Hair loss
Hair loss is usually normal and nothing to worry about, but it cannot be very pleasant. There are specific treatments to help with hair loss.
Hair loss causes
It’s standard to lose hair. Humans can lose approx. 50–100 hairs a day, even without noticing. Though it is nothing to be worried about, it can occasionally indicate a medical condition. Male and female baldness patterns are one type of baldness that can be permanent. Following are some reasons behind temporary hair loss:
- Stress
- Illness
- Cancer treatments
- Iron deficiency
- Weight loss
Hair loss treatments
Hair loss often doesn’t require treatment; it will grow back or is part of aging. If you lose hair because of a medical condition, it usually grows back once you are fully recovered. There are things you can try if you are distressed due to hair loss. But no treatment is 100% effective.
Finasteride and minoxidil are the standard treatments for male baldness. Minoxidil is the treatment for female baldness, and women shouldn’t use finasteride. These treatments usually:
- Don’t work for everyone
- Only works for long as they are used
- Can be expensive
Other hair loss treatments
- Steroid injection: Given to bald patches
- Steroid creams: Applied to bald patched
- Immunotherapy: Chemical to bald patches
- Light treatment: Shining ultraviolet on the bald patches
- Tattooing
- Hair transplant: Hair removed from the back of the head to the thinning patches
- Scalp reduction surgery: Section of the scalp stretched and stitched together
- Artificial hair transplant: Implant surgery of artificial hair
Consults a doctor if:
- You are experiencing abrupt hair loss
- You develop sudden bald patches
- You lose hair in clumps
- Your head burns or itches
- You are worried about hair loss
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 23 JUNE 2022