Hair loss: factors and methods of treatment

Dr. Amalia Anghel,
Primary Physician Dermatovenereology in Skinmed Clinic, Centre of Excellence in Dermatology Bucharest www.skin-med.ro
presents us the causes of hair loss and what we can do to improve/stop this unwanted phenomenon.

The main factors of hair loss

Age. With aging, hair becomes thinner, more friable and we can note also a thinning of hairs.

Stress. Another important factor in hair loss is stress. The mechanism by which this effect is produced affects the vascularization of hair follicle, by reducing the contribution of oxygen, nutrients and inhibition of growth.

Diet. A poor diet in nutrients can lead to deficits of certain nutrients (proteins, iron, zinc, vitamins) which lead to abnormalities of the metabolism, but also at the level of hair follicle and automatically to hair loss.

Pregnancy and birth. Due to the growth of level of circulant oestrogens, during pregnancy we notice a fortification of hair follicles, with transition to the dormant stage of an important number of hairs, and after birth (at about 3-4 months) due to the normalization of the hormonal level, we can describe a transitory hair loss.

Polluting factors. The air, pollutants and minerals from water, the solar phototoxic effects lead to cutaneous aging and subsidiary destruction of some hair follicles.

The hair is caught in „ponytail”, braids, chemicals contained in fixatives, the excessive and brutal brushing, tough massage of scalp, all this contributes by mechanical effect to the deterioration of cuticle and breaking of hairs.

Trichotillomania (TTM), also known as hair-pulling disorder or compulsive hair pulling, is a mental disorder characterized by a long-term urge that results in the pulling out of one’s own hair.

Seasonal changes. The transitory hair fall from the end of August-November is reversible, its cause is the slowing of hair growth process.

Medication. The cardiovascular medication, the dyslipidaemia medication, anti-diabetic, contraceptive, hormonal substitution, chemotherapy, corticosteroids, anti-acne medication, anti-clotting medicines, allopurinol, etc.

Thyroidal pathology (hypo/hyperthyroidism). The thyroidal hormones are metabolized and involved in the processes of most tissues in the human body, including of the hair follicle. Thus, the excess becomes noxious and the deficit involves an insufficiency, which leads to the thinning of hairs; they are associated with major systemic manifestations and a characteristic localization pattern (frontal lobe in hypothyroidism and temporal lobe in hyperthyroidism); other pathologies involved: diabetes mellitus, renal failure, hepatic failure, cutaneous neoplasia.

Therapies and methods of treatment
“Regardless of cause, the first step towards healing is a correct diagnosis. At Skinmed Clinic, Centre of Excellence in Dermatology Bucharest, there is a special device, which takes a series of photographs in detail of the hair, showing the problems of anatomic substrate. If we speak of treatments, we can mention the mesotherapy or the vampire therapy, the most efficient treatments that exist now on the market”, says Dr. Amalia Anghel, Primary Physician Dermatovenereology

Trichoscopy, the most efficient method of diagnosis

Trichoscopy is a non-invasive imaging evaluation method in vivo of hair and scalp and is used for the diagnosis of hair and scalp disorders. The investigation method is based on dermatoscopy. Trichoscopy https://www.skin-med.ro/analiza-firului-de-par/ views the hair and scalp structures by a special camera which zooms in 70 times and stores the images processed. “By trichoscopy we can notice changes of hairs, blood vessels, some moulds of the scalp pigment and interfollicular skin based on which we can place a correct diagnosis.”, explains the physician, Amalia Anghel.

When is trichoscopy used?

Trichoscopy is used when the patient is confronted with an accentuated hair loss, accompanied or not by the hair thinning/disappearance, for the diagnosis of cicatricial or non-cicatricial alopecies: androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, Effluvium telogen, tinea capitis, trichotillomania, lichen pilaris, lupus erythematosus.

Mesotherapy of scalp against alopecia
Mesotherapy is a non-surgical, minimum-invasive method which involves the direct administration of medicinal substances on the areas affected by hair loss.

A complex of pharmaceutical substances (vasodilatory, vitamins, bioactive substances etc.) adjusted to each patient and to each form of alopecia in particular, is intradermally injected in the affected areas.

The micro-stings are less painful, and the medicinal substances gradually diffuse in the whole anatomical area treated. The needles used are extremely small in length (2-4 mm) and very thin. Also, we use syringes of 1 ml, so that the pressure by which we inject the cocktail of substances should not be too large and cause pain.

Dr. Amalia Anghel, Primary Physician Dermatovenereology in Skinmed Clinic, Center of Excellence in Dermatology Bucharest: “The number of sessions and frequency of sessions are established by the dermatologist, directly related to diagnosis and is adjusted depending on the response of patient to this procedure. On average we recommend 5-7 sessions, performed at a distance of 7-14 days away. This is a short-time procedure (30-45 minutes), safe, does not require local anaesthesia or another preparation from the patient. The adverse reactions are minimum and are mostly represented by a minimum discomfort on the stinging spot, which goes away in maximum 2-3 hours.”

Mesotherapy is a new method of treatment in the scope of dermatological disorders which can have notable effects in all forms of hair loss and moreover, can give results when the classical therapies have failed or it is associated with them in some cases.

P.R.P. (vampire therapy) – a natural 100% method
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) or the therapy with own plasma enriched with platelets, also known as Vampire Therapy represents a medical procedure of skin rejuvenation by reconstruction of its structure. The method consists of collection of (venous) blood from the patient and its processing by a device which uses centrifugal force. Thus, by centrifugation, the red blood cells (erythrocytes) are separated from the plasma and practically, we obtain an autologous plasma rich in platelets. These platelets are cells which contain growth factors and tissue repair factors which are normally released by the human body to heal the injured tissue.

“By the method described above, in the Skinmed Clinic, Centre of Excellence in Dermatology Bucharest, we make an ”artificial” concentrate by using a special test tube, which contains a separator layer of gel which only allows the plasma with platelets to remain available to be extracted with the syringe. The growth factors represent the physiological reservoir of the huma body which is at the basis of reparatory processes of tissues. The plasma thus obtained is reinjected in the selected areas, under the form of intraepidermal/intradermic micro boluses, at 1 cm away, with full coverage of the working area. The selection of a therapeutical option/treatment must be personalized for a more efficient result, and this can be made only after a correct diagnosis of the types of alopecies. It is noteworthy that during the medical examination, the physician will establish if this procedure is indicated and safe for you. This anti-hair loss procedure is not addressed to pregnant women and patients who have certain associated health problems.”, emphasizes Dr. Amalia Anghel, Primary Physician Dermatovenereology from the Skinmed Clinic, Centre of Excellence in Dermatology Bucharest.

More details: www.skin-med.ro