Hair Loss

Both men and women can lose hair. Most people normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. But with about 100,000 hairs in the scalp, this amount of hair loss shouldn’t cause noticeable thinning of the scalp hair. Gradual thinning is a normal part of aging. However, hair loss leading to baldness occurs when the rate of shedding exceeds the rate of re-growth, when new hair is thinner than the hair shed, or when hair comes out in patches. When hair becomes thin or bald, it becomes quite distressing.

 At Rejuvé, we will do a comprehensive history and examination to rule out all of the temporary causes of hair loss. Once this is done, if the patient has male or female pattern hair loss and if the patient has reasonable expectations, we will customize a non-surgical treatment that combines proper nutrition and vitamin supplementation, topical medications, oral medications, growth factors, and mesotherapy to help increase hair density, prevent further hair loss, thicken the remaining hairs, and to re-grow some lost hairs. This whole process takes 4-6 months and it takes place without any surgery.

What are some causes of temporary excessive hair loss?

1. Major stress – for example, going through a major illness or major surgery – one can see excessive hair loss 3-6 months later. This is only temporary. Once the body recovers the hair will grow back to normal in 3-6 months.

2. Hormones – thyroid disease can cause thinning or hair loss. Secondly, improper balance of male or female hormones known as androgens or estrogens can cause hair loss. Checking and correcting these levels may stop hair loss.

3. Post partum – Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they’ve had a baby. This loss is also related to hormones. During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts again.

4. Medications – Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners (also called anticoagulants), medicines used for gout, certain medicines to treat high blood pressure, vitamin A (if too much is taken), birth control pills, and antidepressants. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine.

5. Medical treatments – Undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy may cause you hair loss. Under these conditions, healthy, growing (anagen) hairs can be affected. After your treatment ends, your hair typically begins to regrow.

6. Infections – Fungal infections, commonly known as ringworm, can invade the skin on the scalp and cause hair loss. Often times the scalp can be red and flaky. The infection is easily treated with topical antifungal medicines.

7. Poor nutrition – Having inadequate protein or iron in your diet or poor nourishment in other ways can cause you to experience hair loss. Fad diets, crash diets and certain illnesses, such as eating disorders, can cause poor nutrition.

8. Hair treatments – Chemicals used for dying, tinting, bleaching, straightening or permanent waves can cause hair to become damaged and break off if they are overused or used incorrectly. Overstyling and excessive brushing also can cause hair to fall out if the hair shaft becomes damaged.

9. Diseases – such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated. There is another disease called Alopecia Areata, which is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own hair follicles. This results in small, round, smooth patches about the size of a quarter in the scalp but can include the beard and eyebrows. It can run in families. This can be completely treated with intradermal cortisone injections.

10. Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder). Trichotillomania is a type of mental illness in which people have an irresistible urge to pull out their hair, whether it’s from their scalp, their eyebrows or other areas of their body. Hair pulling from the scalp often leaves them with patchy bald spots on their head, which they may go to great lengths to disguise. Causes of trichotillomania are still being researched, and no specific cause has yet been found.

Q. What is Male-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia)? 
A. This is the most common form of permanent loss for men where the pattern baldness can begin very early, even in the teens or early 20s. It’s typically characterized by a receding hairline at the temples and balding at the top of the head. The end result may be partial or complete baldness.

Q. What is Female-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia)?
A. This a form of permanent hair loss in women where the hair loss is limited to thinning at the front, sides or crown. Women usually maintain their frontal hairline and rarely experience complete baldness.

Q. What is the normal cycle of hair growth and loss?
A. The normal cycle of hair growth lasts for 2 to 6 years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter (less than half an inch) per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time. About 10 percent of the hair on your scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place. It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive (more than normal) hair loss. Hair loss of this type can affect men, women and children.