The most common cause of baldness in both men and women is androgenetic alopecia or pattern baldness. This is caused by increased levels of androgens or male hormones. It may be hereditary. You may notice an M-shaped thinning of hair in your temples and crown if you are a male, or thinning in the central and frontal scalp if you are a female.
On the other hand, a bald spot on your scalp may be due to alopecia areata. In this condition, your immune system produces antibodies that normally fight off harmful microorganisms, but instead damage your hair follicles, leading to hair loss that appears as smooth round patches.
If you underwent surgery or had a severe illness during the last 3 months, you may also notice hair loss that is more than what you're used to. As a natural reaction of your body to a stressful life situation, about 50% of your hair enters the resting phase of hair growth. Because shed hair is not immediately replaced, thinning of your hair becomes apparent. This temporary hair loss is called telogen effluvium. Your hair will grow back once the underlying illness resolves.
Hormones also play a role in hair loss that is associated with thyroid diseases and pregnancy. An excess or a decrease in your thyroid hormones may lead to alopecia. After giving birth, the abrupt decrease in the level of the female hormone estrogen causes temporary yet massive hair shedding. Other medical conditions that may lead to hair loss include fungal infections, diabetes, lupus and intake of certain medications.
“You would think that most of of our hair loss clients would be men,” says Ronnie Talent, SEO of Legacy Hair Center in Charlotte. ” Roughly 70” of our new hair loss inquiries are women. Many people don’t realize that 25% of women will also suffer from thinning hair.”
Are you aware that even your hairstyling habits can cause hair loss? The constant pulling of your hair when you wear pigtails, cornrows or a tight ponytail damages your hair follicles, leading to traction alopecia. Improper and frequent use of hair treatments may also weaken your hair and cause breakage. Some people are unable to control the impulse to pull out their hair. In these cases of trichotillomania, psychological intervention is also necessary.
Finding the reason why you lose hair is important. It will guide your dermatologist or hair specialist in deciding which hair loss option is appropriate for you. You may have to receive oral and topical medications, or undergo procedures such as laser hair therapy, hair transplantation, or hair replacement. “The Hair Replacement technology that is used today is the same technology used in Hollywood, “says Talent . “Now- if you suffer from hair loss, you have the option to use that technology, and look the way you want to look.”
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Hair Transplant Complications
Hair transplant surgery can seem as a simple procedure but there are certain factors that can cause suboptimal growth of newly transplanted hair. It is OK for any patient who is considering or has had a hair transplant procedure to be concerned about the survival of their newly transplanted hair. These issues can be categorized into two factors:
1. Technical Problems
2. Patient Factor
Both can potentially determine what the outcome of your hair transplant procedure will be.
Technical Issues
* Problems during hair graft preparation and handling: During the preparation phase of hair grafts, an inexperienced technician may unintentionally manipulate hair grafts more than what they can tolerate. The most common effect is damage to the proliferated follicle cells during graft slivering, harvesting or implanting which can or will cause the hair not to grow.
* Problems with graft maintenance: Once the hair is removed from the body the follicles should be kept in a physiological solution suitable for their survival until the time they are placed in their new location. The solution should be kept at 0 – 4 degrees centigrade to prolong the longevity of the follicular cells and slowdown the cell’s metabolism.
* Implantation phase complications: If the hair graft sites are too tight, technicians may unintentionally manipulate the hair graft’s physical attributes too much and affect the final potential of the hair cells growth.
Patient Factor
* Patient factor can be attested to either intentional or unintentional damaged caused by the patient or sometimes by a hair transplant surgeon’s negligence. Certain skin conditions can result in the loss or complete damage to the newly transplanted hair grafts. Some examples include Alopecia Areata (AA) or Alopecia Cicatricial (AC) as well as others medical conditions. In some cases these conditions may have already been present prior to the transplant or became present afterward. This is why all hair transplant surgeons must raise particular questions in regards to family history of hair loss. If there is no known history of hair loss or the patient is experiencing atypical male pattern baldness a biopsy can easily determine their condition. Come conditions can be easily determined by means of microscopic and macroscopic scalp and hair evaluation.
* Post operative hair transplant care plays a very important role in the final results of any hair transplant procedure. Physical trauma to the newly transplanted hair and other forms of hair trauma include pulling out or scratching newly transplanted hair and may cause you to lose your newly transplanted hair. In psychological conditions like Trichotillomania in which the patient pulls out their own hair it is best to see a psychologist to help you correct these types of issues.
Results are usually more evident after about one year so we recommend having your hair reevaluated by a good hair transplant surgeon if there is any doubt. Once a reevaluation is completed your hair transplant surgeon can help you treat the disorder that caused your less than desirable growth results and even tell you what may have caused your condition.
1. Technical Problems
2. Patient Factor
Both can potentially determine what the outcome of your hair transplant procedure will be.
Technical Issues
* Problems during hair graft preparation and handling: During the preparation phase of hair grafts, an inexperienced technician may unintentionally manipulate hair grafts more than what they can tolerate. The most common effect is damage to the proliferated follicle cells during graft slivering, harvesting or implanting which can or will cause the hair not to grow.
* Problems with graft maintenance: Once the hair is removed from the body the follicles should be kept in a physiological solution suitable for their survival until the time they are placed in their new location. The solution should be kept at 0 – 4 degrees centigrade to prolong the longevity of the follicular cells and slowdown the cell’s metabolism.
* Implantation phase complications: If the hair graft sites are too tight, technicians may unintentionally manipulate the hair graft’s physical attributes too much and affect the final potential of the hair cells growth.
Patient Factor
* Patient factor can be attested to either intentional or unintentional damaged caused by the patient or sometimes by a hair transplant surgeon’s negligence. Certain skin conditions can result in the loss or complete damage to the newly transplanted hair grafts. Some examples include Alopecia Areata (AA) or Alopecia Cicatricial (AC) as well as others medical conditions. In some cases these conditions may have already been present prior to the transplant or became present afterward. This is why all hair transplant surgeons must raise particular questions in regards to family history of hair loss. If there is no known history of hair loss or the patient is experiencing atypical male pattern baldness a biopsy can easily determine their condition. Come conditions can be easily determined by means of microscopic and macroscopic scalp and hair evaluation.
* Post operative hair transplant care plays a very important role in the final results of any hair transplant procedure. Physical trauma to the newly transplanted hair and other forms of hair trauma include pulling out or scratching newly transplanted hair and may cause you to lose your newly transplanted hair. In psychological conditions like Trichotillomania in which the patient pulls out their own hair it is best to see a psychologist to help you correct these types of issues.
Results are usually more evident after about one year so we recommend having your hair reevaluated by a good hair transplant surgeon if there is any doubt. Once a reevaluation is completed your hair transplant surgeon can help you treat the disorder that caused your less than desirable growth results and even tell you what may have caused your condition.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
