Hair grows everywhere on the human skin except on places like the palms of hands and the soles of feet, eyelids and belly buttons. Hair is made up of a protein called keratin that is produced in hair follicles in the outer layer of skin. As follicles produce new hair cells, old cells are being pushed out through the surface of the skin at the rate of about six inches a year. The hair is actually a string of dead keratin cells. The average adult head has about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs and loses up to 100 of them a day. This usually isn’t noticeable because new hair is growing in at the same time. Hair loss occurs when new hair doesn’t replace the hair that has fallen out.
At any one time, about 90% of the hair on a person’s scalp is growing. Each follicle has its own life cycle that can be influenced by age, disease, and a wide variety of other factors. This life cycle is divided into three phases:
1. Anagen — active hair growth that generally lasts between two to eight years
2. Catagen — transitional hair growth that lasts two to three weeks
3. Telogen — resting phase that lasts about two to three months; at the end of the resting phase the hair is shed and a new hair replaces it and the growing cycle starts again.
Types of hair loss –
1. Androgenic alopecia: This type of hereditary baldness can affect anyone (male pattern baldness or hair loss in women).
2. Alopecia areata: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that results in hair loss from the head and body.
3. Telogen effluvium: This type of hair loss involves rapid shedding of hair in a short amount of time. It typically happens a few months after body goes through something physically or emotionally stressful. It can also result from sudden hormonal changes.
4. Anagen effluvium: This very rapid hair loss occurs due to certain medical treatments, such as chemotherapy.
Causes
Hair loss is typically related to one or more of the following factors:
1. Family history (heredity). The most common cause of hair loss is a hereditary condition that happens with aging. It usually occurs gradually and in predictable patterns — a receding hairline and bald spots in men and thinning hair along the crown of the scalp in women. (homeopathy benefits)
2. Hormonal changes and medical conditions.
▪ Pregnancy
▪ Childbirth,
▪ Menopause
▪ Thyroid problems
▪ Alopecia areata
▪ Ringworm
▪ A hair-pulling disorder called trichotillomania
3. Medications and supplements. Hair loss can be a side effect of certain drugs, such as those used for cancer, arthritis, depression, heart problems, gout and high blood pressure.
4. Radiation therapy to the head
5. Stressful event. Many people experience a general thinning of hair several months after a physical or emotional shock.
6. Hairstyles and treatments. Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull hair tight, such as pigtails or cornrows, can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. Hot-oil hair treatments and permanents also can cause hair to fall out. If scarring occurs, hair loss could be permanent. (hair doctor near me)
Risk factors
1. A family history of balding on your mother’s or father’s side
2. Age
3. Significant weight loss
4. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes and lupus
5. Stress
6. Poor nutrition
Symptoms
Hair loss can appear in many different ways, depending on what’s causing it. It can come on suddenly or gradually and affect just scalp or whole body. Signs and symptoms of hair loss may include:
1. Gradual thinning on top of head. This is the most common type of hair loss, affecting people as they age. In men, hair often begins to recede at the hairline on the forehead. Women typically have a broadening of the part in their hair. An increasingly common hair loss pattern in older women is a receding hairline (frontal fibrosing alopecia).
2. Circular or patchy bald spots. Some people lose hair in circular
or patchy bald spots on the scalp, beard or eyebrows. skin may
become itchy or painful before the hair falls out.
3. Sudden loosening of hair. A physical or emotional shock can
cause hair to loosen. Handfuls of hair may come out when
combing or washing your hair or even after gentle tugging. This
type of hair loss usually causes overall hair thinning but is
Temporary.
4. Full-body hair loss. Some conditions and medical treatments,
such as chemotherapy for cancer, can result in the loss of hair all
over your body. The hair usually grows back.
5. Patches of scaling that spread over the scalp. This is a sign of
ringworm. It may be accompanied by broken hair, redness,
swelling and, at times, oozing.
Diagnosis-
A detailed history taking including diet, hair care routine, and medical
and family history is necessary to chalk out the exact diagnosis in cases
of hair fall. Following tests may advised-
1. Blood test- low haemoglobin levels, diabetes, thyroid can be
detected through blood tests.
2. Pull test-Gently pulling several dozen hairs to see how many
come out. This test helps determine the stage of the shedding
Process.
3. Scalp biopsy-Scrapes samples from the skin or from a few hairs
plucked from the scalp can be taken to examine the hair roots
under a microscope. This can help determine whether an infection
is causing hair loss.
4. Light microscopy- Microscopy helps uncover possible disorders
of the hair shaft.
Homoeopathic Management-
Every kind of hair loss (ranging from hair loss due to anemia /
nutritional deficiencies, due to skin disorders, due to mental /
physical trauma, due to childbirth or menopause, after acute
diseases, to alopecia areata, alopecia totalis or androgenetic
alopecia) can be treated with the help of well selected homeopathic
medicines. To treat hair loss through homeopathy detail case
history of the patient needs to be studied. The cause and site of hair
loss are to be noted down along with the constitutional symptoms
of the patient which are given prime importance in any kind of
hair loss. The constitutional symptoms include appetite
,thirst,sleep,desire,aversion,thermal,perspiration and psychological
nature of patient. (hair doctor near me)
Therapeutic indications of some homoeopathic medicines are as
Follows-
1. Thuja– It is a wonderful homoeopathic medicine for hairfall
with white scaly dandruff. It is also good for split ends of hair.Hair falls off or grows slowly.
2. Acid Phos– Thinning of hair shaft is cured by this remedy. It is
the medicine of choice in the cases where hair is falling after
mental shock. Hair greying and depressing emotions are also the
indications for this medicine.
3. Natrum muriaticum– It has the symptom of easy falling out of
the hair, it falls out when touched or combed. This is quite
frequently seen in nursing women.
4. Weisbaden– This medicine fasten up the hair growth and makes
them darker. If the hair was soft formerly and now has become
hard and brittle this medicine can do wonders in these cases.
5. Acid fluor– It treats the itching of the head and falling off of the
hair. It is also useful or dry and brittle hair.
6. Sepia– Useful in hairfall due to hormonal changes. Losing of
hair after chronic headache is covered by this remedy.
