How Much Hair Loss Is Normal
Although hair seems to be an important element of beauty in men and women, it also contains important clues about our health. Hair loss, especially during the transition of seasons, sometimes gives the first signs of problems in our skin. In addition to hormonal reasons, nutrition, medications or stress are among the leading causes of hair loss. Thanks to early diagnosis and treatment, hair loss can be prevented and hair can be regained.
Keeping the hair clean is the first thing to do to prevent hair loss. Because excessively oily hair and eczema on the scalp can cause shedding.
It is very important for the health of the right strands of the hair follicles to breathe. It is necessary to wash the scalp at regular intervals, clean the hair with soft movements and pay attention to the use of the right shampoo. We can collect the most common hair loss under three headings.
The most common type of hair loss in women: TELOGEN
The most common type of hair loss in women is defined as “telogen”. Hair strands go through 3 phases in their life cycle; anagen (growth), telogen (hair regrowth) and catagen (shedding). At any given time, 85-90% of human scalp hair follicles (the structure in which hair grows) are in the anagen phase, 13% in telogen, and less than 1% in catagen. Losing around 100 strands of hair a day is considered normal.
A “pull test” can be done to see if hair loss is normal. Pull a certain strand of hair. If more than four hairs are palpable in the pulled hair, the pulling test is considered positive, that is, there is a problem of shedding.Telogen shedding takes 3-4 months on average. Shedding that lasts longer than six months is called ‘chronic telogen shedding’. The causes of telogen shedding are listed as follows:
- Hormonal causes: Thyroid diseases, post-pregnancy and menopause periods.
- Diet: Deficiency of iron, biotin, zinc, B12, magnesium, protein and essential fatty acids.
- Medications: Some hypertension medications, birth control pills, psychiatric medications such as lithium.
- Physical stress: Anemia, vitamin deficiency, surgery, severe illness, extreme diet.
- Psychological stress: Depression etc.
Your shampoo probably is causing your hair loss
A substance that is also found in laundry and dishwashing detergents is also found in most shampoos to provide foaming. This substance impairs the health of the scalp and damages the hair strands. In addition, combing the hair when it is dry and gathering it tightly for a long time can also lead to shedding. Opening processes such as perm and highlighting, which disrupt the chemistry of the hair, also trigger the shedding, which wears out our hair.
For the treatment of this type of hair loss, the cause must first be determined. Appropriate treatment is then initiated. The use of shampoo suitable for the patient’s hair also supports the treatment. 70% of the lost hair grows back. In order to get good results, procedures such as hair mesotherapy and PRP can be applied. To read our article on this subject: PRP for Hair Loss
Hair loss in men is genetically caused
Hair loss that occurs on the top and sides of the head with genetic inheritance in men is defined as androgenetic alopecia. This type of hair loss, which is rarely seen in women, is seen in one out of every four men who reach the age of 25, and its incidence can reach 50 percent in the age of 50. Hormonal drugs, topical minoxidil and mesotherapy and plasma (PRP), hair stem cell and autologous micrograft treatments (capillary regeneration therapy) are used in the treatment. In more advanced cases, hair transplantation is performed.
Early treatment of androgenetic alopecia also provides better results. Naturally obtained shampoos and lotions help stop shedding and improve hair quality. Amino acids obtained from soy, vitamins such as biotin, minerals such as zinc and herbal extracts that increase circulation are used.
Ringworm can go away on its own
Although the cause of “alopecia areata” type hair loss, which is known as ringworm disease among the people, is not known exactly, it is thought that they may be caused by stress.
At the same time, ringworm, which is considered within the scope of autoimmune diseases, can be seen together with pernicious anemia (anemia due to insufficient amount of healthy red blood cells due to vitamin B12 deficiency in the body) and thyroid diseases. Ringworm usually heals spontaneously, in prolonged cases, stimulant-suppressing cortisone drugs are used in the treatment.
Methods used in hair loss treatment
Methods used to prevent hair loss; PRP is mesotherapy, autologous micrograft and stem cell therapy.
PRP
PRP is one of the most important hair loss treatments today. PRP, which is a new generation form of treatment, stands for “Platelet Rich Plasma”. This application is based on the separation of a small amount of blood taken from a person into its components after it is centrifuged into a special tube, and the small amount of “platelet-enriched plasma” (PRP) obtained is returned to the same person by injection. 3 sessions are applied with an interval of 3 weeks. The results obtained from this treatment method are generally satisfactory.
Mesotherapy
Scalp mesotherapy; It is a treatment method applied to the scalp periodically to stop hair loss, increase the quality of existing hair and activate new hair growth. Special vitamin, mineral and protein mixtures are injected into the scalp, thus increasing blood circulation in the application area. Increasing the blood supply of hair follicles helps them to be better fed and developed.
Autologous micrograft treatment
In the autologous micrograft method, a tissue sample is taken from an area containing a hair strand, usually behind the ear, and instantly combined with a special liquid. This tissue is then divided into very small pieces and injected into the scalp with the mixture containing growth factors. Having a single session is an advantage.
Stem cell therapy
In stem cell therapy, a piece of tissue containing a hair follicle is taken behind the ear and stem cells are produced in private laboratories. The cells obtained are given to the person by injection one month later. The effect of these methods is observed in 2-4 months. An increase in the amount of hair can be seen with the increase in the volume of the hair and the thickening of the thinned hair strands that are about to disappear.