeable, while the frontal hairline begins to decline.
In the second stage along with hair loss from the central portion of the scalp.
During the third stage, the hairline decreases significantly along with thinning of hair at the vertex or crown.
The hair thinning and baldness is visible in the fourth stage, particularly at the back of the head.
A bridge of fairly dense hair that differentiate the hair loss in the frontal area and the crown region is quite noticeable.
In the fifth stage, the bridge becomes even thinner.
In the sixth stage, this bridge seems to be missing and the hair loss extends to the sides of the head.
Seventh stage is the most advanced stage of this pattern hair loss, when the top of the scalp is completely bald.
Stages of Hair Loss In Men—Norwood’s Classification:
The Hamilton-Norwood Scale is a simple visual representation to help you identify hair loss stages as well as different types of receding hairlines.
The Norwood 1 hairline and 2 are the earliest stages where hair loss is still minimal.
It’s at the Norwood 3 stage that you might want to start considering Hair Transplant.
TREATMENT FOR MALE PATTERN BALDNESS
1.Medications:
— The two FDA-approved medications that can be used to slow down or undo the hair loss in the early stages of pattern baldness are Minoxidil and Finasteride. Minoxidil (Rogaine) is applied directly to the scalp to stimulate the hair growth.
— Finasteride (Propecia) prevents the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, and thus, is helpful in treating male pattern baldness.
— It is more effective in treating pattern hair loss at the vertex than that at the front of the head and temples.
2. Hair Transplant:
— This is the most effective treatment for pattern baldness in men.
— In this procedure, the hair follicles are plucked out from areas least affected by male pattern baldness (usually the back of the scalp) and transplanted on the bald regions.
3. Scalp Micropigmentation:
— In case you are not suitable for any hair restoration method, you can go for Scalp Micropigmentation.
— In this method, natural pigments are placed inside the epidermal of your scalp so as to give the look and feel of a shaved head.
We are a certified hair transplant doctor with more than thousands of successful procedures with fully trained staff.
FEMALE PATTERN HAIR LOSS
FEMALE PATTERN BALDNESS
Is the most common cause of hair loss in women.
Nearly every woman suffers some degree of female pattern baldness, which can begin at any time with the onset of puberty, but women tend to pay attention at menopause, when hair loss usually increases.
What is Female Pattern Baldness?
Female pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in females.
Almost every woman suffer from some degree of female pattern baldness, which can begin anytime with the arrival of puberty.
But, women tend to notice it around menopause, when the hair loss typically increases.
In Female pattern baldness, women experience diffuse thinning of hair primarily on the top and crown of the scalp, along with a widening through the center hair part.
However, the front hairline remains unaffected, apart from the normal recession, which happens to everyone with the passage of time.
The thinning of hair, if not treated at the right time, spreads to the side areas of the scalp in the temples and above the ears.
The hair loss rarely develops to partial or complete baldness in women. This condition is also termed as Androgenetic Alopecia.
Female pattern hair loss is different from male pattern hair loss.
It has only 3 stages.
The first stage involves uniform thinning of hair, which is somewhat unnoticeable.
During the second stage, nearly 50-70% of your hair would have undergone thinning and the scalp is easily visible.
The hair loss is severe and the baldness is more noticeable in the third stage.
Stages of Hair Loss In Females—Ludwig’s Classification
The Ludwig scale is a method of classifying female pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia), and ranges from stages I to III.
Stage I begins with thinning on the top of the head.
In stage II the scalp starts to show.
All of the hair at the crown of the head may be lost when the hair loss progresses to stage III.
However, the scale is used merely for general categorization.
Causes of Female Pattern Hair Loss
Treatment for Female Pattern Baldnes
In some cases, taking nutritional diet and treating the hormonal imbalance can help in preventing excessive hair fall. While for other cases, here are some of the effective treatments for hair loss:
- Medication:
Minoxidil (Rogaine) is the only FDA-approved medication for women to stop the hair loss.
- PRP Therapy:
In this procedure, a little blood is taken from your body and centrifuged to increase the growth factors. Then, it is injected into the scalp area facing hair loss.
- Hair Transplantation:
In this procedure, the hair are moved from a donor area to the scalp area facing thinning of hair (or baldness). We are known for providing excellent hair transplants using FUE technique, which is the latest technique of hair transplantation.
- Scalp Micropigmentation:
In case you are not suitable for any hair restoration method, you can go for Scalp Micropigmentation.
In this method, natural pigments are placed inside the epidermal of your scalp to cover the bald areas and give good density look on scalp.