Hair Loss Treatment

What constitutes as normal hair loss?
Roughly 100 hairs are lost from your head every day. The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs. Each individual hair survives for an average of 4 1/2 years during which time it grows about 1cm a month. Usually in its fifth year, the hair falls out and is replaced within six months by a new one Since each follicle typically regenerates every 2-6 years, baldness is a slow but continual physiological process that results in patches of baldness on the scalp connecting with other patches to form a new hairline. Hair loss usually develops gradually causing patchiness or diffusion over the scalp, eventually leading to baldness. Genetic hair loss refers to the body's failure to produce new hairs.

What are the causes of hair loss?
Both men and women tend to lose hair thickness and amount as they age. Inherited or "pattern baldness" affects many more men than women. About 5% of men begin to lose their hair by the time they are 30 years old and about two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60.

Telogen effluvium is a type of temporary hair loss that can be caused by your body reacting to:

• Hormonal changes, such as those that take place when a woman is pregnant.
• A short-term illness, such as a severe infection or an operation.
• A long-term illness, such as cancer or liver disease.
• Changes in your diet, such as crash dieting.
• Some medications, such as anticoagulants (medicines that reduce the ability of your blood to clot) or beta-blockers (used to treat a number of conditions, such as high blood pressure).
• Male and female pattern baldness linked to DHT- Male-pattern and female-pattern baldness is caused by oversensitive hair follicles. This is linked to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is made from the male hormone testosterone. If there is too much DHT, the follicles react to it. The hair becomes thinner and grows for a shorter length of time than normal. The balding process is gradual because different follicles are affected at different times.
• Immune system imbalance such as Alopecia Areata- Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition. The immune system is the body's natural defence system, which helps protect it from infection by bacteria and viruses.Usually, the immune system attacks the cause of an infection, but in the case of alopecia areata, it damages the hair follicles instead. The hair follicles are not permanently damaged, and in many cases the hair grows back within a few months.
• Genetics - It is thought that some people may be genetically predisposed (susceptible) to alopecia areata. Certain genes (units of genetic material) may make the condition more likely. Alopecia areata runs in the family in up to 1 in 5 cases, suggesting that the tendency to develop the condition may be inherited.

The typical male baldness pattern involves a receding hairline and thinning around the crown with eventual bald spots. Ultimately, you may have only a horseshoe ring of hair around the sides. In addition to genes, male-pattern baldness seems to require the presence of the male hormone- testosterone. Some women also develop a particular pattern of hair loss due to genetics, age and male hormones that tend to increase in women after menopause. The pattern is different from that of men. Female pattern baldness involves a thinning throughout the scalp while the frontal hairline generally remains intact.  

What are other causes of hair loss?

Some conditions and treatments can make you lose some of your hair, such as:

• Anaemia (lack of red blood cells).
• Stress (including bereavement).
• Fungal infections.
• Chemotherapy - medicines that are used to treat Cancer.
• Women who are pregnant or have recently given birth may also have some hair loss.

Alopecia areata is more common among people with other auto-immune conditions, such as:

• Thyroid disease - conditions that affect your thyroid gland, such as an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism).
• Diabetes - a condition caused by too much glucose (sugar) in the blood.
• Vitiligo - a condition that produces white patches on the skin.
• Alopecia areata is also more common among people with Down's syndrome, a genetic condition that causes learning difficulties and affects physical development. More than 1 in 20 people with Down's syndrome have alopecia areata.  

What at home therapies can one use for hair loss? 
At home hair loss treatments for men and women:
These specialty hair products may be used in combination with clinical in office treatments to enhance results.

• Renokin lotion, shampoo and conditioner contain powerful hair growth factors that stimulate the hair follicles.
• Renokin Shampoo and Conditioner;
  - Prevents hair loss
  - Promotes re-growth of new hair
  - Clinically proven active ingredients
  - Trans-dermal delivery system for enhanced penetration
  - No side effects
• Zinsel h" hair re-grow is specifically designed to help increase scalp hair growth from within. The product is totally natural, contains no drugs or anything artificial to the body. Zinsel H works by providing the right supplements in the right proportions to help stimulate the body to grow new scalp hair.
• Topical Minoxidil in either 2% or 5% solution is most effective in persons with recent onset of hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia and relatively small areas of hair loss. Minoxidil is less effective when hair loss is long-standing or large in area. Thus, early use of minoxidil is indicated to prevent progression of small areas of male or female pattern hair loss. Minoxidil is often more effective in improving hair growth in central areas of the scalp than in frontal areas. If minoxidil proves effective in halting hair loss and/or stimulating new hair growth, its use becomes a lifetime commitment. If regular application of minoxidil is halted, all results of therapy will be rapidly lost over the next 3 to 6 months.
• Prescription drugs such as Propecia decrease the amount of DHT which is responsible or decreased hair growth. Propecia may be prescribed by your Sinclair Aesthetics doctor after a thorough consultation to exclude medical causes of hair loss

What in office therapies can one use for hair loss?
In office treatments for men and women:

Injected Mesotherapy increases the circulation to the affected area by making blood vessels in the area larger and also stimulating further blood vessel growth in the treated area. Increased circulation and improved collagen synthesis stimulate the grown follicle which is responsible for increased hair growth. Mesotherapy is a cocktail of growth factors, peptides, amino, nucleic and hyaluronic acids and vitamins that are micro-injected into the mesoderm layer of the skin stimulating hair growth.

Botulinum Toxin injected into the scalp every 4 months decreases the resistance to blood flow around the hair follicle which results in improved circulation to the hair follicle.

All of the above modalities increase the blood flow and circulation in the scalp. This increase in blood flow is crucial to promoting a healthy hair follicle. The increase in blood flow brings the important nutrients into the follicle while taking away harmful waste products such as DHT. The increase in ATP increases cellular metabolism and cellular activity. The hair follicle now has the building blocks and energy to transform from a weakened follicle to one that is healthy and capable of producing beautiful, thick healthy hair. The enhanced environment then in turn invigorates the hair follicle which produces healthier hair, prevents further hair loss and stimulates the re-growth of hair.