An Analysis Of Hair Loss: Types & Treatment Options
It’s unavoidable to see our hair losing its volume and thickness as we get older. Other factors that can cause hair to thin include your diet, nutrient deficiencies, or genetic hair loss.
Hair loss is hard to tell since most of us shed an average of 100 strands every day. While losing 100 strands daily shouldn’t cause a noticeable difference in your hairline; shedding more than 125 hairs daily can cause your hair parting to get bigger and bald spots to appear.
Most of the time, thinning hair is not related to overall health concerns. However, it can have an impact on people’s mental health and self-confidence. Like any other body condition such as acne, different factors contribute to varying types of hair loss.
While there may be very little you can do to entirely prevent hair loss, you may respond to treatment better if you consult an aesthetic doctor early! Here are some types of hair loss, the signs that you have them, and their leading causes.
Androgenetic alopecia
This is the most common type of hair loss among both genders. They are better known as male pattern hair loss or female pattern hair loss, and it’s usually hereditary. It is primarily caused by androgens called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which affects your hair follicles and impedes hair growth. This would result in more than normal hair thinning and shedding.
Because it’s derived from testosterone, and men usually have more testosterone than women, this may be why this type of hair loss is more common among men. This condition is generally seen in progressive loss of terminal hair on the scalp at any point after puberty. They also present differently in both men and women:
- Male pattern hair loss
For men, hair loss can begin any time after puberty, and it may worsen over the years. It usually starts as a receding hairline, a bald spot on the top of your head or the area above the sideburns.
The hair thinning would then continue around the head’s perimeter, and it often leaves a ring of hair at the bottom half of the scalp. If not treated, most men that have male pattern hair loss will eventually become bald.
However, just because it’s called male pattern hair loss does not mean it’s exclusive to men. Although it’s rare, if a woman has excessive androgens in their body, they may develop hair loss that closely resembles that of male pattern hair loss.
- Female pattern hair loss
For women, while the hair gradually thins all over the scalp, the hairline would not recede. Because it’s more common after menopause, the change of hormones may be the cause of it as well.
They also present quite differently from the more prominent male pattern baldness so that only the hair at the crown is affected. Moreover, while female pattern hair loss can cause hair to thin drastically, the chances of going completely bald are pretty low.
Telogen effluvium
This type of hair loss happens when many follicles on the scalp reach the resting (telogen) phase of the hair growth cycle. However, the subsequent growth phase never starts, causing hair to fall out without any new hair growing out of the scalp.
While it doesn’t usually lead to someone becoming completely bald, it can result in a loss of 300 to 500 strands of hair per day; causing your hair to look thin, particularly at the crown and temples. Unlike androgenetic alopecia, the volume of hair decreases equally all over the scalp.
Telogen effluvium is usually caused by a medical condition or medical-related events, such as thyroid imbalance, childbirth, surgery, or even a simple fever. It can also be caused by a lack of specific vitamins or minerals in the body. In this case, the most common cause would be iron deficiency, especially in women.
Medications that are prescribed for acne, such as isotretinoin or blood thinners such as warfarin, can also cause telogen effluvium. Starting or stopping oral contraceptives (e.g. birth control pills) is also a possible cause of this type of hair loss.
Telogen effluvium is not immediate. It usually takes three months to occur after a medical-related event. If the trigger is temporary, such as recovering from an illness, stopping the medication that caused the hair loss, or the vitamin deficiency is countered, your hair should grow back after six months or so. It’s only considered chronic if the condition persists for longer than six months.
Anagen effluvium
Unlike telogen effluvium, anagen effluvium occurs during the resting stage of the hair cycle. It’s classified as most or all hair shedding abruptly, which may leave the scalp partially or entirely bald in a short amount of time. Unlike other hair loss types, it can also affect other body parts such as the eyebrows, eyelashes, and body hair.
Usually, anagen effluvium is rapid hair loss that is caused by a medical treatment such as chemotherapy. While chemotherapy kills cancer cells, it can also disrupt or prevent hair follicle production in the scalp and other body parts. However, once chemotherapy stops, the hair would usually grow back on its own.
Alopecia areata
This type of autoimmune condition occurs when the body’s white blood cells turn against the healthy tissues, including those in the hair follicles. This will cause your hair to drop while hampering the growth of new hair. Why the immune systems attack the tissues remains unknown.
Nevertheless, this type of hair loss can begin without warning. A tell-tale sign of this hair loss is when the hair from the scalp falls out in small patches. Moreover, you may not feel any pain when the hair falls out. Hair loss can also affect the hair that is seen on other body parts, such as eyebrows and eyelashes. This hair loss can also lead to an advanced form called alopecia totalis, also known as complete hair loss.
The Clifford Clinic’s hair loss treatments
Non-transplant based
- Pilose hair growth serum
Known as the all-in-one for hair growth, this treatment is designed for early hair loss and thinning hair. Its all-in-one properties come from the fact that they compile all the substances known to grow hair into one, so you do not have to consider which substances are best to support your follicles’ healthy growth.
To sum up, this serum contains multiple substances that serve different functions to stimulate hair growth and improve scalp elasticity and blood circulation.
- Laser hair treatment (Fractionated thulium laser)
Laser Hair Rejuvenation is a laser hair treatment that encourages hair growth by using photobiogenesis therapy to induce the anagen stage in the dormant hair follicles. From there, the laser stimulates hair growth that is stronger and healthier than the ones the scalp follicles naturally generate.
It can also help stimulate other crucial parts of hair growth, such as cellular metabolism, protein synthesis, and tissue regeneration. Moreover, it also increases the blood flow in the vessels. This helps in increasing the hair density on your scalp.
Transplant-based treatments
- Follicular unit extraction (FUE)
FUE hair transplant works by harvesting healthy hair follicles from the back of the head that is resistant to the DHT hormone and transplanting it to balding areas. The surgeon would remove follicles from the denser hair area using a punch tool and manually implant it into the target area. Scarring is usually unnoticeable and stitches are not required.
To assist doctors in the tedious process of harvesting healthy hair follicles and minimise human error, the ARTAS robot is also an option for conducting the FUE hair transplant; although it does come at a higher cost.
- Regenera Activa
This treatment works on the basis of capillary regeneration technology to handle hair loss. It makes use of your existing hair follicles to stimulate regeneration and grow new hairs by extracting skin samples from the back of the head.
The samples are then placed in the Regenera Activa device to be broken down into micrometre-sized fragments called “micrografts”. They are then mixed with a solution that is made from stem cells, growth factors, and progenitor cells that have potent regenerative properties.
The affected areas of the scalp are then injected with that mixture to stimulate the dormant cells under the scalp to induce hair growth.
Overcome hair loss @ The Clifford Clinic
While there are many treatment options for hair loss, a treatment that may work on one person may not work with another. That is why if you are at a loss of which hair treatment is best for your condition, look no further than The Clifford Clinic!
After all, one of the best treatment approaches requires a combination of two or more treatments. Not only do they give faster and better results, but they also minimise complications. With expert aesthetic doctors that are highly trained in a range of hair loss treatments, we can customise the treatment plans that are suited just for you.
Don’t wait until hair loss progresses before doing something about it. If you are worried about your hair loss and wish to learn more about our hair loss treatment prices, book a consultation with us today!