Hair Loss: Causes, Treatment & Help

Hair loss or baldness does not only occur in men. Often women are also affected by hair loss. As the term itself already reveals, hair loss is an increased loss of head hair, occasionally also the pubic hair or other body hair. Basically, there are different forms of hair loss, which can have different causes.

Forms of hair loss

3. congenital hair loss or hair deficiency, which usually breaks up only in some places, is usually accompanied by other deformities. It cannot be influenced. 4. symptomatic hair loss may be the result of acute febrile diseases. It usually occurs after 3 to 4 weeks, also in the case of medication damage or occasionally in the puerperium and is not so rarely accompanied by corresponding changes in the nails. Here, no one needs to be afraid, because as a rule, the hair soon grows back on its own. Such hair loss is also observed after chronic inflammations, as well as after disorders of the glands with internal secretion. 5 Chronic seborrheic progressive hair loss is based on a hereditary predisposition and occurs gradually from the age of 20. The course of the disease varies from person to person. In most cases, increased sebaceous secretion occurs simultaneously or shortly thereafter. The increased secretion can also be manifested in an increased small scaling. Mild itching is often present. At first, the hair grows back thinly, but then it disappears more and more in the form of the so-called receding hairline. Later, the hair on the crown of the head falls out in the tonsure area, and now the condition is reached of which the children say: “Daddy is bald now! The skin of the bald head itself is taut, thin and sweats easily. Always in this form still remains a last wreath of hair around the head, the attribute of the Silene of antiquity. By the way, this type of hair loss, as well as the following form, is a distinctly male affair. In the past, the cause was considered to be the traction of the muscles under the scalp, which presses on the blood vessels and thus disrupts the nourishment of the hair. Today we believe that the case is not so simple, because this type of hair loss can be relatively favorably influenced by means of externally applied sulfur. 6. senile hair loss is also hereditary and progressive, i.e. progressive, but occurs only from the age of 50. This is a general regression phenomenon, which is practically not treatable in those affected, precisely because of the hereditary predisposition.

Diseases with this symptom

  • Tuberculosis
  • Syphilis
  • Scarlet fever
  • Malnutrition
  • Typhoid fever
  • Trichotillomania
  • Cirrhosis of the liver
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Alopecia androgenetica
  • Drug allergy
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • Heavy metal poisoning

Course

Depending on the cause and hereditary characteristics, the course of hair loss is very different. Especially age, sex hormones and individual predisposition, as well as personal lifestyle (smoking, alcohol, stress, etc.) can accelerate or slow down the course. In general, however, it can be said that the later the loss of hair begins, the slower its course. In the case of circular hair loss (alopecia areata), which can occur in both men and women, the well-known bald spot at the back of the head usually develops within one to two years after diagnosis. In 25% of all cases, there is even a holistic hair loss or total loss of body hair.

Complications

Hair loss is not only annoying for the patient, but can also be very stressful for the person affected by it under certain circumstances. For women in particular, hair loss is often a major problem. Women no longer feel feminine, no longer feel attractive. Hair loss can therefore have a very strong psychological impact. In a serious case, the affected person even falls into a kind of depression and isolates himself or herself from the outside world. Depending on the type of hair loss, circular bald patches can form, for example, which are very noticeable and look unattractive.It is not uncommon for the patient to wake up in the morning to find a lot of hair on the pillow or to notice the increasing hair loss while combing and styling. Whether 20,40 or 70 years, an increasing hair loss must be taken seriously at any age. Especially if other physical symptoms appear, the causes should be examined by a competent specialist. Under certain circumstances, there may be a disease behind the hair loss that requires urgent treatment. Which problem is present, can be clarified by exact blood tests and special hair analyses. Depending on the cause, a drug therapy can then be initiated to improve the situation. In some patients, a large part of the hair comes back under therapy, others have to get used to it and live with the fact that the hair growth is no longer as dense as before.

When should you go to the doctor?

The subject of hair loss is a sensitive one for many people. Both men and women suffer from the fact that in a highly visible place – the head – suddenly appear secret hair corners or circular areas with bare scalp. The image of diffuse hair loss also frightens those affected. As soon as it becomes apparent that more than the usual daily amount of hair is falling out, a visit to the doctor is indicated. Many people first turn to their family doctor, who refers them to specialists depending on the situation. These include dermatologists. Some of them are experts in hair loss. If the thyroid gland is being examined, nuclear medicine specialists are needed, who take blood values and examine the thyroid gland using ultrasound, among other methods. Hair loss can have many causes, sometimes physical and psychological problems come together. Then, among other things, psychologists are also consulted. Anyone who fears that he is losing too much hair per day can go to the doctor to be on the safe side. Thus, he also meets his fears, because in most cases the cause turns out to be harmless, although not always curable.

