About Hair Loss
The best start to preventing hair loss is understanding the basics of hair: what it is, how it grows, what system malfunctions can cause it to stop growing.
Hair is the fastest growing tissue of the body, made up of proteins called keratins. Every strand of hair is made up of three layers: the inner layer or medulla (only present in thick hairs); the middle layer or cortex, which determines the strength, texture, and color of hair; and the cuticle, which protects the cortex. Hair grows from roots, which are enclosed in follicles. Below this is a layer of skin called the dermal papilla, which is fed by the bloodstream carrying nourishments vital to the growth of hair. Only the roots of hair are actually alive, while the visible part of hair is dead tissue, and therefore unable to heal itself. It is vital then to take care of the scalp and body in order to perpetuate hair growth and maintenance. Expensive treatments that claim to treat the visible hair and nourish it therefore are usually no more than bogus claims made to sell products.
Hormones called androgens, usually testosterone, can cause hair follicles to shrink, causing thinning of hair or eventual hair loss. Reportedly only bone marrow grows faster in our body than hair does. The average scalp contains 100,000-150,000 hair follicles and hairs, with 90% growing and 10% resting at any given time. Hair actually grows in three stages: anagen, catagen, and telogen. The anagen phase is the phase where hair is actively growing, and of course this phase is longer for follicles in the scalp than anywhere else on your body, and lasts longer for women than men. It is natural for follicles to atrophy and hair to fall out, and this is called the catagen phase. This phase is only temporary, and eventually the follicle enters the telogen phase where it is resting. These are the 10% at rest mentioned above. Normal anagen phases last approximately five years, with catagen phases lasting about three weeks, and telogen phases lasting approximately 12 weeks. As you see it is natural to lose some hair. Natural hair loss is considered to be in the range of 100 hairs per day. It is not apparent to most people that hair is actually being lost until more than 50% of a person's hair is actually lost.
Although both men and women can suffer significant hair loss, over 70% of men will suffer with Male Pattern Baldness (MPB), also known as androgenetic alopecia, at some point in their lives. The reason behind hair loss is a genetically inherited sensitivity to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 5-alpha-reductase. The enzyme 5-alpha-reductase converts testosterone, a male hormone, to DHT, the substance identified as the end-cause for hair loss.
Most hair loss follows a pattern that has been codified in a table called the Norwood Scale. There are seven patterns of hair identified in the Norwood Scale, Norwood I being a normal head of hair with no visible hair loss, Norwood II showing the hair receding in a wedge-shaped pattern. Norwood III shows the same receding pattern as Norwood II, except the hairline has receded deeper into the frontal area and the temporal area. Type IV on the Norwood Scale indicates a hairline that has receded more dramatically in the frontal region and temporal area. Additionally there is a balding area at the very top center of the head, but there is a bridge of hair remaining between that region and the front. Type V on the Norwood Scale shows that very same bridge between the frontal region and the top center, also called the vertex, beginning to thin. Type VI on the Norwood Scale indicates that the bridge between the frontal region and the vertex has disappeared. Finally, Type VII on the Norwood Scale shows hair receding all the way back to the base of the head and the sides just above the ears. Norwood patterns are determined genetically.
History Of Hair Transplants
The history of hair transplants dates back to 1939 when a Japanese dermatologist discovered the punch technique to replace hair on the scalp of severely burned patients. This procedure was a success and as a result another surgeon tried a micro grafting technique that was actually developed to restore female pubic hair which was in demand in Japan at the time. It was then taken to New York when the first transplant was performed on the western world. The year was 1952. After a disbelieving medical community rejected the first few submissions of his paper that described his technique, this landmark study was finally published in 1959. Dr. Orentreich coined the term "donor dominance" to explain the basic principle of hair transplantation - that transplanted hair continues to display the same characteristics of the hair from where it was taken. In other words, healthy hair that is harvested from the back or sides of the scalp that is transplanted to the balding area on the top of the head will continue to grow as if it were still in its original location.
Unfortunately, the excitement over this discovery took the focus away from the reality that merely getting hair to grow did not guarantee a successful cosmetic result. For years, hair transplants were performed using the original 4-mm grafts sizes - the width of pencil erasers. These large graft techniques - that became the hair transplant standard for many years - made a natural result virtually impossible. Because these large grafts represented the only option for a balding person who wished to have his/her hair restored, the patient accepted a less than optimal outcome. For too many years the surgeon, benefiting from a lucrative procedure, became complacent and failed to push the technology forward and change their techniques.
Through the 1970s, all hair transplantation procedures involved the transplantation of large grafts, commonly known as plugs. Mini grafting, the technique of using smaller grafts cut from a strip of donor tissue (rather than punched out directly from the back of the scalp) was introduced in 1984. Physicians then began using micro-grafts, small grafts of 1-2 hairs, to soften the frontal hairline. The procedure that used larger grafts in the centre of the scalp with smaller grafts around them to make the look more natural was called mini-micro grafting. Mini-micro grafting procedures gradually supplanted the plug technique and slowly became the main form of hair restoration surgery over the next 20 years i.e. through the 1990's.
The use of very large numbers of small mini-micro grafts (Mega-sessions) gained popularity in the mid-1990's. Increasing the size of the hair transplant sessions was a logical extension of the mini-micro grafting technique, as it required basically the same skills of the smaller sessions.
