Hair loss, also called alopecia, is a disorder caused by an interruption in the body’s cycle of hair production. Hair loss can occur anywhere on the body, but most commonly affects the scalp. On average, the scalp has 100,000 hairs that cycle through periods of growing, resting, falling out, and regenerating.
Hair loss may be linked to a person’s genetics, although many medical and behavioral conditions may interrupt the growth cycle and cause hair loss.
What is male pattern baldness ?
Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, is an inherited trait. According to Medline Plus, it affects more than half of men over the age of 50. However, stress or other autoimmune conditions such as alopecia areata can also affect hair loss.
It’s typical to lose around 50 to 100 hairs every day. Usually this loss isn’t noticeable because new hair grows to replace the hair lost. Hair loss and baldness occur when hair falls out too quickly, or new hairs stop growing.
Depending on the cause of hair loss, you may notice slowly thinning hair or a sudden bald patch. Hair loss can impact just the hair on your scalp or entire body.
Causes of Hair Loss in Males
Hair loss could be caused by:
Medication options
1. Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medication
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two medications to treat male pattern baldness:
For both minoxidil and finasteride, it may take up to 1 year to see results, and you’ll need to keep taking them to maintain the benefits.
2. Quit Smoking
3. Scalp Massage
4. Balanced Diet
5. Reduce Stress
Permanent Hair Loss
Permanent hair loss can also be treated by hair replacement procedures, such as hair transplantation methods namely micro-grafting, slit grafting, punch grafting and also by scalp reduction. The type of hair loss as well as the patient’s circumstances and desires determine which hair replacement procedures are most suitable.
Stem cell therapy:
Stem Cell therapy for Hair Regrowth is an advanced, non-surgical procedure to regrow hair follicles that results in healthy hair growth. These stem cells are capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity – thus helping in stimulation of long dead hair follicles in areas of baldness.
Intensive Hair Root Therapy for Hair Regrowth:
Intensive Hair Root Therapy is one of the efficient ways of treating hair loss in men as well as women. This hair treatment checks hair loss and allows hair to grow by supplying vital nutrients directly to the root of the hair. These vital nutrients are FDA approved and comprise natural plant extracts and vitamins that stimulate hair regrowth. The nutrients are delivered to the hair roots through microinjections that are relatively painless.
PRP Treatment for Hair Loss:
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is concentrated blood plasma that contains approximately 3 to 5 times the number of platelets found in normal circulating blood. In addition, it contains platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor (TGF) and other bioactive proteins that aid in wound healing and possibly hair growth.PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) therapy is an advanced, non-surgical, therapeutic procedure to treat hair loss conditions amongst patients with requirements of hair growth stimulation.
Hair Nutri Infusion Therapy:
Under this technique charged ions are used to deliver a nutrient cocktail through the skin. This cocktail delivers vital nutrients that go beneath the skin and help prevent hair breakage and hair loss. It also involves following a Nutraceuticals and Balanced Diet, meaning a nutrition-led approach using nutritional supplements to nurture and protect fragile hair follicles. Nutraceuticals must always be used in conjunction with an optimal diet.
Laser Hair Treatment:
Laser Treatment is a safe form of light/heat treatment under investigation for a variety of health indications. It is being used to treat the genetic forms of hair loss common in men and women, androgenetic alopecia or pattern balding. Laser treatment is also called red light therapy, cold laser, soft laser, biostimulation and photobiomodulation.
Hair Transplant:
Hair loss problems can be caused due to several different reasons. While the process is curable and reversible in many cases, there are instances when new hair growth refuses to grow due to permanent damage to follicles and the scalp. These are the situations when Hair Transplant comes to the rescue.
Types of Hair Transplant:
Scalp Reduction:
Scalp reduction is one of the earliest hair transplantation methods. During this process, scalp form the balding area is surgically removed. Most of the time, the area removed is from the crown or the top of the head. Post removal, the scalp area that bears hair is stretched over to cover and replace the patch that has been removed.
Follicular Unit of Hair Transplantation:
FUT stands for Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation are takes place through an intrusive medium. Follicular units are hair groupings as they occur naturally on the scalp and typically contain 1, 2, 3 or 4 hairs. It begins with the doctor cutting a strip of tissue from the scalp, before cutting it into thousands of follicular units. These units are then strategically placed around the head, after the doctor has created holes with recipient sites around the affected, bald areas. By means of the removal of a thin strip of scalp from the back of the patient’s head, hair follicles are taken from a donor area which is not susceptible to balding and dissected into individual grafts. They are then transplanted to the balding area of the scalp. As one can probably assume from the above, FUT is a very complicated technique although has the potential for some very fulfilling results.
Follicular Unit Extraction:
The other method is the FUE method of hair transplantation Follicular Unit Extraction. It involves taking the individual Follicular Unit grafts from the back of the head one by one by cutting around it through a tiny specialized instrument or robotic machine and removing the hair follicles. The process can be tedious and will takes a few hours but is painless after a few numbing injections are given. Once removed from the donor area, the follicular unit is then transplanted.
Advantages of Hair Transplant
Half-day procedure. Get back to normal lifestyle and work in few days.