There are many common problems related to losing hair like hair loss, hair thinning, or balding that occurs are any part of the body, it is scientifically referred to as alopecia. There are many reasons why one losses hair, among them one common reason is aging. Out of 100,000 to 15,000 hairs in your head, you may lose 80-100 in a day and it is common. When you feel that you are losing double the times of hair it is an indication of any health issue and you have to take the required measures for it.
Some indications of danger
There are certain cases where hair fall is a symptom of various diseases. You can experience some differences in hair loss like:
- Loss of clumps of hair several times from your scalp
- Higher thinning of hair
- Unexpected and indescribable loss of hair in any part of the body.
- Incomplete hair loss in your eyebrows or scalp.
- Trichotillomania, where you pull out your hair yourself.
There are some dangerous conditions where you need to be diagnosed immediately, and consult with your family physician or a general practitioner as soon as possible. They will diagnose you and give you the solution or recommend it to a dermatologist or a trichologist or an endocrinologist if the reason is critical and related to hormonal imbalance. If the problem is trichotillomania you will have to discuss it with a psychologist.
How hair growth does happen
On the upper layer of the skin, there are hair follicles that contain protein. This protein will produce new hair cells and the old dead cells are pushed out. The hair that you see is made of dead keratinized cells and hair is made of keratin. Such growth is not common for all on your scalp; each one grows at a different speed.
Every follicle works continuously since each follows each time to grow; they shed at a different time. When all of them follow the same, then there will be the same hair shed at the same time. From developing to shedding there are three phases that your hair goes through.
- The growing phase or Anagen: This phase can last 2 to 7 years. Generally, in a scalp, over 80 to 90 percent of hair will be in this phase and the growth will be from one centimeter to half an inch every 28 days. The rest is all about your gene about the time that your hair remains in your follicle.
- The regression phase or Catagen: It is the sign that indicates the end of the growing phase and this phase last to the time duration of 10 to 14 days.
- The shedding phase or Telogen: This is the final stage of the hair being on your scalp and it will be pushed out when there is the growth of new anagen hair. At any period you can find 10 to 15 percent of your hairs are under the telogen phase. When a follicle goes under all these three stages then it will remain dormant for 3 months and again continue with the three stages.
When these three phases are not regular in a person thus they experience loss of hair and diagnosing and treatment are highly required for them.
Types of hair losses
For every human, the cycle is general and when they are disturbed, some problems like hair growth, and hair thinning make happen when the thinning phase is happening earlier your hair may shed and you may lose your hair. This disturbance of the hair growth cycle, there is a number of reasons and they are classified under certain types of alopecia:
- Alopecia areata: You might have seen some sudden hair loss in patches in children and young adults; it is called as spot baldness. This is believed that it happens as a result of an autoimmune disease that the hair follicles are attacked by the immune system of your body.
- Involutional alopecia: This happens due to aging and it is the most common one. As a result of aging, the follicles go into the dormant stage and the length of the hair becomes thinner.
- Androgenic alopecia: it is because of the genetic disorder called male pattern balding, this happens in the later teens or the earlier ’20s. For women, it will be in the age of the ’40s and known as female balding.
- Alopecia totalis: it is an autoimmune disorder where a person will have complete hair loss on the head, eyebrows, and eyelashes and it is because of the sudden process or the gradual progression of alopecia areata. This is the hair loss that happens in both children and adults.
- Alopecia Universalis: It is also the hair fall that occurs because of an autoimmune disorder and this also results in the fall of hair in all the parts of the body like the head, eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic hair. It is said as the most dangerous or severe type of hair fall among all the other alopecia areata.
- Scarring alopecia: It is the hair fall that happens only in adults due to some disorders like frontal fibrosing alopecia, lichen planus, discoid, scleroderma, and folliculitis decalvans. When a person suffers from this type of hair the fallen hair’s space will not be filled again. It means once the hair is fallen there will not be any regrowth of hair in place.
- Trichotillomania: It happens in children when they pull their hair there can be destruction in the hair follicles and that restricts the growth of hair.
- Telogen effluvium: it is the type of hair loss that occurs when the body experiences too much stress, illness like cancer, emotional and mental disturbances, and some medicines like blood thinners, stress during children’s birth, hormonal imbalances, etc. In such types, the thinning happens from the scalp and you can have the hair that grows again after you get out of the issues.
- Alopecia barbae: This happens in men that affects the facial hair and leads to hairless patches in beards.
- Alopecia mucinosa: it is an autoimmune disorder that is also called follicular mucinosis. It produces inflammation in hair follicles that leads to scarring or non-scarring hair loss. This may occur in any part of the body and in people of any age group. The early treatment will save you from permanent hair loss and in case if you left it without treatment then there may be a huge problem in permanent loss of hair.
- Traction alopecia: This is generally caused in women as the result of tightly tying their hair in ponytails, pigtails, braids, etc. If it is carried out for a long time then there can be a danger of permanent loss of hair in the affected area.
