Treatments for Baldness

Treatments for Baldness

Which is the cause of baldness? There are many causes of baldness and just as many treatments. Most common balding cause: male pattern baldness appears in a distinct shape: a horseshoe-shaped hairline with light-colored thinning strands at the top of the scalp. Over time, this area will generally go bald, but sometimes you may still have a horseshoe shape of hair above the ears along the back of your head. The hair at the front of your scalp tends to grow in a direction that extends past your eyes. The exact cause of baldness depends on your genes, hormones, and diet.

Some women suffer from female pattern baldness. Usually, it begins as a receding hair line and then thickening of the hair occurs until it reaches a bald spot. Some women may also begin to lose their hair after pregnancy or during menopause. Medicines used to treat these symptoms include finasteride (Propecia), which is an oral pill; oral contraceptives also called birth control pills; and minoxidil, a topical solution applied directly to the scalp. As with baldness in men, medicines can be prescribed or can be used to stimulate hair growth.

Other types of baldness are caused by diseases such as cancer, immune disorders, or nutrient deficiencies. Some people may experience sudden, unexplainable loss of hair loss that only comes in certain seasons. Certain medications, such as those used for cancer or immunosuppressants can lead to alopecia areata, which results in the development of patchy, discolored patches of loss between the hair strands.

Contrary to popular belief, baldness does not have a genetic connection. Baldness can occur at any age, and it can occur at both genders. Hair loss due to medical conditions is usually temporary. Once the medical conditions are treated, the hair loss usually ceases. However, some individuals continue to experience temporary hair loss. Medical treatments for male-pattern baldness and alopecia areata do not always cure the underlying medical condition.

Other treatments for baldness involve medical procedures such as scalp reduction and hair transplantation. Scalp reduction, or hair transplantation, involves surgically removing excess hair from the scalp to cover bald areas. This procedure requires a team of specialists including surgeons, dermatologists, and anesthesiologists. Surgical procedures are more effective if they are done under local anesthesia, because it makes it less likely that the body will reject the transplanted hair. Although it is surgery, scalp reduction is not a painful procedure; therefore, many patients do not experience much pain.

Hair transplantation, on the other hand, is a surgical procedure that involves removing existing hair follicles from another area of the scalp. The follicles are then implanted in the bald areas. This treatment, however, is only suitable for individuals suffering from hereditary baldness and alopecia. Because it only restores normal hair production, there are usually no side effects. Hair transplantation treatments may also cause hair loss on other parts of the body as a side effect.