Age

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With age, most people notice some hair loss because hair growth slows. At some point, hair follicles stop growing hair, which causes the hair on our scalp to thin. Hair also starts to lose its color. A woman’s hairline naturally starts to recede.

Is regrowth possible?
Caught early, treatment helps some people regrow their hair.

 

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is a disease that develops when the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles (what holds the hair in place), causing hair loss. You can lose hair anywhere on your body, including your scalp, inside your nose, and in your ears. Some people lose their eyelashes or eyebrows.

Is regrowth possible?
Yes. If your hair fails to grow back on its own, treatment may help stimulate regrowth.

Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is a disease that develops when the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles (what holds the hair in place), causing hair loss.

 

Cancer treatment

If you receive chemotherapy or have radiation treatment to your head or neck, you may lose all (or most of) your hair within a few weeks of starting treatment.

Is regrowth possible?
Hair usually starts to regrow within months of finishing chemotherapy or radiation treatments to the head or neck. Dermatologists can offer medication to help hair grow back more quickly.

Is it preventable?
Wearing a cooling cap before, during, and after each chemotherapy session may help prevent hair loss.

Cancer treatment

If you receive chemotherapy or have radiation treatment to your head or neck, you may lose all (or most of) your hair within a few weeks of starting treatment.

 

Childbirth, illness, or other stressors

A few months after giving birth, recovering from an illness, or having an operation, you may notice a lot more hairs in your brush or on your pillow. This can also happen after a stressful time in your life, such as a divorce or death of a loved one.

Is regrowth possible?
If the stress stops, your body will readjust, and the excessive shedding will stop. When the shedding stops, most people see their hair regain its normal fullness within 6 to 9 months.

Hair care

If you color, perm, or relax your hair, you could be damaging your hair. Over time, this damage can lead to hair loss.

 

Hairstyle pulls on your scalp

If you often wear your hair tightly pulled back, the continual pulling can lead to permanent hair loss. The medical name for this condition is traction alopecia.Hairstyle pulls on your scalp

If you often wear your hair tightly pulled back, the continual pulling can lead to permanent hair loss.

 

Hormonal imbalance

A common cause of this imbalance is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It leads to cysts on a woman’s ovaries, along with other signs and symptoms, which can include hair loss. Stopping some types of birth control pills can cause a temporary hormonal imbalance. Women who develop a hormonal imbalance can develop thinning hair (or hair loss) on their scalp.

Is regrowth possible?
Treatment may help.

 

Scalp infection

A scalp infection can lead to scaly and sometimes inflamed areas on your scalp. You may see what look like small black dots on your scalp. These are actually stubs of hair. Some people develop a bald spot.

Is regrowth possible?
Yes, treatment can get rid of the infection. Once the infection clears, hair tends to grow.

Medication

A possible side effect of some medications is hair loss. If you think a medication is causing your hair loss, ask the doctor who prescribed it if hair loss is a possible side effect. It’s essential that you do not stop taking the medication before talking with your doctor. Abruptly stopping some medications can cause serious health problems.

 

Scalp psoriasis

Many people who have plaque psoriasis develop psoriasis on their scalp at some point. This can lead to hair loss.Is regrowth possible?Hair tends to regrow once the scalp psoriasis clears, but this takes time. By following these dermatologists’ tips, you may be able to prevent hair loss

Pulling your hair

Some people pull on their hair, often to relieve stress. They may be unaware that they’re pulling their hair. The medical term for this is trichotillomania.

Is regrowth possible?
If you haven’t destroyed the hair follicles, yes. For your hair to regrow, you have to stop pulling it.

Scarring alopecia

This condition develops when inflammation destroys hair follicles. Once destroyed, a hair follicle cannot grow hair. Diverse conditions can cause this. The medical name for this group of conditions is cicatricial alopecia.

Is regrowth possible?
Once a hair follicle is destroyed, it cannot regrow a hair. Catching this condition early can prevent further hair loss.

Sexually transmitted infection

Left untreated, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) can lead to hair loss. Syphilis is such an STI. Left untreated, syphilis can cause patchy hair loss on the scalp, eyebrows, beard, and elsewhere. Other STIs can also cause hair loss.

Is regrowth possible?
After treating the STI, hair often starts to regrow.

Thyroid disease

If you have a problem with your thyroid, you may see thinning hair. Some people notice that their hair comes out in clumps when they brush it.

Is regrowth possible?
Yes, treating the thyroid disease can reverse the hair loss.

 

Too little biotin, iron, protein, or zinc

If you’re not getting enough of one or more of these, you can have noticeable hair loss.

Is regrowth possible?
Yes. When your body gets enough of the missing nutrients, hair can regrow.