There are several types of hair losses thus classified that you can experience them. Some are serious and some are not so. Whatever the issues are it is better when you find them and recover them well in advance.
Causes of hair fall
There are various reasons to have a fall of hair for both men and women. Here are some of the reasons for it:
- Physical stress: The present generation is highly affected by stress and also does not follow the required measures to get rid of stress. As a result, they are experiencing loss of hair. Besides that, any type of physical trauma like surgery car accident or heavy illness, or flu can create a temporary loss of hair.
- Pregnancy: It is also a kind of stress and you can feel there is a huge hair fall also you give birth to your child.
- More amount of vitamin A: When there is over-consumption of vitamin A supplements or medications will increase hair fall.
- Lack of protein: when your body does not get an adequate amount of protein then there may be a risk of protein and your body takes them from stopping hair growth.
- Male pattern baldness: two among three will be subjected to hair loss when they reach the age of ’60s and it is caused by genes and male sex hormones.
- Heredity: when certain people in your family experience the fall in particular age there are also chances for you to have the same.
- Anemia: one in ten women by the age of ’20s suffers from anemia because of iron deficiency in the body. As the result, the hair is made more fixable and tends to loss of hair.
- Sudden weight loss: When there is a sudden weight loss in your body and even it is beneficiary, there can be a loss in hair.
- Aging: As you gain more age your body activities go down and as a result, you may experience hair fall. It is more common to have hair fall in the age of ’50s and 6’s.
- Overdoing with hair: When you are too cautious about having different styles of hair and applying some products to it with the right prescription, some activities like coloring, hair drying, etc can result in the loss of hair. Since your hair cannot withstand all the conditions and the nature of the products.
Lots of hair loss is common, and if you want to get rid of it, it is better to follow preventive measures or get proper treatment.
Diagnosis
You can consult with the doctor when you have any of such issues, they will ask about the medical history of your family in order to find if it is a genetic disorder and in particular about the hair loss that your parents and grandparents experienced.
They will look at the symptoms and examine a few of your hairs under a microscope and find the issues if there are problems related to alopecia areata. When it is not so clear, you may also undergo a scalp biopsy to find the possibilities of fungal, ringworm, or any other infections affected.
As the final measure, you may be asked to go for a blood test o find if the reason for hair fall is autoimmune diseases or any hormonal imbalance.
Complications of alopecia or hair loss
When you have hair fall the first thing that happens is you may lose your self-confidence and have some psychological effects in nature. You may become emotionally weak that you are losing your identity, image, and the way that wanted to portray yourself to others.
When you have such issues it is better to visit a doctor for treatment and also counseling in order to become mentally strong and face the issue. Here are some of the complications that alopecia may give you;
- Lowers your self-esteem
- Creates depression
- If you are having alopecia and if it is because of poor nutrition you may have dandruff.
- You can experience heavy sunburn on your scalp which is harmful since they carry ultraviolet rays. You can get rid of them by using some lotions or by wearing hats or caps.
- Loss of hair is also a symptom of some diseases like thyroid, diabetes, and also vitiligo since it is interlinked.
Worrying will not give you the solution instead it increases hair loss, so stay calm and look at the steps that you will work with to get rid of the issue. Here are some remedies that you can follow to prevent hair fall.
Hair losses for men
The survey says that around 85% of men are experiencing hair fall at the age of the ’50s. There are several reasons like aging, stress, genetics, smoking, etc. When you are bothered about your hair, you have to follow some of the measures that make your hair safe from falling and continue with the same hair.
One of the best remedies will be finasteride, a medication that is used to enlarge the prostate or to reduce the loss of hair in the scalp for men.
When can a man feel that he is losing his hair and becoming bald?
In regular life there is a lot to move on; it may not be possible to look at each and every aspect like the amount of hair loss that happened each day compared to the previous day. But it is important to notice when some unusual things happen like losing patches of hair on any part of the body, as mentioned above there can be many reasons. Have the right treatment before you completely lose your hair.
When you do not care about your hair you may notice that baldness takes 15 to 25 years but there are also of becoming bald even within 5 years of time. When you are having male pattern baldness and the reason to lose hair is that of an increase in sensitivity to male sex hormones known as androgens, then there are higher chances that your scalp may be affected by the hereditary process.
Causes of male pattern hair loss
It is common for males to experience hair loss after the age of 35. Men who are predisposed to male pattern baldness have greater chances to lose hair in a definite pattern that comes in the M shape. When you do not care and take the required measures to prevent the falling of hair there are higher chances the progress quickly at the crown and gradually advancing to lose the hair completely.
The reason behind male baldness is due to the effects of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) it may also lead to shrinking in hair with its size, length, and diameter. As the final result, the miniaturized follicle will be able to produce only small unpigmented vellus hair instead of producing regular and normal hair.
Finasteride
For men who are suffering from severe hair loss, it is the best medication that is approved by FDA and it is the oral treatment for hair loss. When you have to use them there are certain tests required to be conducted and approved by a certified medical professional. It has to be taken once a day and it is better if it is taken at the same time every day. There are certain shreds of evidence that prove the people consuming the product are having hair growth for 66% after completion of treatment for 2 years of duration.