FUT - Follicular Unit Transplant, Follicular Unit Strip Surgery, Strip Surgery
The introduction of FUT was the year 1995, where stereo-microscopic graft dissection is used to transplant hair in its naturally occurring groups, dramatically increased the skills required by the surgeon and staff to perform hair transplants. Initially, Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation was met with great scepticism and resistance by the hair transplant community. It was not until there was a ground swell of patient demand, mostly fuelled by patients touting their great results over the Internet, that physicians reluctantly adopted the technique. By the year 2000, Follicular Unit Transplantation had become mainstream. It is now consider the "gold standard" of surgical hair restoration. The technique had not changed dramatically in 30 years until 1990 when follicular unit transplantation was developed.
FUE - Follicular Unit Extraction, Extraction Surgery
Follicular Unit Extraction technique uses a micro punch to remove each individual hair graft in the same way as an apple corer removes the core of an apple. During the Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE procedure individual follicular unit grafts are excised one at a time using a tiny one millimetre or less sized punch. Typically the patient's hair in the donor area where these grafts are being removed is cut short so that the physician is able to see the patient's scalp. The follicular units are extracted using a multiple step process. First a small sharp punch scores the skin around a follicular unit. Then a small dull punch is used to go deeper into the soft tissue surrounding the follicular unit. Since the direction and angle of the follicular unit beneath the skin can't be seen and can often differ from the direction of the hair on the surface, a sharp punch if used below the surface of the skin might transect or severe the underlying follicular unit. However, the dull punch tends to envelope the follicular unit, while separating it from the surrounding soft tissues. This process is typically referred to as "blunt dissection".Once the underlying follicular unit is separated from the surrounding tissues it can then be extracted, often by a forceps gripping the hair above the surface. The small hole left behind after the follicle is extracted then heals over the next few days. This tiny wound contracts as it heals making the resulting round scar smaller and less noticeable. The FUE patient typically ends up with hundreds of small round white scars, which are normally not detectable to the naked eye once the patient's hair grows out. Follicular unit extraction is a relatively new technique and only really established itself in the early years of this century. It still has some way to go in its evolution. Like all new procedures it has its advantages and disadvantages, sometime depending on the patients preference or characteristics.
Facts About Hair
Our hair is made of a protein called keratin.
A hair consists in a hair shaft, a root below the skin, and a follicle from which the hair roots grows.
Hair loss can be caused by hormonal problems, and correcting the hormone imbalance may stop the hair loss.
Hormones problems can be cause by and overactive or under-active thyroid gland. This can happen with men the same way that with women due to an imbalance of the androgen(male hormones) or estrogen(female hormones)
Hair loss can be frequent after 3 months of giving birth, this is also a hormone disorder problems; during pregnancy high level of specific hormones usually cause the body to keep the hair that was supposed to fall naturally. So is considered normal that when the hormones acquire the before pregnancy levels, that hair falls and start the natural growth and loss cycle.
Hair loss is caused by the use of certain medicines or treatments, especially blood thinner medicines (anticoagulants), gout medicines, chemotherapy medicines (used for cancer treatment), Vit A (in big amounts) as well as birth control pills and antidepressants.
Hair loss should stop when you stop taking the medicines or doing the treatment. You should communicate your concerns to your GP and he can suggest you a change of medicines or treatment that won't cause you the hair loss.
Hair loss can be caused by fungal infections of the scalp, and can be treated with anti-fungal medicines.
The hair's color pigment, or melanin is produced at the hair bulb which is located at the lower end of the follicle.
A 50 to 100 hairs loss a day is considered normal. Any amount of hair over that might mean that something is wrong.
Hair loss is directly connected to stress, sometimes that stress is caused by excessive work, family problems or major illness or surgeries.
Hair loss can be caused by the use of tight pigtails, cornrows, hair rollers and well as by hot oil treatment or chemicals frequently used in a perm. This kind of hair loss is called traction alopecia and can stop when the pulling and the use of chemicals stop.
One kind of hair loss called Alopecia Areata is caused by the person's own immune system. This autoimmune disease starts in small round bald patches on the scalp and can get bigger in some cases. The hair often grows back naturally within the year but those patients might experience that kind of alopecia again.
Hair loss can be caused by poor nutrition. Anorexic and bulimic people lose their hair because their body doesn't get the necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals to make the hair grow.
Vegetarian persons can also experience some kind of hair loss if they don't get enough proteins from non-meat resources.
If you are experiencing hair loss or you have a genetic factor that might cause you hair loss, you should avoid using a blow dryer or if is absolutely necessary then use it on a lowest heat setting.
It is better to style your hair when dry or damp, if you do it while your hair is wet, it can stretch and easily break.
A very frequent kind of alopecia commonly called male-pattern is actually called androgenetic alopecia. This might be caused not only by genetic factors but by a combination of many other factors including hormones.
This can start from the mid-teen years and is frequent on patients who take steroids.
You can benefit and take good care of your hair by eating a balanced & healthy diet.
As a hair loss treatment some doctors' advice is to use baby shampoo once a day.
You should avoid rubbing your hair too vigorously with the towel; you should let it dry naturally.
Avoid the use of chemical if you have experiencing hair loss.
If you are about to use chemicals for your hair, like relaxant or color, you should try this on a small spot on the back to check for allergies and hair loss, then after a few days proceed to the application to your whole head, just in case.
