Modern Day Hair Loss Treatments

Everyone loves healthy shiny hair. But in today's world many people are suffering from hair loss. Hair loss could be because of number of reasons such as aging, too much stress, smoking, hormonal imbalance, infections, use of wrong hair products, genetic factors and nutritional imbalances.

Our scalp consists of about 100,000 strands of hair and it is normal to lose 50 to 100 strands a day. It is only when you start losing more than that some medical intervention is required.

PREVENTION OF HAIR LOSS

First of all, it is very important to detect the root cause of your hair loss at an early stage. Once it is detected, it becomes easy to treat it. Following home remedies can be tried to prevent it at first stage:

1. Avoid excessive or chronic stress or at least learn to release your stress.
2. Avoid "crash diets" for rapid weight loss.
3. Quit excessive smoking.
4. In case of any hormonal imbalance see your doctor immediately who will then advise you to undergo proper treatment.
5. Observe if any medicine you are taking is leading to hair fall. Call upon your doctor to replace it with some other medicine.
6. Eat a healthy diet with enough proteins, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamin, and minerals to support healthy hair growth.
7. Make sure you receive enough iron to avoid symptoms causing anaemia. Avoid overdose of vitamin A.

HAIR FALL TREATMENT

There are a couple of treatments available for hair loss which includes medications, surgery, laser therapy, and wigs or hairpieces.

Medication-

There are only two medications available to treat pattern baldness which are FDA approved. These medicines are:

1. Minoxidil (Rogaine). Minoxidil is an over-the-counter liquid or foam that you need to apply onto your scalp. This is to be applied twice a day to grow hair and to prevent further hair loss. It takes at least 16 weeks to show the effects. However you can have scalp irritation and unwanted hair growth your face and hands while taking this medicine.
2. Finasteride (Propecia). This medicine is prescribed if you don't respond to minoxidil. This medicine is to be taken daily in the form of a pill. You need to keep taking it to retain benefits. However, there are some side effects of taking this medication which include diminished sex drive and sexual function and an increased risk of prostate cancer.

Surgery-

In case you don't respond to any of the above mentioned medicines your dermatologist might advise you to undergo hair transplant or restoration surgery. During this procedure, the surgeon removes a part of your skin and then implants it on your scalp. Such procedures are generally expensive. There is also a risk of infection and scarring.

Wigs and Hairpieces-

You can also use a wig to hide your baldness if you do not want to undergo any surgery or are irresponsive to above medications. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a dermatologist.