Hair loss causes and treatment

A person has 100,000 to 150,000 hair follicles, so it is perfectly normal for as many as fifty to one hundred hairs to fall out per day. With extreme hair loss or alopecia, many more hairs fall out per day. A hair normally stays in the scalp for three to five years and then falls out. After falling out, a resting phase follows for an average of three months. Then a new hair develops in the hair follicle and the cycle repeats itself. Each hair follicle can produce about twenty hairs. Everyone therefore experiences hair loss, but fortunately the hair follicles produce new hairs every time.

In nearly 28% of Dutch people, hair loss (the medical term is Alopecia) results in baldness due to insufficient new hairs being made by the hair follicles. In the beginning, the quality of the hair that is newly made decreases. It becomes brittle and flaxen and eventually it is tiny downy hairs that are no longer visible. It often involves hair loss in men, but hair loss in women also occurs.

Read more here: The details of the hair growth cycle.

The hereditary hair loss pattern in women looks different than in men. In women, hair falls out around the midline, that strip then becomes progressively wider. In men, hereditary hair loss begins with the appearance of coves or hair loss on the crown. In women, the midline on top of the head gets wider and wider with this type of hair loss.

There are many different causes of hair loss. The most common form is hereditary hair loss. This occurs in men as well as women.

This hereditary hair loss is caused by sensitivity of part of the hair follicles to the DHT hormone. This hormone interferes with proper blood flow to the hair follicle. As a result, the growth phase of the hair becomes shorter and shorter and the quality of the hair - which is produced by the hair follicle - deteriorates. With a hair transplant treatment, new (own) hair follicles are placed in the recipient area, which are insensitive to the DHT hormone and continue to produce healthy hair.

Read more about hereditary hair loss in the blogs below:

Hair loss and DHT.

Most hair loss has a hereditary cause, yet there are many other possible causes. These include hair loss due to illness or dysregulation of hormones hormones and related to stress and lifestyle. The blogs below discuss these various causes:

If hair loss causes baldness, a process of camouflage follows first. In which there is a search for hair loss causes, as well as a solution. Much is claimed and written about hair loss. Unfortunately, the possibility of getting hair back with shampoo or with a special "hair loss vitamin" is not possible. Nevertheless, hair loss can sometimes be prevented. In most cases, you can treat hair loss with a hair transplant or a stem cell transplant of the hair.

Alopecia, the medical term for hair loss, is not considered a disease. Yet it can have a huge effect on self-confidence. There are three forms of Alopecia: Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Diffusa and Alopecia Androgenetica. In addition, when there is total hair loss, it is also known as Alopecia Totalis. Each specific form of hair loss provides different treatment options. The treatments for hair loss in general are:

1. Hair transplantation: Hair transplantation is a medical procedure in which healthy hair follicles are moved from the donor area to the recipient areas on the scalp. This provides permanent results to restore hair loss.
2. Microhair pigmentation: Microhair pigmentation (MHP) is a non-medical treatment in which pigments are injected into the scalp to create the appearance of a shaved hair. It is an effective option for people who are not candidates for hair transplantation and prefer a short-shaven hairstyle.

There are a number of forms of medication available to combat hair loss. The two types of medication that Zantman Clinic recommends are Minoxidil and Finasteride. These two products have been proven to work. That is not to say that these two medications are effective in all cases. Have a consultation with one of our specialists to discuss your options for medication.

More information about these medications and other hair loss prevention products can be read in the blogs below: