Hair Loss Treatment

Hair Loss Treatment 

In a world in which the image is an important part of the social projection, hair acquires great prominence in beauty care. Among the most frequent hair alterations, hair loss or alopecia is the one that worries and interests women and men the most. The desire to combat it has prepared the ground for all kinds of beliefs and remedies. In the present work, the author makes a list of the most common beliefs about hair loss and analyzes them in the light of current scientific knowledge.

The pharmacist is an ideal advisor to clarify doubts about hair loss and dispense the correct treatment in each case, but few fields gather as wide a collection of erroneous beliefs as that of hair loss.

False beliefs

When hair is cut or shaved, it grows faster, stronger and thicker

False. The speed of growth and the thickness of the hair are factors specific to each individual and are genetically conditioned. The thickness of the hair is in relation to that of the matrix or bulb: if they are small, it is impossible for them to make hair with a large diameter.

If the hair is washed frequently, it falls more

False. The frequency of washing does not affect hair loss. What happens is that some fit

Those that were already in the telogen phase end up being detached by the action of the water and the friction of washing.

If you pluck one gray, seven come out instead

False. If this belief were true, alopecia would not exist in adulthood. When a hair is pulled out (if it is in the anagen phase) or detaches (in the telogen phase), that same follicle or others from the same follicular package make a new hair that will emerge through the same pore, until the capacity to form hair from those follicles.

Not necessarily a problem

In general, it is admitted that between 80 and 100 hairs are shed each day. Only when this amount is greater and continuous, or the appearance of new hair is not observed, can we suspect some type of alteration.

The brush and pillow always have hairs

It is completely normal, since on the scalp there are hair in the growth or anagen phase (84%, approximately), hair in the resting or catagen phase (1%) and hair in the shedding or telogen phase (15%, approximately) . In other words, the scalp always has hair that is being renewed, since each hair has its own growth cycle independent of the others, even hair from the same area.

But the hair that falls out is long and thick ...

Logically, the hair that is shed in the telogen phase is long and thick, because it has completed the growth phase. On the other hand, if the hair that is shed is short and fine in relation to the rest of the hair, it may indicate that the anagen phase has been abruptly interrupted (occurs with chemotherapy), or that the anagen phase has shortened its duration, such as occurs in male baldness. Therefore, it can be said that the loss of "short and fine" hair is more worrisome than the loss of "long and thick" hair.

The hair that falls the most is the one on the top of the head

True. The length of the hair cycle varies depending on the location:

* In the upper part of the head the duration is 3-4 years.

* In temporary the duration is 5 years.

* In the occipital region the duration is 7 years.

That is to say, the hair of the frontal region, entrances and crown is detached at twice the speed of the nape. For this reason, the last hair to be lost is the back of the neck.

Hair loss is greatest in autumn

True. The greater number of hair in the telogen or shedding phase is due to the circanual increase in plasma concentrations of androgens, which in Europe takes place in the months of September and October 1 . Some people experience a periodicity that corresponds approximately to two annual highs, in autumn and in spring 2 .

With age, hair is less abundant and grows more slowly

True. Aging determines that the growth cycles are shorter while the catagen and telogen phases lengthen. This implies that there are fewer active follicles and consequently, fewer and finer hairs per unit area. Regarding the growth rate, it clearly decreases after 50 years 3 .

Alopecia and medications

Certain medications can cause hair loss or abnormal growth. In most cases, hair loss is the result of the direct action of the drug on the pilosebaceous follicle, but in other cases, the hair is affected indirectly as a result of a generalized alteration of the body caused by the medicines. Consequently, areas of the body with a high percentage of anagen follicles, such as the scalp and beard, may be more affected by medications than areas of the body with a low percentage of anagen follicles, such as the eyebrows and eyelashes.

Medications can cause two types of falls:

* By anagenic effluvium . Hair growth stops suddenly, as a result of the direct action of the drug on the matrix cells in the anagen phase. It is usually manifested by a sudden, intense and reversible loss of anagen hair, which occurs within a few days or weeks of the administration of the drug.

* Due to telogenic effluvium or diffuse alopecia . It originates when a large number of hair follicles enter the telogen phase in a synchronized way. The result is a loss of telogen hair after 2-4 months. The fall is diffuse - that is, the scalp "clears" - and is reversible.

Most drug-induced alopecia is diffuse

True. With the exception of antineoplastic drugs, antigout drugs and some others, which cause anagenic alopecia, the remaining drugs that cause alopecia as an adverse effect produce alopecia due to telogen effluvium (Table 1).