Hair Fall And Alopecia Treatment In Mumbai

Male pattern hair loss is an inherited condition, caused by a genetically determined sensitivity to the effects of dihydrotestosterone, or DHT in some areas of the scalp. DHT is believed to shorten the growth, or anagen, phase of the hair cycle, from a usual duration of 3-6 years to just weeks or months. This causes miniaturization of the follicles and producing progressively fewer and finer anagen hairs.
The production of DHT is regulated by an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. Several genes are involved, accounting for differing age of onset, progression, pattern, and severity of hair loss in family members. The susceptibility genes are inherited from both mother and father. At this time, genetic testing for the prediction of balding is unreliable.
A few women present with male pattern hair loss because they have excessive levels of androgens as well as genetic predisposition. These women tend also tosuffer from acne, irregular menses, and excessive facial and body hair. These symptoms are characteristic of the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) although the majority of women with PCOS do not experience hair loss. Less often, congenital adrenal hyperplasia may be responsible. Females that are losing their hair with age are more likely to present with female pattern hair loss, in which hormone tests are normal.

Androgenetic alopecia or common baldness or patterned hair loss can affect both males and females. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive and rapid baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hairline and baldness on the top of the head. There are seven grades of male pattern baldness:

Grade I – prepubertal smooth outline of the frontal scalp

Grade II – inverted V-shaped frontal recession

Grade III – the recession of the bitemporal hairline

Grade IV- deep frontotemporal recession with some vertical thinning

Grade V- further front temporal thinning with marked vertical thinning

Grade VI- further progression with the tendency towards the confluence

Grade VII- enlargement of both bald areas being separated by only a band of sparse hair.

Women may develop female-pattern baldness. Most common in females aged 20-40 years. Three types of female patterns of hair loss have been described.

1. Diffuse central thinning
2. Frontal accentuation
3. Frontotemporal recession of the hairline

Alopecia areata is the name for a condition in which round patches of hair loss appear suddenly. The hair follicle is attacked by the patient’s own immune cells for unknown reasons. There are three stages: first, there is sudden hair loss, then the patches of hair loss enlarge, and last, new hair grows back. This process takes months, sometimes more than a year, but rarely does the hair never grow back

Diets low in essential nutrients like iron, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, calcium, etc can be a cause of hair loss. These nutrients play a role in the hair growth cycle so their deficiencies can cause clinical hair loss. Vegetarian diets usually have low amounts of these nutrients.

Normal hair growth cycles last anywhere from 2-7 years. However, forms of hair loss are characterized by shorter hair growth cycles such as in androgenic alopecia. A normal human growth cycle consists of 3 phases: 1. Anagen phase (main growing stage). 2. Catagen phase (resting stage). 3. Telogen phase (shedding off stage). When the telogen phase ends, old hair gets replaced with new hair from the same follicle. Normally a person sheds about 50-100 hair strands per day, but it is not noticeable. However, with the gradual increase in the thinning of hair, hair loss becomes prominent.

1. Hair Fall due to Thyroid Problems
The thyroid gland is one of the most important glands which controls the functions of our body. This gland is considered to be the largest endocrine gland which is found in our neck. The hormones produced by the thyroid gland helps to increase metabolism and also affects the functioning of other parts of the body.
Most of us suffer from severe hair loss due to thyroid problems. Whenever the thyroid glands produce either an excessive amount of thyroid hormones or a very less amount of thyroid hormones, it is considered to be a thyroid problem. One of the major symptoms for a person suffering from this disorder is severe hair fall, thinning of hair, and dry hair.

2. Hair Fall due to Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common endocrine disorder. This disorder is considered to be a common problem for women and it creates hormonal imbalances. In this problem, we suffer from various skin inflammations like acne and extreme growth of facial hair. PCOS creates fertility problems, irregular periods, and severe thinning of hair on the scalp.

3. Hair Fall due to Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is one of the major hair disorders. In this condition, a person suffers from severe hair loss. It creates round patches or bald spots and hair will be lost from several areas of the scalp and sometimes other parts of the body. A person suffering from this disorder will have spot baldness or sometimes loses complete hair.

4. Iron deficiency anemia
Very common with women but can also affect men.

5. Hair Fall due to Scalp Infections
Various scalp related infections can cause severe hair fall. One of the most common scalp infections is ringworm. This is a fungal infection that can be developed in any area of our body. When this infection develops on our scalp, then we will lose patches of hair fall.

6. Androgenetic Alopecia
Male or female pattern baldness.
Autoimmune diseases – an immune reaction that attacks the hair follicles, producing antibodies that attack these tissues as if they were foreign invaders.

7. Androgenic Alopecia
The body’s immune system is sensitized to increased levels of DHT in the scalp causing hair loss in these high concentrated DHT areas

8. Alopecia Totalis, Universalis –
Immune sensitivity to a substance other than DHT.

9. Radiation exposure
Irradiation therapy or exposure to radiation from any source can cause localized or total hair loss, which may be severe if the dose is high enough.

