Hair fall, be it a temporary phase and isn’t that serious, isn’t a good experience. And if it’s an abnormal hair fall, which comes on abruptly, the situation becomes worse. This type of hair fall is usually temporary and has multiple causes, including, but not limited to, stress, health conditions, nutritional deficiencies, fever, pregnancy, and medicines.
Abnormal hair fall occurs when you start noticing hair shedding in large amounts after combing, brushing, oiling, and shampooing your hair. It is disheartening to see so many hair strands on the brush, in the bathroom, and on your pillow each morning. Here in this article, we will discuss everything in detail about abnormal hair fall and what can be done.
Causes of Abnormal Hair Fall
Different types of hair fall and hair loss have different underlying causes. Here are a few main types and their causes –
Androgenic Alopecia
Affecting up to 50% of people, this is one of the most common types of hair loss. Also referred to as hereditary hair loss, it causes male pattern or female pattern baldness. This type of hair loss happens gradually. While some people experience it quite early, others are often late and experience severe hair loss & baldness in old age. Male pattern baldness typically has progressive hair loss above the temples and at the crown of the head. On the other hand, female pattern baldness looks like hair thinning all over the scalp. Genes and Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are the primary culprits here.
Alopecia Areata
It’s an autoimmune condition where our immune system starts attacking our hair follicles, causing bald patches on our scalp. Sometimes, the condition becomes so bad that it causes total hair loss. The bald patches are smooth, round patches of a size of a coin or sometimes bigger. Some people have this hair condition running in their families. Severe stress is known to cause this type of hair loss, and it can last for months or years and stop suddenly. Not just on the scalp, but Alopecia Areata also makes people lose hair from their eyelashes, eyebrows, and other body parts.
Anagen Effluvium
This refers to rapid hair shedding during the anagen or growth stage of the hair cycle. This type of hair loss usually stops, hair growth will resume when the medicine is stopped or an ideal hair fall treatment is sought. It is a form of no scarring alopecia commonly associated with chemotherapy and is most common in patients of any age, sex, or race receiving radiation treatment or chemotherapy.
Telogen Effluvium
A condition that makes people lose up to 500 hair strands a day. It is a sudden hair loss that starts because of emotional or physical shock, extreme stress, a traumatic event, or a serious illness. Hormonal changes during pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause, also have a big role in this type of hair loss. Malnutrition, starting or stopping hormonal birth control, endocrine disorders, and several types of medications like anticoagulants, oral retinoids, thyroid medications, anticonvulsants, and beta-blockers are also known to cause Telogen Effluvium.
Tinea Capitis
A fungal infection of the scalp involves both the skin and hair. Also known as scalp ringworm, its symptoms include hair loss, dry, scaly areas, redness, and itching. The size of the bald and itchy patches tends to increase over time. Risk factors include household crowding, lower socioeconomic status, animal contact, warm, humid environments, and contact sport. It’s a treatable condition with the use of specific antifungal medications.
Traction Alopecia
Traction alopecia can occur when your hair and scalp experience too much traction for a long time. So always avoid wearing tight hairstyles like buns, braids, and ponytails for a long period.
Symptoms of Abnormal Hair Fall
Depending on its intensity, abnormal hair fall can bring a lot of stress into our lives. And it’s a vicious circle, wherein the more the stress, the bad the hair fall. Hair loss sometimes just affects the scalp, while other times, it can be all over one’s body. Tresses become thin, brittle, and dry and can develop hairless patches on the scalp and the beard area in men.
When there are round ring-like patches, they indicate ringworm to be the cause. When hair loss results from some medical treatment or therapy, it would have different symptoms. Therefore, it’s always better to consult a doctor well on time to treat the symptoms before they worsen. If hair loss is accompanied by skin problems, vomiting, breathing problems, poor appetite, fever, pain, unexplained weight loss, rapid heartbeat, or constipation, one must immediately see the doctor.
Can Abnormal Hair Fall be Diagnosed and How?
