Hair shedding is a part of a natural balance — some hair falls and gets replaced with new hair. But when the balance is interrupted, you will notice more hair fall and a less-voluminous version of your hair. This is when you need to take action and consider a hair regrowth treatment.
Hair loss can be temporary or permanent. As mentioned earlier, some amount of hair loss (50-100 strands a day) is normal. But it is not normal if you notice a large amount of hair in the drain after a hair wash or have clumps of hair in your brush. Your hair may even give serious signs of hair loss with a receding hairline, baldness or reduced hair in patches.
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Causes of hair loss
Hair loss is mostly associated with one or more of the following factors:
Heredity (family history)
One of the most common reasons for hair loss is a hereditary condition that shows up with aging. This condition is called androgenic alopecia, also commonly known as male-pattern baldness&female-pattern baldness. It normally occurs slowly and in predictable patterns — bald spots and a receding hairline in men and thinning hair at the crown of the scalp in women.
Hormonal changes and medical conditions
Hormonal changes due to aging, pregnancy, thyroid problems and a variety of conditions can cause temporary or permanent hair loss. Some medical conditions like alopecia areata, ringworm, and hair-pulling disorder can cause patchy hair loss.
Medications and supplements
Hair loss can be a side-effect of certain drugs such as those used for arthritis, depression, heart problems, cancer and high blood pressure.
A very stressful event
Many people experience a general thinning of hair for several months because of stress, shock or after facing a traumatic event. This type of hair loss is generally temporary.
Excessive hairstyling
Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull your hair tight, such as cornrows or pigtails can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. Perming, strong chemicals in hair wax or gel and hot-oil hair treatments can also cause hair to fall out. Hair loss could be permanent if scarring occurs.
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Diagnosis of hair loss
Before making a diagnosis, a trichologist or dermatologist will likely undertake a routine checkup of your health and ask about your hair care routine, your diet and medical history. You might also have to undergo tests such as:
- Blood test – A blood test may help to uncover complete blood count (CBC), iron level and medical conditions that can cause hair loss.
- Pull test – Your doctor will gently pull several strands of hair to see how many come out. This helps to determine the severity of your hair loss problem.
- Scalp biopsy – To examine the hair roots under a microscope, your doctor will scrape samples from the skin or pluck a few hair strands from the scalp. This can help to detect whether an infection is causing hair loss.
- Light microscopy – Your doctor will use a special instrument to examine hair roots in detail. Microscopy helps to uncover possible disorders of the hair shaft.
Conventional treatments for hair regrowth
- Minoxidil – Minoxidil is applied to stimulate hair growth and to slow balding in male pattern baldness condition. But this over-the-counter medication cannot rescue from receding hairline problem. When you stop using it, you may start losing hair again. And there are chances of your hair falling out faster than before.
Side-effects: It can cause itching, redness, flaking, dryness or scalp irritation.
- Finasteride – This medication is used to treat male pattern baldness at the crown and in the middle of the scalp. The use of finasteride has been restricted to adult men only. This medication reduces the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DTH) hormone. A decreasing amount of DHT can lead to slower hair loss and increased hair regrowth.
Side-effects: Finasteride can cause swelling in hands or feet, skin rash and erectile dysfunction. When you stop taking finasteride, any gain in the hair quantity may be lost within 12 months.
Also read: https://www.drbatras.ae/hair-loss/hair-fall-treatment
Hair regrowth with homeopathy treatment
Homeopathy treatment aims to heal the root cause of the hair loss condition and promote hair regrowth. Homeopathy treatments do not follow the ‘one-size-fits all’ approach where one medicine is given to all patients for a given hair loss condition. Various factors like mental makeup, heredity, lifestyle, medical history and symptoms are considered before prescribing a homeopathic medicine. This individualization makes the treatment effective and minimizes the chances of recurrence of hair loss.
Homeopathic medicines are made of natural substances and are free of side-effects. This means it can be consumed by not only adults and teenagers but even pregnant women, older people and infants.
According to a case study published in ResearchGate, an 11-year-old boy with extensive alopecia areata had multiple bald patches and the condition was growing. The boy was treated with individualized homeopathic remedies. The homeopathic treatment resulted in significant improvement with complete disappearance of bald patches and no recurrence of the condition.
It’s important to not ignore the key warnings of hair loss. Book an appointment with a homeopathic dermatologist or trichologist and bring back your head full of hair with customized homeopathic hair regrowth treatment.