Few things are more terrifying than seeing chunks of hair fall while you are combing or having a shower. Hair fall can be traumatic, especially if it happens regularly and your hair starts becoming noticeably thinner. While hair goes through a regular cycle of growth and fall, unnatural hair fall is a cause of concern. It can be attributed to the following reasons:
- Nutrition: It’s true what they say about your hair and skin reflecting what you eat. If you are feeding yourself healthy and nutritious food, on time, it is likely to make your hair and skin healthy. On the contrary, inadequate nutrition will cause hair loss. This can happen in cases of unhealthy eating habits, crash dieting or anaemia. Lack of protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12—found in foods like lean meats, eggs, leafy greens, nuts, beans, and fish—can cause hair fall.
- Stress: Stress-related hair loss is extremely common. Epinephrine and Cortisol, which are stress hormones, hurt natural hair growth. Stress can be triggered by so many things, like work pressure, relationship issues or financial trouble. While these problems are unavoidable, it is important to learn how to de-tress and make active efforts to fight it.
- Trichotillomania: It is a “hair-pulling” disorder characterised by an irresistible or overwhelming urge to pull out hair from your scalp, beard, eyebrows or other parts of the body. The condition can start during pre-adolescence to young adulthood, and can continue if not diagnosed and resolved. Trichotillomania can be triggered by stress, anxiety or by traumatic episodes like death of a close person, physical or emotional abuse etc.
- Male Pattern Baldness: Androgenic alopecia is a genetic cause of hair loss in men. It is the reason men sometimes start losing hair while still in their twenties. In the case of male pattern baldness, the growth cycle of the hair is disrupted, which means that hair follicles starts to shrink, and start producing thinner and finer, weaker hair. The hair cycle eventually ends, and no new hair will replace the falling hair. This type of hair loss is permanent.
While some of these causes are beyond your control, there are solutions for hair fall, some of which we are discussing here:
- As discussed hair loss can happen from a variety of reasons, which means that the root cause has to be identified first before looking for possible solutions. Once the cause is identified, it can be treated accordingly. Stress-related hair loss can be treated by undergoing medical treatment for reducing stress, undergoing therapy, or by other activities like meditation. For hair loss that is induced by a poor diet, the doctors will either recommend dietary supplements, or make a diet plan which includes the number of meals that a patient should have and what should these meals include
- In cases of hair loss that is related to androgenic alopecia, doctors might suggest a topical solution like Minoxidil. It is used to stimulate hair growth and slow balding. Minoxidil is useful for patients in early stages of hair loss. While it might not help in regrowth, it can arrest hair fall.
- There is also PRP, a non-surgical procedure used to treat hair loss. PRP or platelet rich plasma therapy involves injecting the patient’s own blood into the scalp to induce hair growth. Since it is made from patient’s own blood, it is a purely natural form of treatment.
- Hair Transplant: The best solution for permanent hair loss is hair transplant. A hair transplant surgery includes extracting follicular unit grafts from the donor areas of the scalp, which are the back and sides of the scalp that are resistant to hair fall, and transplanting them onto the bald or balding areas. Especially in the cities like Delhi, this surgery is done sensibly. Anyone can avail hair transplant in Delhi also.
- Hair loss can also affect a person’s personal, social and professional life. A lack of self-confidence resulting from hair loss can mean that a person stops socialising, and goes into seclusion. Hair loss is known to cause Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD in some people. As per the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) BDD as a body-image disorder characterized by persistent and intrusive preoccupations with an imagined or slight defect in one’s appearance.
Dealing with hair loss could mean dealing with body issues and lack of self-confidence. If it starts to affect someone’s mental heath severely, seeking professional through therapy or medication is highly recommended. In India, the fastest growing treatment is hair transplant. Hair transplant in India has become very familiar among various people of world
Dealing with hair fall is not easy, but it is important to seek medical help, and not let it affect your mental health.
