Alopecia, or male pattern hair loss in or hair loss, can be temporary or permanent and can affect just your scalp or the entirety of your body. It could be brought on by hereditary factors, hormonal changes, illnesses, or a natural aspect of aging. Even though anyone can lose hair on their head, men are more likely to do so.

Baldness often refers to a significant loss of scalp hair. The most frequent cause of baldness is hereditary hair loss as people age. Some people would rather let their hair loss go naturally without any treatment. Others may disguise it with hats, scarves, makeup, or hairstyles. Others decide to use one of the treatments to stop additional hair loss or encourage growth.

Before pursuing hair loss treatment, talk with your doctor about the cause of your hair loss and treatment options.

Causes

1.   Hereditary Hair Loss: Both men and women develop this type of hair loss, which is the most common cause of hair loss worldwide. In men, it’s called male pattern hair loss. Women get female pattern hair loss. Regardless of whether it develops in a man or women, the medical term is androgenic alopecia. No matter which term you use, it means that you’ve inherited genes that cause your hair follicles (what each hair grows out of) to shrink and eventually stop growing hair. Shrinking can begin as early as your teens, but it usually starts later in life. When a man has hereditary hair loss, the first sign is often a receding hairline or bald spot at the top of his head.

2.   Age: With age, most people notice some hair loss because hair growth slows. At some point, hair follicles stop growing hair, which causes the hair on our scalp to thin. Hair also starts to lose its colour. A woman’s hairline naturally starts to recede.

3.   Illness, or other stressors: Recovering from an illness, or having an operation, you may notice a lot more hairs in your brush or on your pillow. This can also happen after a stressful time in your life, such as a divorce or death of a loved one.

4.   Scalp Infection: A scalp infection can lead to scaly and sometimes inflamed areas on your scalp. You may see what look like small black dots on your scalp. These are stubs of hair. Some people develop a bald spot.

5.   Medication: A possible side effect of some medications is hair loss. If you think a medication is causing your hair loss, ask the doctor who prescribed it if hair loss is a possible side effect. It’s essential that you do not stop taking the medication before talking with your doctor. Abruptly stopping some medications can cause serious health problems.

Symptoms

Hair loss can appear in many ways, depending on what's causing it. It can come on suddenly or gradually and affect just your scalp or your whole body. Signs and symptoms of hair loss may include:

1.   Gradual Thinning on top of head: As people get older, they are more likely to have this sort of hair loss. At the hairline on the forehead, hair frequently starts to recede in men. Typically, women's hair parts are wider than men. A receding hairline is a hair loss pattern that older women are experiencing more frequently (frontal fibrosing alopecia).

2.   Circular or patchy Bald Spots: On the scalp, beard, or brows, some people experience bald spots that are round or spotty. Before the hair falls out, your skin may become painful or itching at that very spot.

3.   Sudden loosening of Hair: Hair may become loose because of a physical or mental trauma. When brushing, washing, or even with a little tugging, you might lose a few handfuls of hair. Although transient, this form of hair loss typically results in general hair thinning.

4.   Full-body Hair Loss: Hair loss can occur all over your body because of some diseases and medical procedures, such as chemotherapy for cancer. The hair usually grows back in this scenario.

5.   Patches of scaling that spread over the scalp: This is a ringworm symptom. Broken hair, redness, swelling, and occasionally leaking may also be present.

Types of Hair Loss:

1.   Androgenetic Alopecia: Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss, affecting more than 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States. Commonly known as male pattern hair loss or female pattern hair loss, androgenetic alopecia is hereditary but can be managed with medication or surgery.

2.   Telogen Effluvium: Telogen effluvium, a type of hair loss, occurs when large numbers of follicles on the scalp enter the resting phase of the hair growth cycle, called telogen, but the next growth phase doesn’t begin. This causes hair to fall out all over the scalp without new hair growth. Telogen effluvium does not generally lead to complete baldness, although you may lose 300 to 500 hairs per day, and hair may appear thin, especially at the crown and temples.

3. Anagen Effluvium: Anagen effluvium is rapid hair loss resulting from medical treatment, such as chemotherapy. These potent and fast-acting medications kill cancer cells, but they may also shut down hair follicle production in the scalp and other parts of the body. After chemotherapy ends, hair usually grows back on its own. Dermatologists can offer medication to help hair grow back more quickly.

medication to help hair grow back more quickly.

4. Tinea Capitis: Tinea capitis, also called scalp ringworm, is a fungal infection of the scalp that’s a common cause of hair loss in children. This condition causes hair to fall out in patches, sometimes circular, leading to bald spots that may get bigger over time. The affected areas often look red or scaly, and the scalp may be itchy. Sores or blisters that ooze pus can also develop on the scalp. A child with the condition may have swollen glands in the back of the neck or a low-grade fever because of the immune system fighting the infection.

5. Folliculitis Decalvans: Hair loss caused by folliculitis decalvans, an inflammatory disorder that leads to the destruction of hair follicles, is often accompanied by redness, swelling, and lesions on the scalp that may be itchy or contain pus, known as pustules. This type of hair loss is not reversible, but dermatologists can offer medication to control symptoms and, in some instances, stop the progression of hair loss.

Treatments for hair loss

Effective treatment for hair loss begins with finding the cause. To get an accurate diagnosis, it helps to see a board-certified dermatologist. These doctors have in-depth knowledge about the many causes of hair loss and experience treating the diverse causes.

