Hair loss
Hair loss, or baldness, is most often caused by androgenic
alopecia, often known as male pattern baldness, which is a
condition where the hair of adult males becomes progressively
thinner. Male pattern baldness can also occur in species other
than humans
The extent of hair loss in a case of androgenic alopecia
varies a great deal, from the loss of just a little hair from
the head (alopecia areata) to the loss of all hair from the
head (alopecia totalis) and finally alopecia universalis,
which is when no hair remains on either the head or body.
Hair loss is a condition that has historically been very
difficult to treat, and some types of hair loss are still
untreatable and irreversible, but standard male pattern baldness
now has several effective remedy options available.
Treatments like minoxidil and finasteride are clinically
proven to first slow the rate of hair loss, and then begin
to re-grow lost hair. Catching hair loss early can be crucial,
since preventing the loss of hair is a much easier proposition
than re-growing it, so if you believe yourself to be suffering
from alopecia, it is never too early to begin a course of
treatment.
There are also surgical treatments both currently available
and in development, that can replace lost hair by means of
transplantation. This hair-replacement surgery becomes more
successful and affordable with each passing year.
In addition to the physical effects of actually losing your
hair, alopecia can have significant detrimental psychologically
effects that vary greatly from patient to patient. Some people
will adapt to their new look without much trouble, while others
may experience depression and anxiety, in addition to a myriad
other potential psychological disorders.
Hair loss caused by chemotherapy, to treat cancer, can quite
often cause changes in a person’s self-image and body-image
issues. And these psychological problems often do not properly
cease even if and when the hair re-grows.
Often sufferers will have trouble sharing their feelings
and difficulties, and will be likely to avoid certain social
situations, particularly those involving conflict. A course
of therapy can be very helpful in such circumstances. Baldness-induced
psychological problems typically present when symptoms first
begin to show, and in the initial stages of alopecia.
Minoxidil is possibly the most widely-used treatment for
hair loss. It was originally prescribed as an oral treatment
for high blood pressure, then people spotted that some patients
taking monoxidil were experiencing excessive hair growth,
otherwise known as hypertrichosis, as a side-effect of the
medication.
Nowadays Minoxidil, when used as a treatment for hair loss,
is applied directly to the scalp in the forum of a solution,
and has experienced some success, though not for all patients.
Minoxidil will be effective for around 65% of men with alopecia,
of whom roughly half will experience some degree of hair regrowth,
and half will find that their condition at least stabilizes
and that there is no further loss of hair.
Another possible cure for baldness s laser therapy, in which
a low-level laser is aimed at the scalp in a attempt to stimulate
new hair growth via a process known as photo-biostimulation.
One leading product that makes use of photo-biostimulation
is the Hairmax Lasercomb.
Surgery, while is may seem extreme to some, is another potential
remedy for baldness of most kinds, including male-pattern
baldness. Typically hair follicles will be taken from the
back and sides of the head, where there is still significant
growth, and implanted or injected into the balding areas on
top of the head.
Another possible future treatment for hair loss is hair
cloning, or hair multiplication, in which stem cells are cultured
in order to create self-replacing follicles, which are then
cloned many times and injected into the scalp. This treatment
has almost been perfected in clinical trials, and is expected
to be available to the general public in around three to five
years’ time.
Intercytex is a biotech company that has recently has some
success with a hair loss treatment they have been developing,
which involves taking hair follicles from the back of the
neck, cloning them, and re-implanting the new healthy cells
into the scalp. Results of testing have shown that around
seventy percent of men who tried this treatment experienced
some degree of hair re-growth.
A clinic in Genoa, Italy is working on a similar technique
of using stem cells to grow healthy, active hair follicles.
Ketoconazole, a 5alpha reductase inhibitor and anti-fungal
agent, is sometimes used topically to supplement other forms
of treatment. Serenoa repens is a different kind of 5alpha
reductase inhibitor which has been shown to have a similar
effect to finasteride, without any discernible side-effects.
Mild baldness can sometimes be temporarily halted by the
topical application of certain immunosuppressant drugs, but
the potential side-effects of such treatment make it an inadvisable
solution.
A traditional Chinese form of hair loss treatment is Polygonum
Multiflorum, which has an action similar to resveratrol.
Many people choose simply to live with their hair loss and
embrace it, and find that acceptance can be less stressful
in the long run than fighting nature.
Hair Loss
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