Hair Loss

Facts about normal hair growth

Near 90% of hair on the scalp grows continually. In fact, each hair grows for about 2 to six years. The other 10% of scalp pilus is in a resting phase that lasts ii to iii months. At the end of the resting phase, this pilus is shed.

Picture of a man working on the computer, talking on the phone

Most people take around 100,000 hairs on their head, and shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. This is normal. When a hair is shed, it is replaced by a new pilus from the same follicle and the growing wheel starts again. Scalp hair grows about one-half an inch a calendar month.

As people age, the rate of hair growth slows.

What causes pilus loss?

Hair loss is believed to be primarily caused past a combination of the following:

  • Crumbling

  • Alter in hormones

  • Disease

  • Family history of alopecia

  • Burns

  • Injury

  • Untreated ringworm of the scalp

  • Vitamin A excess

  • Poly peptide or iron deficiency

  • Rapid weight loss

  • Certain autoimmune diseases

  • Certain cancer treatments

  • Hair pulling due to trichotillomania

However, hair loss is not caused past the following:

  • Poor apportionment to the scalp

  • Dandruff

  • Excessive hat-wearing

  • Vitamin deficiencies

Generally, the earlier hair loss begins, the more astringent the baldness will get.

What is hair replacement surgery?

In that location are a number of hair replacement methods bachelor. But hair replacement surgery tin't help those who suffer from total alopecia. Candidates for hair replacement must have a good for you growth of pilus at the back and sides of the head. The pilus on the dorsum and sides of the head will serve every bit hair donor areas where grafts and flaps volition be taken.

At that place are four dissimilar types of hair replacement methods, including the following:

  • Hair transplantation. During hair transplantation, the surgeon removes small pieces of pilus-begetting scalp grafts from the back or sides of the head. These grafts are then relocated to a bald or thinning area.

  • Tissue expansion. In this process, a device called a tissue expander is placed underneath a hair-begetting area that is located side by side to a bald area. Later on several weeks, the tissue expander causes the skin to grow new skin cells. Another surgery is then needed to identify the newly expanded skin over the nearby bald spot.

  • Flap surgery. Flap surgery is ideal for covering big balding areas. During this procedure a office of the baldheaded surface area is removed and a flap of the hair-bearing skin is placed onto the baldheaded area. This is done while the flap of the hair-bearing skin is however attached at one terminate to its original blood supply.

  • Scalp reduction. Scalp reduction is washed to embrace the bald areas at the meridian and dorsum of the head. This method involves removing the baldheaded scalp with sections of the hair-begetting scalp pulled together filling in the bald area.

Possible complications linked to hair transplantation procedures

Possible complications linked to pilus transplantation procedures may include the following:

  • Patchy pilus growth. Sometimes the growth of newly placed hair has a patchy look, specially if it'south placed next to a thinning area. This can oftentimes be corrected by additional surgery.

  • Bleeding or wide scars. Tension on the scalp from some of the scalp reduction techniques can outcome in broad scars or haemorrhage.

  • Grafts not taking. Occasionally there'south a hazard that the graft may non take. If this is the case, surgery must be repeated.

  • Infection. Equally with any surgical procedure, in that location is the risk of infection.

Well-nigh the procedure

Although each procedure varies, generally, hair replacement surgeries follow this process:

  • Location options may include:

    • Surgeon'due south part-based surgical facility

    • Outpatient surgery center

    • Hospital outpatient

    • Hospital inpatient

  • Coldhearted options may include:

    • General anesthesia

    • Local anesthesia combined with a sedative (so y'all are awake but relaxed)

  • Boilerplate length of process. Several surgical sessions are usually needed to attain satisfactory fullness, with a healing interval of several months recommended between each session. It may accept up to 2 years before seeing the terminal consequence with a full transplant series.

  • Recuperation catamenia. Plugged or grafted hair falls out within a month or 2 after surgery. This is normal and well-nigh e'er temporary. After hair falls out, it mostly takes another month or more before pilus growth resumes. A surgical impact-up procedure may be needed to create more natural-looking results after the starting time incisions have healed. This may involve blending. This is a filling-in of the hairline using a combination of minigrafts, micrografts, or slit grafts.

Nonsurgical hair replacement with medicine

  • Finasteride. Finasteride treats male pattern baldness. It is bachelor in pill grade by prescription only. It works by blocking an enzyme called five-alpha reductase. This enzyme changes the male hormone testosterone into a stronger class called DHT (dihydrotestosterone). It's believed that DHT is a primal factor in male pattern hair loss. Finasteride lowers DHT levels in a man's scalp. This slows hair loss and promotes hair growth.

  • Dutasteride. Dutasteride is some other medicine that blocks the germination of DHT and may also assistance pilus growth.

  • Minoxidil. Minoxidil is bachelor equally an over-the-counter medicine. It is approved for both men and women. It is a topical solution that must exist applied past applicator or fingers to the balding area twice a day, every day. Reducing the dosage to once a twenty-four hour period results in some hair loss. Stopping the medicine causes y'all to go back to your pretreatment baldness. Minoxidil is bachelor in a women'due south strength and a men's force.

Always see your healthcare provider for more than information.