 

Treatment Procedures To Regrow the Hair

While at-home treatments offer convenience, a procedure performed by a board-certified dermatologist tends to be more effective. For this reason, your dermatologist may include one of the following in your treatment plan.

Injectable Treatment Options: including micro injections of minerals, amino acids, growth factors and vitamins besides the medical treatments like steroids in case of alopecia areata cases which help your hair regrow, your dermatologist injects this medication into the bald (or thinning) areas. These injections are usually given every 4 to 8 weeks as needed, so you will need to return to your dermatologist’s office for treatment.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP): Studies show that this can be a safe and effective hair loss treatment. PRP involves drawing a small amount of your blood, placing your blood into a machine that separates it into parts, and then injecting one part of your blood (the plasma) into the area with hair loss.

The entire procedure takes about 10 minutes and usually doesn’t require any downtime.

You will need to return for repeat injections. Most patients return once a month for 3 months and then once every 3 to 6 months.

Within the first few months of treatment, you may notice that you are losing less or minimal amounts of hair.

 

Hair transplant: If you have an area of thinning or balding due to male (or female) pattern baldness, your dermatologist may mention a hair transplant as an option. This can be an effective and permanent solution.

Laser therapy: If using minoxidil every day or taking medication to treat hair loss seems unappealing to you, laser therapy may be an option. Also called low-level laser therapy, a few studies suggest that this may help:

1. Hereditary hair loss

2. Alopecia areata

3. Hair loss due to chemotherapy

4. Stimulate healing and hair growth after a hair transplant.

Studies indicate that laser therapy is safe and painless but requires many treatment sessions. To see a bit of hair growth, you may need several treatments a week for many months.

Prescription medication that can regrow hair

Another treatment option is to take prescription medication. The type of medication prescribed will depend on your:

1. Hair loss cause

2. Overall health

3. Age

4. Expected results

5. Plans for getting pregnant

With any medication, side effects are possible. Ask your dermatologist about possible side effects that you might experience while taking one of these medications to treat hair loss. The medications include:

Finasteride (Propecia®): The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this medication to treat male pattern hair loss. When taken as directed, finasteride can:

1. Slow down hair loss

2. Stimulate new hair growth

Finasteride is a pill that you take once a day. Taking it at the same time each day seems to produce the best results.

Like other treatments for hair loss, this, too, takes time to work. It usually takes about 4 months to notice any improvement.

Finasteride tends to be more effective if you begin taking it when you first notice hair loss. A dermatologist may also prescribe this medication to treat a woman who has hereditary hair loss and cannot get pregnant.

If finasteride works for you, you will need to keep taking it to continue getting results. Once you stop, you’ll start losing hair again. Before taking this medication, be sure to discuss possible side effects with your dermatologist.

Spironolactone: For women who have female pattern hair loss, this medication may be an option. It can:

1. Stop further hair loss

2. Increase hair thickness

Studies indicate that this medication is effective in about 40% for women who have female pattern hair loss. In one study of 166 women taking spironolactone, 42% said they had mild improvement, and 31% reported increased thickness.

It’s essential that you not become pregnant while taking spironolactone. This medication can cause birth defects. To prevent pregnancy, your dermatologist will also prescribe a birth control pill if it’s possible for you to get pregnant.

Other medications: If you have an infection or painful inflammation, your dermatologist can prescribe medication to treat these.

For example, if you have a type of hair loss called frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), which can cause painful inflammation, your dermatologist may prescribe an antibiotic and antimalarial medication. Scalp ringworm, which is caused by a fungus, requires antifungal medication.

Vitamins, minerals, and other supplements

If your blood test reveals that you’re not getting enough biotin, iron, or zinc, your dermatologist may recommend taking a supplement. If you’re not getting enough protein, your dermatologist can tell you how to boost your intake.

You should only take biotin, iron, or zinc when your blood test shows that you have a deficiency. If your levels are normal, taking a supplement can be harmful. For example, if you take too much iron, you can develop iron poisoning. Early signs of this include stomach pain and vomiting.

Other supplements meant to help with hair loss tend to contain a lot of one nutrient. Because this can cause you to get too much of the nutrient, many dermatologists recommend taking a multivitamin instead.

What is the outcome for someone who has hair loss?

With an accurate diagnosis, many people who have hair loss can see hair regrowth. If you need treatment for regrowth, the earlier you start, the more likely you are to see regrowth.

It’s important to understand that:

1. Not every type of hair loss can be treated, but a dermatologist may be able to prevent further hair loss.

2. It can take months before you see results from treatment.

3. No one treatment works for everyone, even two people with the same type of hair loss.

4. Sometimes, hair loss is stubborn and requires trying different treatments before finding one that works.