Some measures that you have to follow before having the medicine
It is better to consult with a doctor before taking the medicines. It is better to avoid it if you are suffering from allergies. It is more required to tell your doctor if you are suffering from some illness like
- Liver issues like any diseases in the liver or abnormal functioning of the liver.
- Prostate cancer
- A bladder muscle disease
- When your body shows some allergic reaction to some medicines like dutasteride.
When you are not aware of these health issues and you have doubts about them, it is better to have to check up on them and then take care of your hair and go for finasteride.
Working of finasteride
When you consume finasteride it blocks the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase that converts testosterone to DHT. It leads to a remarkable drop in the scalp and blood levels of DHT. There are medical shreds of evidence that finasteride helps to decrease serum DHT levels by 70% if it is consumed at 1 mg per day regularly.
Quantity to consume
The cost to purchase will be around 45 to 55 Euros per month. So the best-recommended quantity is 1 mg per day to have good results to prevent hair fall and have new hair growth. Moreover, it is advisable to discuss with the doctor to know about the results that you may have and the ability of the body to bear and give results.
Consuming finasteride
When you are consuming them for the first or you are in the beginning stage, it is advisable to consume 1 mg per day for the treatment of hair loss. Consume them regularly and at the same time each day to get the maximum benefit out of them, you can take them with or without having food.
Expectations when consuming
When you start taking finasteride you will notice that there is a large quantity of hair fall for 3 to 6 months of time and do not panic about it. It is actually an indication that the medication is working properly. It may take even the time of 1 year to gain the complete effects of finasteride. So it is necessary to be patient and wait for the results.
Efficiency of finasteride
It is proved that 90% of the men who consumed finasteride have experienced good results in the growth of hair or stopped hair loss in the 5 years of finasteride usage. After the time of 5 years, 48% witnessed higher growth of hair, 42% now lost hair, and 10% in no change.
What happens if the consumption of finasteride is stopped?
In case a person is stopping the use of finasteride, he may experience only losing the hair that he gained out of using the medicine. As the result, the person will have the same balding that he had before using the medicine. All together you are not going to lose anything even when stop taking finasteride, apart from losing the extra hair that you have gained and the expenses that you spent on finasteride.
Getting bald at the younger age
You can see some people at the age of 15 lose more hair and looks like the ’30s. When they reach their 30s, they will have all the hair shed and be completely bald. The problem begins by thinning the eyebrows. For some, this may be genetic and for some, this is due to some habits, unhealthy foods, overdoing with hair that includes coloring, priming, hair drying, bleaching, and taking more stress. Finasteride is the best medication that can help you to overcome such issues. You can be concentrated on the medication discuss it with the right doctor and carry on with the medication once when are completely good to work with it.
The scientific description of finasteride
Finasteride is a synthetic 4-azasteroid compound that is a particular inhibitor of steroid type II 5α- reductase, which is an intracellular enzyme that is used in the conversion of androgen testosterone into 5α- dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Finasteride has a chemical name called N-tert-Butyl-3-oxo-4-aza-5α-androst-1-one-17β- carboxamide and comes with a molecular weight of 372.55.
It is a crystalline powder that is white in color, has a melting point of about 250 degrees Celsius, and is easily soluble in chloroform and in some solvents like lower alcohol and practically insoluble in water.
Finasteride, its appearance, and ingredients
The appearance will be a tan, octagonal, film-coated convex tablet that is embossed with “71” on one of the sides the pack has 7*, 28, or 84* tablets contained in the blister pack.
Ingredients that are available in 1 mg finasteride are lactose, pregelatinized maize starch, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycollate, magnesium stearate, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, titanium dioxide, purified talc, docusate sodium, iron oxide yellow, and iron oxide red.
Storage and disposal
You have to be more cautious when your store finasteride after you use them. Avoid placing them in the areas near the washing machine or sink and place them in the container meant for finasteride instead of placing them in other places where they may mix up with other tablets.
Make sure that you place them at a temperature of 30 degrees since heat and dampness can destroy medicines. Do not leave them in places like cars or window sills and places that are reachable for children. The best place to store them is in the blister pack and places them in the cupboard that is at a height of one and a half meters above the ground level.
When you do not need the tablets again or your doctors advise you or stop or you it reaches the time of expiry do not through them like you handle medicine, as suggestions from a pharmacist, and follow them in order to dispose of the tablets.
These are the thing that you can commonly find in finasteride, their chemical usage, and the handling of the medicine. As spoken earlier it will help you in saving from loss of hair. But it is also advisable to follow the required measures to follow to have good hair strength and naturally beautiful hair.
Some of those measures are having healthy food, avoiding junk foods; trying to relax from emotional stress, and pressure, and most importantly spending some time on your hair and maintaining them instead of just overdoing it. Spend your quality time that gives pleasure and relaxation, it is not only good for your hair it is good for your health as well.