Hair Loss Basics
Male Hair Loss
Are You Suffering From Male Hair Loss?
Studies have shown that over 50% of men will experience some degree of hair loss by age 50, and the likelihood of hair loss increases with age. Hair loss can have many causes, including heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions, and ageing. However, hereditary hair loss, or Male Pattern Baldness (MPB), is men’s most common cause of baldness. MPB is characterised by a gradual thinning of the hair on the top and front of the scalp, and it can begin as early as the late teens.
It’s important to note that while MPB is a common and natural part of the ageing process, it can significantly impact a man’s self-esteem and emotional well-being. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential to obtain the best possible outcome, as the longer the condition progresses, the harder it can be to treat.
Treatment options for MPB include topical medications like minoxidil, oral medications like finasteride, and non-surgical treatments like scalp micropigmentation and low-level laser therapy. Hair transplant surgery can also be an effective option for some men with MPB.
What causes Male Pattern Baldness?
Male pattern baldness (MPB) is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors, and it is characterised by a progressive thinning of the hair on the top and front of the scalp.
This thinning occurs when hair follicles are oversensitive to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes the hair to become thinner and shorter over time.
While there is no cure for MPB, several treatment options are available to slow down the process or restore hair growth. These include pharmacological treatments like topical minoxidil and oral finasteride and non-surgical treatments like scalp micropigmentation, plasma injections, and low-level laser therapy. Hair transplant surgery is another option for men with more advanced hair loss seeking a more permanent solution.
Facial Hair (Beard) Loss
Are You Suffering From Facial Hair Loss?
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss on the scalp, face, and other body parts. The condition occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, leading to hair loss in round or oval patches. In some cases, the hair loss can be more extensive, causing total baldness on the scalp or even loss of body hair.
Alopecia barbae is a specific form of alopecia areata that affects the beard area. It typically presents as one or more small, round patches of hair loss in the beard region. The condition can be temporary or long-lasting and may occur at any age, although it is most commonly seen in young adults.
There is currently no cure for alopecia areata or alopecia barbae, but several treatment options are available to help manage the condition. These include topical or injected corticosteroids, immunomodulating drugs, and other medications that suppress the immune system. Sometimes, hair may regrow independently without treatment, but it can also recur or progress to more extensive hair loss.
What causes facial hair loss?
Alopecia barbae is an autoimmune condition in which your hair follicles are attacked by your body’s immune system, causing patchy hair loss. However, it’s worth noting that alopecia barbae can also occur in individuals with no family history of autoimmune conditions, and it’s not always clear why some people develop it while others do not. While there is currently no cure for alopecia barbae, various treatment options may help slow or reverse hair loss. These include topical or injected corticosteroids, immunotherapy, and hair transplant surgery in more severe cases.
How is facial hair loss treated?
With alopecia barbae, as the condition is autoimmune and the transplanted hair may also be susceptible to attack by the immune system, it’s recommended to consult with a hair transplant surgeon to determine if you’re a good candidate for the procedure. The effectiveness of treatments can depend on various factors, including the extent of hair loss, age, and overall health.
Several treatments are available for alopecia areata, including corticosteroid injections, topical immunotherapy, and oral medications like JAK inhibitors. These treatments aim to suppress the immune system’s attack on hair follicles and stimulate hair growth.
These treatments tend to be more effective in individuals with less severe hair loss or experiencing hair loss for a shorter period.
Hair Growth
The average human scalp has 100,000 to 150,000 follicles that generate thick terminal hair. Rather than emerging separately from the scalp, these hairs are organised into small clusters of 1 to 4 hairs, which are referred to as follicular units. The human scalp has roughly 50,000 to 65,000 of these follicular units. In contrast, the human body has about 5 million follicles producing fine vellus hair.
Typically, around 90% of the terminal hairs on a person’s head are in an active growth phase at any given time. This stage is known as the anagen phase and can last anywhere from 2 to 7 years, with an average of roughly three years. Following the anagen phase is the catagen phase, which is the shortest of the three and lasts for approximately 2-3 weeks. During this phase, hair growth stops, and the middle portion of the follicle constricts while the lower part expands to form the “club.” The remaining 10% of the scalp hairs are in a resting state called telogen. In a healthy scalp, this phase typically lasts 3 to 4 months.
Growth stops when a hair enters its resting phase and the bulb disconnects from the papilla. The hair shaft is then either pulled out (as when combing one’s hair) or pushed out as the new shaft begins to grow. A small white swelling can be observed at the base of the hair shaft if the hair is pulled out or falls out naturally. However, this is not the growth centre of the hair, as many people assume; instead, it is simply the clubbed, detached lower end of the hair shaft. The actual growth centre of the hair, as well as the dermal papillae, remain on the scalp.
On average, scalp hair grows at approximately 0.44 mm per day, or roughly 1/2 inch per month. Each hair follicle will undergo the hair cycle anywhere from 10 to 20 times throughout a person’s lifetime.
On average, humans tend to lose about 100 hairs per day. Therefore, it is common for individuals to notice a few hairs sticking to the comb after combing their hair. However, if a significant number of hairs are found on the comb, in the sink, or the tub, it may indicate hair loss that could be triggered by diseases or medications.
Nevertheless, common genetic balding is not caused by excessive hair loss, but rather by a process called “miniaturisation.” During this process, the hair that is normally lost gets successively replaced with smaller, finer hair, resulting in hair thinning over time.
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