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What Causes Hair Loss & What Can Be Done to Prevent It?

Hair Loss

 

Hair loss, as the name suggests, is a condition whereby hair on one’s body falls out. There are numerous factors that cause this condition, and it can be both temporary or permanent.

 

What causes hair loss?

Hair loss is caused by several factors, including:

  • Heritage (hereditary factors)
  • Age
  • Presence of an autoimmune disease (Alopecia areata)
  • Cancer (hair fall after chemotherapy)
  • Stressors
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Thyroid diseases
  • Scalp infection

 

What are the symptoms of hair loss?

Some symptoms of hair loss include the following:

  • Progressive thinning on the top of the head
  • Bald spots
  • Sudden loosening of hair

 

What are the available treatments for hair loss?

Over-the-counter medication such as topical creams that are applied directly on the scalp will usually be the first line of defense for hair loss. Otherwise, the doctor may also prescribe you medication such as Propecia to treat male-pattern baldness. Propecia helps to slow down hair loss, while Finasteride encourages new hair growth.

If the patient has alopecia areata (autoimmune disease), the doctor may prescribe corticosteroids such as prednisone to reduce inflammation at the site and suppress the immune system to prevent the antibodies from further attacking the hair follicles.

In certain cases however, creams may not be enough to stop hair loss, with some requiring surgical procedures.

 

Hair Transplant Surgery

During a hair transplant surgery, small plugs of skin with intact hair follicles are surgically removed and transplanted to the bald parts of the scalp. As this hair loss is progressive, the patient may require several surgeries over time to maintain a full head of hair.

 

Scalp Reduction

Apart from that, a surgeon can also perform another surgery known as scalp reduction, where the scalp that lacks hair is removed and the scalp that has hair is folded onto the bald patch.

 

Tissue Expansion Surgery

In tissue expansion surgery, a surgeon would first place a tissue expander under a portion of the scalp that has hair and is next to a bald spot, stretching the scalp that has hair. Once the scalp is stretched out, the surgeon then removes the expander and pulls the stretched portion over the bald spot to cover it.

In most cases, such remedies are often costly and carry some risk, including patchy hair growth, bleeding, wide scars, or infections.

Before performing such procedures, it is best to consult with a doctor on what treatment is best for you.

 

What are some ways to prevent hair loss?

While nothing can be done for permanent hair loss (hereditary), it is always good to practice the following to reduce the occurrences of temporary hair loss:

  • Stop pulling your hair
  • Avoid wearing tight headbands
  • Eat a balanced diet that contains good amounts of iron and protein
  • Avoid rubbing the hair and pat it dry after showering

 

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Hair Loss Treatment in Singapore

Hair Loss is an common problem that affects almost everyone. But, its common nature belies how deeply it can affect a person’s confidence and sense of self-worth. A full head of hair is viewed as a marker of vitality and youth, which is why losing that can be embarrassing and cause people to withdraw socially.

Why do we lose hair?

Before we go into hair loss and hair growth treatment, let us look at the science of hair.
We all grow our hair in cycles and each hair growth cycle goes through 3 stages:

  • Growing phase
  • Resting phase
  • Falling phase

The fact is, we lose as many as 50 to 100 strands of hair every day. It is normal for hair to fall off our heads as part of a hair growth cycle. You can see this on your comb, on the floor next to your dressing table, on your bed and on the shower floor.

When does it become abnormal?

However, things start to become less normal when you start to lose more than 100 strands of hair a day. This is where you can say that you are facing a hair loss problem. Most people will agree that it is impossible to count or even estimate the number of strands of hair loss every day. However, it is time to worry about hair loss when you start to observe more hair than usual on your comb and in your home.

More commonly, people start noticing hair loss by noticing that their shower drain gets clogged up by hair quicker than usual. The other aspect of hair loss that you would notice is a direct observation of your scalp. Your hair parting that becomes wider and your hairline looks increasingly receded.

Different types and causes of hair loss

Androgenetic Alopecia

The most common cause of hair loss and hair thinning is androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss). Male Pattern Hair Loss affects both genders, approximately 70% of men and 40% of women. It is usually hereditary and is caused by male hormones.

Telogen Effluvium

This is usually linked to physical and emotional stress and is more common in women. Common causes are childbirth, major illness and sudden change in diet and lifestyle.

Alopecia Areata

Alopecia Areata leads to patches of baldness on the scalp. The exact cause is unknown. It usually happens spontaneously without any identified trigger.

Skin Disease

Skin disease such as eczema, fungal infection and skin bacteria infection can lead to hair loss.

Chronic Medical Conditions

Hair loss can be an indicator of another underlying health issue such as iron deficiency, thyroid disease and connective tissue disease.

Medication-related

Some medication such as hormonal pills, cancer drugs and anticoagulants can lead to hair loss.

What should I do if I have hair loss?

If you are experiencing hair loss or thinning, it is important to consult as an accurate diagnosis is important to help determine suitable treatments for you.

Often, treatment of underlying conditions is required in order to treat hair loss. For example, if hair loss is due to skin conditions such as eczema and fungal skin infections, you will require topical and/or oral prescribed medication to treat the skin condition before the hair loss condition can improve.

If hair loss is found to be due to medication conditions such as thyroid disease, a referral to a medical specialist may be required to treat the medical condition in order to improve hair loss.

What are some treatments available for hair loss or hair thinning?

If you have already seen a doctor and get the underlying skin or health condition sorted out, you can then consider other forms of hair growth treatment to treat your hair loss.
It is important to understand that all hair loss treatment needs at least 3 months to see improvement. It also requires ongoing maintenance treatment.

Topical and oral hair growth medication and supplement

Topical hair growth spray such as Minoxidil is useful in treating hair loss.
Oral medication such as Finasteride and oral supplement rich in biotin is often prescribed as part of the treatment for hair loss especially for male pattern hair loss.

AnteAge MD Hair Growth Treatment

This is a non-invasive hair growth treatment that involves application of AnteAge Hair Growth Factor on the scalp to promote hair growth. AnteAge Hair Growth Factor is a hair growth solution that contains 12 types of growth factors and cytosignals that can effectively stimulate the growth of hair follicles. Some ingredients include recombinant insulin-like growth factor 1 and 2 (IGF-1 and IGF-2), hyaluronic acid and stem cell factor (SCF) which are proven to stimulate hair growth.

Scalp skin is treated with micro-needles prior to the application of AnteAge Hair Growth Factor to maximise the absorption of the solution into the right depth of the scalp skin. This treatment continuously improves hair growth over a series of treatments (once every 2 to 3 weeks). It is often done in combination with low level light therapy to optimise the results of hair follicle activation.

Regenera Activa Hair Loss Treatment

Regenera Activa is a treatment designed to combat hair loss and hair thinning in men and women. It uses capillary regenerative technology targeted at male pattern hair loss. Regenera Activa treatment uses your own hair which contains cells that help activate the follicles around the hair thinning and hair loss area. In other words, it uses your own body’s ability to produce new hair by stimulating a hair regenerative process.

Hair Transplant

Hair transplantation is the last resort when it comes to hair loss. It is a complex procedure and requires a skilled doctor to perform. Even after hair transplant, treatment such as topical spray, oral medication and AnteAge treatment will still be required to maintain the hair condition.

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