Hair Loss

Hair loss differ in men and women. usualy 100 to 150 hairs per day is common.

Hair loss causes:

• INTERNAL CAUSES:
  • Poor diet
  • Severe stress
  • Hormonal changes
  • Puberty,pregnancy,menopause
  • Hypothyroid
  • Iron deficiency anaemia
  • Drugs used for cancer,chemotheraphy
• EXTERNAL CAUSES:
  • Pollution
  • Shampoos

HAIR GROWS IN 3 PHASES

• ANAGEN PHASE:actively growing phase
• CATAGEN PHASE: breaking phase
• TELOGEN PHASE:not growing, getting prepare for cyclic shedding

HAIR LOSS CLASSIFIED AS

• LOCALISED/PATCHY HAIR LOSS/SMALL AREA:
  • ALOPECIA AREATA: Small size patch on scalp usually grow in months.coin sized. Usually regrow in 6to 12 wks. Sometimes alopecia can affect hair on any other parts of the body such as beard,moustaches.
  • TRACTION ALOPECIA: Hair loss is due to repetitive persistant pulling force on hair roots
  • TINEA CAPITIS: Hair loss is due to tinea infection. Affects school going children
  • TRICHITILLOMANIA: Habit of some one voluntarily pulling at their own hairs, twisting them.
• DIFFUSE HAIR LOSS:
  • TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM:rapid shedding of hair after child birth, after fever, menopause, after attaining menarchy, after loosing wt suddenly.
  • ANDROGENIC ALOPECIA/MALE PATTERN BALDNESS:m shaped baldness found in adolescent boys, middle age group.
  • INVOLUTIONAL ALOPECIA: Natural condition in which the hair gradually thins with the age.

DRUGS WHICH AFFECT HAIR LOSS

• Blood Thinners
• Birth Control Pills
• Drugs used to treat Cancer
• Medicines used to treat Blood Pressure
• Cosmetic procedures such as straightening of hair, Chemical Irritants in Shampoos

PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR HAIR LOSS

• Take healthy diet rich in VIT B, IRON,CLCIUM,PROTEIN, rich diet. Such as egg, fish, milk, wall nuts, broccoli, whole grain cerels, spinach, cauliflower, redmeat, kidney beans, sweat potatoes
• Avoid Pollution which increases Dandruff
• Consume plenty of water
• Avoid chemical treatments to the hair

DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES FOR HAIR LOSS

• Hair Pull Test
• Biopsy scrapping sample taken fron scalp skin
  Blood tests
  T3, T4, tsh
  For women androgenic hormones like testosterone, prolactin, fish
  Serum iron, serum ferritin levels

Some rubrics helps in treating hair loss

• hair fall allover SELENIUM
• hair fall in children : baryta carb, nat mur
• alopecia in climacteric period: LYCOPODIUM 2, SEPIA 2
• hair fall after disease:CARBO VEG, LYCO, THALLIUM MET
• hair fall due to dandruff:THUJA
• hair fall after delivery:NAT MUR, SEPIA, PULS, CARBOVEG, LYCO, SULPH, NITRIC ACID
• hair fall after fever like typhoid:FLOURIC ACID
• hair fall handfuls in :PHOS
• hair fall due to injury :HYP
• hair fall nursing during:NAT MUR
• hair fall during pregnancy LACH
• alopecia spots:NAT MUR, PHOS, FLOURIC ACID, CANTHARIS
• hair fall with graying:LYC, SILICEA, ACID PHOS, KALI IOD.
• thick hair:ANT CRUD, GRAPH, LYC
• hair cutting refuses in children: CINA