|
Hair Loss Happens
Special to The Truth
The word "alopecia" is the medical term for hair loss.
Alopecia does not refer to one specific hair loss disease --
any form of hair loss is alopecia. Mistakenly thought to be
a strictly male disease, women actually make up 40 percent
of American hair loss sufferers.
Hair Loss Happens
and is a common concern at any age. Most hair shedding is
due to the normal hair cycle, and losing 50-100 hairs per
day is no cause for alarm. People who notice their hair
shedding in large amounts after combing or brushing, or
whose hair becomes thinner or falls out, should consult a
dermatologist.
“I have been treating patients with hair loss for 20 years,”
says Dr. Hope Mitchell, MD, “and it can be caused by many
factors from genetics to the environment.”
While androgenetic or hereditary hair loss (male or female
pattern baldness) is by far the most common form of
alopecia, dermatologists also see many people with other
forms of hair loss such as alopecia areata (round bald
patches), ringworm, scarring alopecia, and hair loss due to
cosmetic over processing. Drugs used for cancer, arthritis,
depression, heart problems, high blood pressure and birth
control can cause hair loss.
Did you know that you are born with all the hair follicles
you will ever make in your lifetime? Interestingly, by week
22, a developing fetus has all of its hair follicles formed
and we do not generate new hair follicles anytime during the
course of our lives. There are a total of one million
follicles on the head, with one hundred thousand of those
follicles residing on the scalp. We are naturally going to
lose follicles as we age; therefore, we need to protect them
by avoiding over processing and tightly pulled hairstyles.
Did you know that at any given time, a random number of
hairs are in one of three stages of growth and shedding? At
any point, 90 percent of our hairs are in the growth phase,
which can last three to six years. The other 10 percent are
in the shedding phase.
Some people have difficulty growing their hair beyond a
certain length because they have a short active phase of
growth – likely three years or less. On the other hand,
people with very long hair have a long active phase of
growth – likely three years or longer.
How do dermatologists diagnose and treat hair loss?
Most insurance companies
will cover an initial appointment for the evaluation of your
hair loss. Because so many things can cause hair loss, a
dermatologist acts like a detective.
When evaluating your hair loss, some of the questions Dr.
Mitchell may ask you about include your diet, allergies,
medications, hormone changes, family history of hair loss,
recent illness, and hair care habits. In some cases blood
tests or a scalp biopsy may be required for an accurate
diagnosis. It’s important to find the cause of hair thinning
as soon as possible for early and effective intervention.
Dr. Mitchell may recommend nutritional supplements,
Minoxidil--over the counter--Rogaine with or without
prescription creams and/or pills, steroid injections or the
newest technology-Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections-to
help stimulate hair growth and counteract hair loss.
PRP and Hair Loss
Dr. Mitchell is excited about offering PRP injections
to her patients and the results they are getting from these
treatments. PRP is a promising new hair loss
treatment for women and men to regrow and thicken hair
without surgery.
“PRP works by injecting platelets from my patient’s
own blood directly into the scalp,” says Dr. Mitchell.
“These platelets contain growth factors that stimulate
regrowth and thickening of hair follicles.” The primary
purpose of using PRP in hair restoration is to
stimulate inactive or newly implanted hair follicles into an
active growth phase.
If there is no scarring of the hair follicles, patients can
see results as early as a few weeks after the treatment.
This procedure is safe and ideal for patients who are
experiencing any hair loss from localized thinning in the
temples to diffuse or generalized hair loss. PRP
therapy can be combined with Rogaine, prescription topical
and oral medication and steroid injections. It is not
recommended for people who have a history of heavy smoking,
platelet dysfunction or chronic infections or diseases.
Join Dr. Mitchell and her highly trained medical staff for
Hair Loss Happens an event to learn more about the causes
and treatments for this common condition or visit our
website
www.mitchellderm.com for more information about PRP
injections. Call Mitchell Dermatology today at 419-872-HOPE
(4673) to schedule your hair loss consultation.
Mitchell Dermatology’s Hair Loss Happens Event
Date: Wednesday, March 29
Time: 1p.m. and 4 p.m.
RSVP: mitchellderm.com or 419.872.HOPE (4673) |
