Dermatology

​Overview:
Hair follicles envelop the lower part of the hair root, and each follicle contains blood vessels that nourish new hair growth. All hair follicles are present at birth and present throughout life. Hair grows from follicles and falls out in a recurring cycle. It is normal for us to lose between 50 and 100 hairs per day. Often without us noticing but sometimes it can be a sign of a medical condition.

Hair growth cycle:
Growth phase (anagen): It lasts from two to eight years, and this stage constitutes about 85% to 90% of the hair on the head.

• The transitional phase (the catagen phase): is the time when hair follicles shrink and lasts about two to three weeks.
• Telogen phase (resting phase): It takes two to four months, and at the end of this phase, hair falls out.
• Shorter hairs (e.g.: eyelashes, arm and leg hair, and eyebrows) have a short growth phase of about 1 month.

Types of hair loss:

• Anagen hair loss: This means hair loss at the stage in which hair is supposed to grow during the hair cycle, and this occurs due to drugs that poison the growing hair follicles (such as: chemotherapy).
• Telogen effluvium: This is caused by an increase in the number of hair follicles that reach the telogen phase, which is the stage in which hair falls out.
• Androgenetic alopecia / female androgenetic alopecia / female pattern hair loss / baldness: This type is the most common, thinning of the hair on the top of the head and on the sides.

Causes:

• Hereditary hair loss: Both men and women suffer from this type of hair loss, and it is the most common cause of hair loss worldwide. In men it is called male pattern hair loss, and women suffer from female pattern hair loss, regardless of whether Affecting men or women, the medical term is “androgenetic alopecia.”
• Alopecia areata, a disease that develops when the body's immune system attacks hair follicles; Which causes hair loss.
• Cancer treatment: When receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy to the head or neck, it may result in the loss of all (or most) hair within a few weeks of starting treatment.
• A few months after giving birth, recovering from an illness, or having surgery, a lot of hair may fall out. This can happen when going through difficult times in life (such as: divorce or the death of a family member).
• Hormonal imbalance: A common cause of this imbalance is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). It leads to cysts on a woman's ovaries, along with other signs and symptoms that can include hair loss.
• Scalp infection can lead to scaly areas and sometimes it can lead to inflamed areas of the scalp.
• Some medicines, as a possible side effect of some medicines is hair loss.
• Scalp psoriasis. Many people with plaque psoriasis develop scalp psoriasis at some point. This can lead to hair loss.
• Scarring alopecia. This condition develops when inflammation destroys the hair follicles. Once the follicles are destroyed, they cannot grow.
• Sexually Transmitted Infections If left untreated, sexually transmitted infections can lead to hair loss.
• Biotin, iron, protein or zinc deficiency.

Risk factors:

• With age, most people may notice some hair loss due to slower hair growth.
• After dyeing, curling or straightening the hair, it may damage the hair over time, and this damage can lead to hair loss.
• Continuous hair pulling back too much, may lead to permanent hair loss.
• Thyroid problems may cause hair thinning.
• Slow poisoning can lead to hair loss. Toxins that can cause hair loss include arsenic, thallium, mercury, and lithium.

Symptoms:
Signs of hair loss appear in many ways. You may notice:

• Gradual thinning of scalp hair
• A slowly growing bald spot
• A receding hairline that becomes more visible with each passing year
• Expansion of parts

Treatment:
No treatment is 100% effective, and most cases of hair loss do not need treatment, whether:

• Temporary and will grow again
• It's a normal part of getting older
• Hair loss caused by a medical condition usually stops or grows back once it recovers.
• Various treatment methods include:
• Some cases need to prescribe medical medications by a doctor.
• Immunotherapy by applying a chemical to the bald spots.
• Ultraviolet light therapy.
• Hair transplantation: by removing hair from the back of the head and transferring it to the bald spots.
• Scalp reduction surgery, where parts of the scalp are pulled together with the hair and sewn together.
• Artificial hair transplantation.

Hair fall control tips:
Make an appointment to see a dermatologist. As there are many causes of hair loss, the earlier you find the cause, the better the chance of getting the results you want.

• Use a gentle shampoo.
• Use a moisturizing conditioner after each shampoo.
• Wrap hair in a microfiber towel to help it dry more quickly.
• Avoid hot oil treatments as these treatments heat up the hair, which leads to further damage to the brittle hair.
• Stop coloring, perming and chemical straightening.
• Reduce the use of curling devices, straighteners, and hot combs: and use them only on special occasions, as these heat the hair, which may lead to its weakening.
• Use the lowest temperature in the hair dryer, and it is preferable to let the hair dry naturally instead of using a hair dryer.
• Stop combing your hair in a tight way.
• Avoid wrapping or pulling the hair around the finger.
• Gently brush the hair, as pulling it while combing may cause it to fall out.
• Give up smoking, as it causes inflammation throughout the body; Which may exacerbate hair loss.
• Eat healthy food that contains iron or protein.
• Before taking a food supplement for hair growth, a blood test should be done.