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Baldness Treatments
We do not die with the same bunch of hair that we were born
with. As we grow up, our hair keeps regenerating, shedding
and growing. When we become old, we begin to lose hair. It
is a natural process that that starts at the age of about
50. However, some people start losing hair much earlier resulting
in baldness. Treatment is now widespread irrespective of age
and gender. What was once considered “for men only,”
is now found among women and children also. Hair
loss occurs due to various reasons: endocrine conditions
like severe diabetes or thyroid disease, iron deficiency anemia,
kidney and liver diseases, genetic factors, side effects of
certain medication like chemotherapy, hormonal imbalance etc.
Now, the question is: is baldnes treatment possible? The
answer is yes if one’s hair loss is due medication,
hormonal imbalance, thyroid problems or some underlying cause
such as diabetes. Years of research have led to the appearance
of certain drugs that have proved successful for hair loss.
Among these drugs are minoxidil (more popularly known as Rogaine)
and finasteride (known as Propecia). Minoxidil, which is available
in any chemist’s shop without doctor’s prescription,
is effective in treating male
pattern baldness when applied to the scalp.
To get Finasteride,
one needs a doctor’s prescription. It is available in
the form of pills to be taken by men only as it is not suitable
for use by women. One will have to wait up to 6 months before
he/she can tell if one of these two medicines is working.
If your doctor finds that a hormone imbalance is the cause of your
baldness, he/she would suggest a course of appropriate drugs
to solve the problem. If excessive quantity of DHT
(a component of the male hormone) is the reason of your hair
loss, you are likely to be put on drugs that form a part of
antiandrogen therapy. In the case of women, the this baldness
treatment is called CPA (cyproterone acetate) with ethinyl-estradiol.
The therapy in most cases continues for one year.
Hair transplants
Hair transplant is a surgical method for the treatment of
balding and hair loss. It is often also referred to as medical
hair restoration. In this surgical operation, parts of
the scalp from the sides and back of the head where the hair
grows well are extracted first. Then, it is implanted on those
regions of the head that are going bald. Hair can re-grow
because the hair follicles in the side and the back of the
head are immune to hair loss problems. This treatment for
baldness costs about $15,000 and takes 1-2 years to complete.
Hair
weaving, on the other hand, is a cosmetic method that
attaches extensions of natural or synthetic hair. In tissue
expansion method, silicone bags are inserted beneath hair-
bearing skin to expand the tissues. This is then transferred
to the bald areas on the head.
Laser hair replacement, although classified more as restoration
of hair, involves using lasers to declog existing follicles and
increase blood flow, and is now approved for use.
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