Treatment and therapy

From a medical point of view, hair loss that has occurred very rarely needs to be treated, as it almost never causes adverse health effects. Nevertheless, many people suffer from baldness for psychological reasons. Nevertheless, there are some ways to reduce hair loss. In the case of typical baldness or balding, which often occurs in men, the onset of hair loss is difficult to stop. The miracle cures often touted in advertising almost always turn out to be quackery. Only products with the active ingredients finasteride and minoxidil have proven positive in recent years. While finasteride is only used in men to convert testosterone into dihydrotestosterone and thus reduce hair loss, the effect of minoxidil on hair growth has not yet been researched. Another agent is alfatradiol, which increases the percentage of hair that grows back. Thus, it is possible to slow down the rate of hair loss. As already mentioned, in the case of seborrheic hair loss, it is possible to at least delay the process by treating the scalp appropriately. Besides the already mentioned sulfur, these are the methods of careful massage, ultraviolet light (prescription by the doctor), use of special hair tonics, which are generally applicable in case of hair growth disorders, and the more greasy a hair is, the more likely it is that an oil or ointment will be applied, because logically, a scalp that does not secrete fat, if it still receives fat from the outside, will produce even less fat. The same is true vice versa in the case of an oily skin, which is continuously deprived of fat by alcohol, will be stimulated to produce more and more fat. This principle is usually not taken to heart by laymen who take care of their hair with zeal themselves. The method of application of arsenic in hair loss is highly controversial in science. Of course, the most interesting is prevention, since hair loss is fundamentally incompatible with human vanity. In the first place here must be mentioned the appropriate hair care. The scalp should not be washed with soap too often. Biological and natural preparations are best suited. Also with the combing one sins, by combing usually much too tightly or also with wire brushes and the like is brushed. An organ as fine as human hair must be handled delicately.It is also very important to comb the hair in the right direction, i.e. the natural direction of the hair, and not across the direction intended by nature or possibly completely opposite. Unfortunately, our hairstyles are still far from nature, especially for men. In fact, the hair of the front of the head, in the manner of bangs, belongs to the front and not to the back or top. Such women, whose hair today is also often quite light and thin, are advised not to have perms done as a matter of principle. Even without this civilization phenomenon you can make your hair pretty and attractive. Incidentally, part of hair care is to wear caps or hats as rarely as possible. Wind and sun are just what our scalp needs with its hair. In recent decades, bald heads are decidedly on the decline, which is certainly due in part to the more sensible hairstyles in this regard. Nevertheless, for many, baldness or hair loss will remain an irreversible problem. Nevertheless, it remains to be mentioned that the success is always to be considered individually from the current stage of the hair loss. Men and women with already massive hair loss, it is often impossible to get back a normal hair growth. From a cosmetic point of view, they offer here only hair transplants or toupees or wigs.

Outlook and prognosis

Hair loss can occur for very different reasons, which is why no general medical prognosis can be given. Genetic hair loss occurs less frequently in women than in men. Unfortunately, genetic hair loss cannot be counteracted directly. There are several remedies that can restart the growth of hair. However, these remedies have very different effects from person to person. As a rule, hair loss does not stop on its own. It progresses until the complete hair falls out. This is not the case if the hair loss is caused by another disease. This includes chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer. Although the hair falls out, it also grows back again. In this case, a positive prognosis can be given. Ordinary hair loss is not a particular health hazard for the body and does not necessarily need to be treated. Moreover, treatment is not always successful. When treating hair loss with remedies, hair loss will then progress again when the remedies used are discontinued. Therefore, they treat the problem only temporarily and do not solve it permanently.

Prevention

Unfortunately, it must be said that so far prevention is almost impossible. Androgenetic alopecia (alopecia androgenetica) cannot be prevented. Nevertheless, as with almost all body diseases, a healthy life with plenty of exercise, sports and a healthy diet, as well as little stress, is the best preventive measure that can be taken.

Home remedies and herbs for hair loss and baldness.

  • In many medicinal herbs are substances that have a strengthening, nourishing, growing and nourishing effect on the hair, Some of these herbs are: Birch, coltsfoot, nettle, chamomile, arnica. From individual of these herbs or mixtures make a decoction and wash and rinse the hair with it.
  • For hair loss, wash the head regularly with strong chamomile tea (do not use bags, but chamomile flowers to prepare). Also perform daily head rubs with birch hair water or rosemary hair water.
  • Hair loss is stopped if you massage chamomile tea into the scalp in the evening.
  • The scalp and hair will be strengthened if you wash your head with egg yolk and chamomile tea.

What you can do yourself

Hair loss can be treated relatively well and does not necessarily lead to a negative quality of life in the affected person. However, if the hair loss is genetic, no direct treatment is possible. In this case, however, wigs and a toupee can be used to make the hair loss invisible. In drugstores and pharmacies there are relatively many remedies that stop hair loss and promote hair growth. The effectiveness of such means is different for different people, which means that no general prognosis can be given here.In most cases, however, these remedies help to accelerate hair growth and thus counteract hair loss. The remedies all contain caffeine, so when the products are discontinued, hair loss starts again. Clinical treatment is usually associated only with hair transplantation. Many people who suffer from hair loss also suffer from depression associated with it. In such depressions, talking with friends or with psychologists helps to realize the problem and to understand that this symptom does not affect the quality of life. In difficult clinical conditions, such as cancer, hair loss can occur as well. In most cases, however, it disappears once chemotherapy is over.