Hair Growth / Hair Loss Treatment

The root cause of your hair loss determines the best course of treatment for thinning or complete hair loss. Medication, surgery, and light therapy are all potential treatments. In order to find a treatment that works for your hair growth goals, a healthcare practitioner can help you determine the cause of your hair loss.

Remedies for thinning hair or hair loss may involve:

Dealing with the root cause.

Using drugs to improve hair regrowth.

Getting a hair transplant or other surgery to stimulate hair growth.

What works best for one person may not be the best for another when it comes to reversing hair loss. For this reason, both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) treatments are plentiful.

Diagnosis

In addition to asking you about your medical history and family medical history, your doctor will do a physical exam and enquire about your food, hair care habits, and overall health before arriving at a diagnosis. Additionally, you may be required to take tests like the ones below:

Blood test: Possible medical causes of hair loss might be better understood with this information.

Pull test: Your doctor will delicately pluck a few strands of hair to gauge the amount that falls out. This is useful for figuring out where the shedding process is at.

Scalp biopsy: For a closer look at your hair's roots, your doctor will use a microscope to analyse skin samples or a small number of hairs extracted from your scalp. If you suspect an illness is the cause of your hair loss, this test can help rule it out.

Light microscopy: When your doctor trims your hair, he or she uses a specialised tool to check each individual hair. Hair problems can be better understood with the use of a microscope.

For what reasons is hair loss treated?

A big component of your look is your hair. Make a statement or share your narrative with it by styling, dying, and cutting it. As a result of its effects on one's appearance, self-esteem, and confidence, hair loss can be emotionally taxing. To combat these issues, some choose for hair loss treatment. Some individuals pursue hair loss treatment to tackle the root cause of their disease, while others do so to enhance their overall health. A healthcare provider can assist you in attaining your hair goals. 

Treatment

There are therapies that can effectively reverse certain forms of hair loss. At the very least, you may be able to delay the onset of hair thinning. Some hair loss diseases, including alopecia areata, can cause hair to recover on its own within a year. Medication and surgical procedures are options for treating alopecia.

Medication

It may be essential to treat the underlying medical condition causing your hair loss. Your doctor may recommend taking a break from a particular medicine for a few months to determine if it's the cause of your hair loss.

Hereditary pattern baldness can be treated with medication. Here are some of the most popular choices:

Minoxidil (Rogaine): Liquid, foam, and shampoo versions of minoxidil are available for purchase over-the-counter (without a prescription). For optimal results, ladies should apply the product to their scalp skin once day, while men should do it twice. Foam, when applied to damp hair, is preferred by many.

Numerous individuals discover that treatments containing minoxidil aid in hair regeneration, hair loss prevention, or both. To halt further hair loss and initiate regrowth, you'll need to stick with the treatment for at least six months. You might not know if the treatment is helping until a few more months have passed. To keep the benefits going, you have to keep taking the medicine forever if it's helping.

In addition to irritating the scalp, other potential adverse effects include excessive hair growth on the hands and face.

Finasteride (Propecia): Men can get this medication through their doctors. As a pill, you take it every day. A reduction of hair loss and even fresh hair growth have been seen in males taking finasteride. To determine its efficacy, you may need to wait a few months. The only way to keep the benefits going is to keep taking it. In men over the age of 60, finasteride might not be as effective.

Decreased libido and sexual dysfunction are rare adverse effects of finasteride, along with an increased chance of developing prostate cancer. Do not touch crushed or broken tablets if you are pregnant or could be pregnant.

Other medications: Oral dutasteride (Avodart) and spironolactone (Carospir, Aldactone) are two other choices.

Hair transplant surgery

The most prevalent form of irreversible hair loss typically affects just the crown of the head. You can maximise the use of your remaining hair with hair restoration surgery, often known as a hair transplant.

A cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist will harvest hair from a healthy area of the scalp and regrow it into a bald area. This process is called a hair transplant. One or more hairs (micrografts or minigrafts) are transplanted into each hair patch. On occasion, a wider section of skin is extracted, which contains several clusters of hair. Although hospitalization is unnecessary for this procedure, a sedative will be administered to facilitate relaxation and alleviate pain. Infection, swelling, bruising, and bleeding are all potential complications. To achieve your desired result, you could require additional surgical procedures. Even with surgery, inherited hair loss will continue to worsen over time.

Baldness surgery is typically not covered by health insurance.

Laser therapy

An FDA-approved low-level laser device can treat male and female pattern baldness inherited disorders. Some preliminary research suggests it may increase hair density. To demonstrate consequences over the long run, additional research is required.

Risks / Benefits

In your opinion, what are the benefits of treating hair loss?

One advantage of treating hair loss is that it can improve your:

Overall health by treating any underlying disorders.
A healthy dose of self-respect and self-assurance.
Outward look.
Healthy scalp.
Texture and strength of the hair.

In dealing with hair loss, what are the potential dangers?

Before starting hair loss treatment, discuss risks and side effects with your doctor. Although they are uncommon, possible side effects may include:

Bruising, swelling
Hair that isn't wet
The inability to feel the skin around the incision
Skin irritation
The disease
Muscle aches
Scar Healing and Prognosis

When will the results of a hair loss treatment become apparent?

Results from various hair loss treatments could take different amounts of time to become apparent. It often requires a series of treatments spaced out over several months before any noticeable side effects appear. It usually takes around three to six months before you start to see benefits.

Do not use any hair care products that can damage your hair while you are undergoing treatment for hair loss. This includes colours, chemical relaxers, and chemical straighteners. You may get better results from your hair growth treatment if you avoid utilising these items.

Is there a way to stop hair loss after it starts?

Unfortunately, not all forms of hair loss have a solution. A lot of people experience hair loss, and scientists are still trying to figure out why and how to stop it. When you and your doctor come up with a personalised treatment plan, you can control some forms of hair loss.

Summary

The rate at which one's hair grows is subjective. The rate of hair growth is affected by numerous things, such as heredity, sex, and age.

Follicles are tiny spaces just under the skin's surface that allow hair to develop. A protein-cell-based hair root is found within each hair follicle. The roots transform into hair upon receiving oxygen and nutrients from the blood vessels, prompting their reproduction.

Expert hair care products, such as shampoo or supplements, do not appear to hasten the process of hair development. On the contrary, maintaining good hair requires a diet rich in protein.