Shampoos or pills? This helps with hair loss

Shampoos or pills ?: What helps with hair loss

05/12/2014

Between 70 and 100 hairs a person loses on average every day. If these do not regrow, one speaks of a permanent hair loss. The offer, which is to help against hair loss, ranges from shampoos to tinctures to pills. A dermatologist gives important tips.

Affected persons should be suspicious of the means offered
On average, a person loses between 70 and 100 hairs per day. If these do not regrow, sufferers usually resort to various means to address the hair loss. The offer is huge: shampoos, tinctures and pills promise fullness and that shallow areas and receding hairline should disappear. However, consumers should be suspicious because some products do not work and others only help with some form of hair loss. Therefore, a diagnosis is crucial that any dermatologist can ask. Some of these dermatologists even have the „Trichology“ made to their focus. It is a branch of cosmetic dermatology that deals specifically with the scalp, hair roots and hair.

Dermatologist can clarify cause of hair loss
According to a report by the HNA, Professor Hans Wolff, hair expert at the Munich University Hospital, said that the doctor basically differentiated between two types of hair loss. When hairless areas have formed, it is called alopecia. If more hair falls out and the hair becomes thinner, then Effluvium is mentioned. In a Trichodermatoskopie hair and scalp are examined with the reflected light microscope. Rarely, a trichogram is needed. Hair is torn out in several places and the hair roots are examined under the microscope. Sometimes a blood test is also ordered to clarify whether iron deficiency or thyroid disease, such as hyperthyroidism, is the cause of hair loss. The so-called circular hair loss (alopecia areata) is one of the most common forms of hair loss. Often, this phenomenon is found in adolescence and occurs frequently in the family.

Many diseases can cause hair loss
Hair loss can also be caused by numerous other diseases. These include metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus or Crohn's disease, bulimia or anorexia and in rare cases, infectious diseases such as typhus or scarlet fever. Hair loss can also occur temporarily, for example, in response to anticoagulants, such as heparin injections or the hormonal change in pregnancy and childbirth. Usually the problem settles after a certain time by itself. Even after an aggressive chemotherapy, in which patients often lose their hair after a few weeks, they usually grow back after the end of treatment.

Two medications are available for men
If the parents had early problems with hair loss, patients should see a doctor early, since then mostly androgenetic hair loss is the cause of its progression often can be stopped. In men, it shows in most cases in receding hairline and balding. „In women, the middle parting is usually wider“, explained Professor Wolff. „The hair is also generally thin.“ Androgenetic alopecia is caused by an interaction of genes and male sex hormones, the androgens. The genes cause hair follicles to be more sensitive to androgens and the hormones cause them to shrink - hair falls out. For men then two drugs would be available. Firstly, tablets containing the active ingredient finasteride, which inhibit the conversion of the hormone testosterone into hair follicle-effective dihydrotestosterone (DHT). On the other hand, there are hair lotions and hair foams with the active ingredient minoxidil (five percent), which among other things, the circulation of the hair papilla reinforced. The active ingredient is also used in women, usually in a lower dose. Finasteride, however, has no effect on them.

Expert considers dietary supplements in case of hair loss ineffective
It is important to know that both remedies only work as long as they are used. In addition, sufferers must pay for these drugs themselves. However, as Wolff says, their effectiveness has been proven in studies. Thus, in about half of the treated a compression of the hair was seen. For dietary supplements such as biotin or silica this is different. „They are offered a lot, but I think they are ineffective“, so Wolff. If a bald head has already formed or if patients suffer from forms of hair loss that cause the hair roots to die off, a hair transplant can help. However, this is costly and expensive. If hairless areas develop and the scalp is flaky and red, various skin conditions could be behind it, so you should go to a dermatologist. In children, for example, it is often a fungal disease that should be treated unconditionally. As Professor Wolff explained, the little ones often put on cats, guinea pigs or even stroking a calf. (Sb)