Nowadays, hair loss is a concern for both men and women. With today’s lifestyle, specialists in aesthetic medicine observe an increase in cases of alopecia due to stress and other causes, which we explain below.
Total or partial hair loss is called alopecia, it occurs gradually and can occur in patches or in a generalized (diffuse) form. The scalp contains about 100,000 hairs, of which 100 fall out daily.
Types of alopecia
There are different types of alopecia, depending on the origin:
– Hereditary. With time, both men and women lose hair thickness and quantity, although it is more common in men. Male baldness, in fact, can appear at any stage after puberty. This type of alopecia does not originate from a disease but from aging and changes in testosterone. About 80% of men show signs of baldness at the age of 70.
– Physical or emotional stress. Stress can cause half to three-quarters of hair to fall out. This variant of alopecia is called telogen effluvium. The most obvious symptoms are large amounts of hair falling out when lathering the hair, combing or running the hands through the hair. This alopecia is usually temporary, but can become chronic. On the other hand, the sufferer may not notice it after episodes of stress, as hair shedding occurs over a period of 6-8 months.
Causes of alopecia
The causes of hair loss can be diverse:
– High fever or severe infection
– Childbirth
– Major surgery, serious illness or sudden bleeding
– Intense emotional stress
– Drastic diets, in particular those without too much protein.
– Drugs: contraceptive pills, beta-blockers, calcium blockers, antidepressants or anti-inflammatory drugs.
– Causes of unknown origin in women between 30 and 60 years of age, resulting in thinning hair.
Other causes of other types of alopecia include:
– Alopecia areata or patches on the scalp, beard, and even eyebrows and eyelashes.
– Anemia
– Autoimmune disorders, such as lupus
– Burns
– Infectious diseases, such as syphilis
– Excessive use of shampoo and hair dryer
– Hormonal changes
– Thyroid disease
– Nervous habits related to rubbing the scalp or pulling out the hair
– Radiation therapy
– Infection of the scalp called ringworm or dermatophytosis
– Tumors of the ovary or adrenal glands
When to see an expert
Experts recommend seeing an expert:
– Atypical hair loss
– Rapid or early onset of hair loss
– Pain or itching with hair loss
– Redness or scaling of the skin under the area of hair loss
– Acne, facial hair or menstrual cycle irregularities
– Male pattern baldness even though you are a woman
– Bald patches in the beard or eyebrows
– Scalp infection
– Women with heavy hair loss after childbirth
– Heavy hair loss after stressful events
Diagnosis and cosmetic treatment of alopecia
To diagnose alopecia, the aesthetic medicine expert should:
– evaluate the patient’s medical history
– indicate the performance of the relevant clinical analyses
– personalized medical treatment (without creating false expectations).
It should be noted that for hair loss resulting from disease, radiotherapy, use of a medicine or other related causes, no treatment is necessary, since the hair will grow back when the disease ceases or the treatment ends.
In aesthetic medicine, in particular, after evaluation of the patient, a novel chemical product composed of vitamins, minerals and amino acids is indicated. This treatment is applied to the entire scalp, stimulating the follicle directly. To conclude the treatment, between 10 and 12 sessions are usually necessary, with one session per week.