Approximately 50% of men and women experience a bad case of hair fall in their lives. It can occur anywhere on the body but has the maximum cosmetic effect when it occurs on the scalp. Physicians and the seasoned teams at leading hair fall clinics diagnose the causes of abnormal hair fall in a patient and treat them.
After properly analysing the appearance of the patch and examining fungal agents, the cause of focal hair loss can be determined. Hair loss in some patients appears as focal patches, while it is more diffuse in other patients in the form of increased hair shedding and predominant hair thinning. Focal hair loss further can be divided into – scarring and non-scarring. Dermatologists have the potential to evaluate scarring alopecia perfectly.
Smooth hairless patches in the case of Alopecia areata have an easy diagnosis, whereas scaly patches caused by Tinea Capitis can call for a difficult diagnosis. However, a scalp biopsy can be helpful in cases where the cause of hair loss is unclear.
Can Abnormal Hair Fall be Treated and How?
Yes, abnormal hair fall can be treated if you know its root cause. If your hair loss results from some infection, it will subside once you recover from that infection. If certain medicines you have been taking recently are causing your hair loss, it will stop once you discontinue taking those medicines. Similarly, hair loss caused due to iron and vitamin deficiencies would be cured once your body makes up for those deficiencies.
Hair fall treatment for men suffering from alopecia areata usually involves powerful anti-inflammation medicines and corticosteroids. You can use suitable creams, tablets, and local injections with your doctor's advice. Depending on the particular form and cause of hair loss, doctors may prescribe certain initial medications such as minoxidil or finasteride. Since many people will not get desired outcomes from it, further solutions such as hair transplantation could be considered a good option for them. If you feel it’s required and can afford it as well you could take the discussions forward.
How can I Prevent Abnormal Hair Fall?
Some amount of hair shedding is normal, while that caused by a trauma or stress normally stops on its own in some time. However, the changes and new practices that should be included in your everyday routine depend on why you have been losing hair lately. There are a few things, a combination of lifestyle changes and practices, you can do to minimise and stop your hair loss.
If your hair loss is persistent, you must visit a doctor as soon as possible for proper diagnosis and treatment. Rest, you can follow the following tips to prevent and stop hair fall:
Good Protein Intake:
As our hair follicles are made mostly of keratin, eating a diet rich in protein can help prevent hair loss. Try and include low-fat dairy products, eggs, chicken, turkey, beans and peas, fish, and nuts in your everyday diet.
Vitamin A:
A sufficient amount of Vitamin A is required by our body to maintain a healthy scalp that retains more hair and increases the rate of hair growth. So don’t forget to fill your plate with foods loaded with this vitamin, including spinach, sweet peppers, and sweet potatoes.
Multivitamin Supplements:
You can count on vitamin A, B, C, D, selenium, zinc, and iron supplements for the hair growth and retention process that could stop your hair loss.
Oiling
Oiling and massaging your head gently with coconut oil, olive oil, and other essential oils can help improve the blood flow, get rid of the scalp dryness and slow down hair fall.
Gentle Styling:
Skip tight hairstyles and avoid heat treatments to prevent hair fall and loss.
Exercise and Sleep:
Don’t forget to have a good 7-8 hours of sound sleep each night, as it helps rejuvenate our body cells. And, of course, exercising regularly improves our mood and body strength, which works wonders for maintaining our hair health.
Conclusion
Hair loss, regardless of its type and causal factors, can be devastating for the person experiencing it. It has a huge cosmetic impact, as people start to feel bad about how they look post hair loss. However, the problem doesn’t remain this big if one finds the accurate cause of hair loss on time.
One can start with counselling/consulting sessions with hair loss experts and specialists, just like we have at the Advanced Hair Studio. Working in the hair loss treatment industry for way too long, they know the ins and outs of its diagnosis and treatment. They are well-versed with the different types of hair loss, hair thinning, and other hair fall-related issues.
They first gain comprehensive insights into the patient’s problem, family history, and other health conditions. After that, they recommend a hair fall treatment in Dubai that best suits one’s problem. Also, the hair treatment they advise happens to be the most effective hair loss treatment that suits one’s personality and expectations.