10. Hair Fall due to Pregnancy
Most of the women suffer from hair loss during their pregnancy. This hair fall can be due to hormonal changes and sometimes due to a lack of vitamins and other essential minerals required for our body. A woman will have severe hair fall mostly after her pregnancy due to hormonal imbalance and this is considered to be a temporary problem.

11. Hair Fall due to usage of Birth Control Pills
Women who use birth control pills will sometimes lead to hair loss. This is a drug that potentially causes hair shedding. Especially women who are from genetic hair loss background will suffer from severe hair fall. Sometimes even if we stop using these pills might lead to hair fall.

12. Connective tissue disease
Causes scarring of the skin, loss of circulation to hair follicles, and an autoimmune reaction leading to a temporary or severe loss of hair. Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Scleroderma, MCTD, Scarring alopecia, etc.

13. Hair Fall due to Poor Diet
Our body requires various vitamins, minerals, and proteins for maintaining healthy hair. People who want to lose weight will have a lot of restrictions on their diet. In this process of dieting our body have an insufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. Due to this, we might suffer from hair fall.
Our hair requires a lot of vitamins and proteins. To have healthy hair, we must follow a balanced diet. So, even if we are on diet it is a must to include healthy and natural protein-rich foods and also foods that are rich in vitamin E. This will keep our hair strong and healthy.

14. Hair Fall due to Hair Styling
Nowadays, most of us will try to experiment with our hair. We try various hairstyles, straightening our hair, use different hair colors, and also use a lot of detergents and chemicals. And also excess brushing of hair makes it weak and brittle. Due to all these reasons, our hair becomes dull and dry. Our hair loses its shine and slowly causes loss of hair. Others: Exposure to toxic chemicals, Tobacco smoking active or passive, Individual reaction to illness or a personal sensitivity to the environment, Chemotherapy, Fungal and bacterial infections, Cosmetic procedures like perming, crimping, straightening, and coloring are enormously contributory factors, and should be avoided as far as possible.

15. Hair Fall due to Cancer Treatment
Hair loss is one of the major side effects of cancer treatment. A person suffering from cancer have to undergo chemotherapy. Due to this therapy, the person will tend to lose his hair. Chemotherapy results in spot baldness or complete baldness. During cancer treatment, the patient needs to consume a lot of drugs that not kill cancer cells but also other healthy cells like hair cells. This is the reason why every cancer patient will have hair fall during their treatment. So, it is always better to include healthy foods for fighting cancer.

16. Hair Fall due to Stress
Stress is a problem that not only affects mental health but also our physical health. Due to stress, we will suffer from insomnia, loss of appetite, hair fall, and health hazards. Telogen effluvium is one of the most common types of stress which causes severe hair fall. So, whenever you are working for a longer period and feel stressed out try some simple stress buster exercises which will relieve your stress temporarily.

17. Hair Fall due to Genetics
Hair fall due to genetics is something that we cannot control. Baldness or severe hair fall can be inherited from our ancestors. Genetic hair loss is one of the most common problems in which our body will not be able to produce more hair. This type of hair loss can be seen in both men and women.

18Other skin disorders.
Diseases that cause scarring alopecia may result in a permanent loss of the scarred areas. These conditions include lichen planus, some types of lupus and sarcoidosis.

19. A trigger event.
Many people experience a general thinning of hair several months after a physical or emotional shock. This type of hair loss is temporary. Examples of trigger events include sudden or excessive weight loss, a high fever, surgery, or a death in the family.

These are the 11 major causes of hair fall and in order to reduce hair fall, you must know the exact reason behind it. As our hair represents our health status, we need to stay fit and healthy with regular workouts and maintaining a balanced diet chart.

The common tests done for hair loss are:

1. Dermoscopy or Trichoscopy: This is a non-invasive test done by the dermatologist to assess the size and numbers of hair and types of hair using a magnifying device called Dermoscopy.
2. Hair pull test: This helps to ascertain the numbers of hair to check for improvement during treatment.
3. KOH test: This test is done when a fungal infection is suspected
4. Skin biopsy: Very rarely done when the cause of hair loss is not determined by the other tests
5. Blood tests to rule out anemia, thyroid, hormonal problems, vitamin deficiencies, etc.

The most important part of the treatment of hair loss is getting to the correct diagnosis. Once this is established, then the diet and lifestyle recommendations are made. Vitamin and mineral supplements along with a high protein diet are recommended. The mainstay of medical treatment is combinations of Minoxidil and peptide serums. This prevents hair loss and helps with slowing the thinning of hair shafts.

To help to arrest hair loss further treatments such as Low-Level Laser Therapy, Microneedle treatments, Platelet-rich plasma treatment, and Growth Factor infusion treatments are suggested depending on the severity of the hair loss.