If your dermatologist suspects that the cause of your hair loss could be a disease, vitamin deficiency, hormone imbalance, or infection, you may need a blood test or scalp biopsy. These tests can be done in your dermatologist’s office. Once your dermatologist has this information, it’s often possible to tell you what’s causing your hair loss.

Sometimes, your dermatologist needs more information. This might be the case if someone has more than one cause. For example, a woman may have had a baby a few months ago, and this may be causing obvious hair shedding. She may also have early hereditary loss, which isn’t so obvious.

Effective treatments for some types of hair loss are available. You might be able to reverse hair loss, or at least slow it. With conditions like patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), hair may regrow without treatment within a year. Treatments for hair loss include medications and surgery.

Medication for hair fall

Treatment for the underlying condition causing your hair loss will be required. Your doctor might suggest stopping taking a particular medicine for a few months if it's the reason you're losing hair. Medications are available to treat pattern (hereditary) baldness. The most common options include:

1. Minoxidil (Rogaine): Minoxidil is available over-the-counter (non-prescription) in liquid, foam, and shampoo forms. Apply the product to the scalp skin once daily for ladies and twice daily for males for the best results. Many people favour foam that is applied to wet hair. Many people use products containing minoxidil to either regenerate hair, decrease the pace of hair loss, or do both. To stop additional hair loss and to begin hair regrowth, therapy must last at least six months. To determine whether the treatment is effective for you, it can take a few more months. To maintain the benefits of the medication, you must use it continuously even if it is helping. Possible side effects include scalp irritation and unwanted hair growth on the adjacent skin of the face and hands.

2. Finasteride (Propecia): For guys, this medication is prescribed. It is a daily medication that you take. The hair loss of many men using finasteride slows down, and some even report fresh hair growth. Before you can determine if it's working for you, it can take a few months. To keep any benefits, you must continue taking it. For males over 60, finasteride might not operate as well. Reduced libido drive and sexual function, as well as an increased risk of prostate cancer, are rare side effects of finasteride. Women who are or could become pregnant should refrain from handling broken or crushed medications.

3. Hair Transplant Surgery: Only the top of the head is impacted by the most prevalent type of permanent hair loss. Making the most of your remaining hair is possible with a hair transplant or restoration procedure. A dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon performs a hair transplant operation by removing hair from a hair-bearing area of the head and transplanting it to a bald place. One to many hairs can be found in each hair patch (micrografts and minigrafts). Occasionally, a wider section of skin is removed, including many hair clusters. Although you won't need to stay in the hospital for this surgery, it is uncomfortable, so you'll be given sedatives to help with the pain. Bleeding, bruising, edema, and infection are all potential dangers. For the desired result, you could need more than one procedure. Hereditary hair loss will eventually progress despite surgery.

Preparation & Aftercare

Hair Wash: Hair wash is one of the most important things that can influence the final result of the hair transplant, therefore, every patient is taught how to wash the hair correctly at the clinic. The hair wash procedure involves 3 main steps:

1.   Transplanted area is covered with lotion/oil/any other suitable moisturiser and left in this state for 15-30 minutes. This causes a softening effect on scabs around the transplanted grafts and donor area. This softening phase helps to remove traces of dried blood and heal faster. After 15-30 minutes, the scalp should be washed with warm water. Donor and transplanted area are washed with special medical shampoo. To do this, lather a little quantity of shampoo between your hands and very carefully apply to the entire scalp. Do not rub. All washing stages should be performed softly using palms, with no pressure.

2.   After washing, dry your hair with a paper towel. Do not rub – just pat it very gently. The moisturiser should be used until the scabs fall off or until the scalp feels dry. It is also possible to use the moisturiser in between the hair washes if the sensation of dryness is persistent.

3.   Shampooing should be done daily to remove the scabs. After about 7-10 days there should be no more traces of dried blood or scabs on your scalp. You may start washing your hair the normal way no sooner than 14 days after the transplant. If needed one can also wash the hair more than once a day after the operation. Continue using the special shampoo until the bottle is empty.

If for some reason a patient is purchasing his own hair products, please make sure that they do not contain silicone, perfume, and dyes.

Pain after a hair Transplant: Mild pain can be present for a couple of days after the hair transplant procedure. Some people report difficulty sleeping the first days post-op.

 It is common to have more pain in the donor area than the recipient area after the operation. Post-op hair transplant plan can be relieved with over the counter pain killers. You will get a pack of those at the clinic.

Swelling: When it comes to hair transplantation that is performed using Choi Implanter Pen, swelling is quite rare. It occurs more often for larger hair transplant operations and transplants where a lot of work was done to the hairline. Swelling can affect the forehead and the area around the eyes and may last two to five days, being maximal on the fourth day. A drug called Dexamethasone is given to reduce these symptoms.

Correct Sleeping Position: It is important to touch the recipient areas as little as possible during the first week after the operation. We ask that patients sleep on their back, with the head elevated on a few pillows. By raising your head during the night, the pillows decrease any swelling that can occur after the hair transplant. Patients are also advised to use the special pillow that they get at the clinic for the first 7-10 days.

Wearing a Hat after a hair transplant: You will get a panama type hat at the clinic which you should be using whenever outside or during your trip home. The hat will protect your scalp from the dust, sun and other environmental factors. Please wear this hat for 5 days post-op, after that you can wear any other hat of your choice. While choosing a headwear for the post-operational period it is important to pick a hat that will not sit too tight on the recipient areas nor will pull on the newly transplanted grafts. Please wear headwear for up to 2 weeks when outside or as long as the scabs are not present anymore