Dr.Shruti Gupta- Best Doctor For Hair Loss/Fall Treatment in Delhi

Also called alopecia.
Everyone loses hair. Losing up to 100 hair strands per day is normal! If you have hair fall in excess of 100 strands per day, or are seeing some bald patches, severe thinning, and decreasing hair density, you may be experiencing hair loss

What causes hair loss?

The reasons for hair loss are many.
A sudden severe hair loss may be due to some medical illness like high fever or severe infection, crash dieting, certain medications, and childbirth. If you are experiencing a slow and gradual hair loss, which is becoming worse and more noticeable with each passing year, you are most likely suffering from hereditary hair loss called androgenetic alopecia. Few incorrect hair care practices may also cause significant hair loss.

What is androgenetic alopecia?

Androgenetic alopecia, also known as hereditary hair loss, is one of the commonest reasons of hair loss affecting both men and women.In men, it usually manifests as receding hair line, significant thinning of hair, increased visibility of the scalp, and sometimes even as a round bald patch on the top of the scalp.

In cases of women, on the other side, there is more prominent hair thinning seen as widening of the central parting, hairline is however intact. Completely bald patches are also rare in women.

What is alopecia areata?

It is an autoimmune condition. Autoimmune means the body’s own immune cells (white blood cells) attack body’s other cells. In this case, the immune cells attack its own hair.
It is seen as smooth, round patches of hair loss on the scalp. The number of patches may be single or multiple. The bald patches most commonly occur on scalp, but may also affect other hair bearing areas of the body, like the beard and moustache in males, or even eyebrows and eyelashes.
In rare cases, it can cause complete hair loss in otherwise healthy people, where is known as alopecia totals or alopecia universalis.

What is scarring alopecia?

Scarring (cicatricial) alopecia is a condition when the hair follicles are destroyed completely and permanently, and a scar tissue forms in the area where the follicles were once present. The hair can not grow back if scarring alopecia occurs.
It usually occurs following some inflammatory diseases of the scalp like fungal infection, DLE, SLE, LPP.
Treatment for scarring alopecia is aimed at inhibiting the inflammation, which is responsible for permanent destruction of hair follicles.

What is telogen effluvium?

Telogen effluvium is a condition in which the balance between the various stages of the hair cycle is disturbed. Majority of hair go into the falling phase (telogen phase), which clinically manifests as sudden severe diffuse hair loss. People can lose more than 300-400 hair strands in a day and it is really a very alarming situation!

Telogen effluvium occurs most commonly because of nutritional deficiencies in the body, especially iron, vitamin D3 and vitamin B12. It can also occur due to hormonal imbalances like PCOS and thyroid hormone dysfunction. Other reasons of telogen effluvium include any medical illness, high fever, severe infection, hospitalisation, surgery, accident, child birth, sudden severe weight loss, or emotional stress.

Good news is telogen effluvium is a reversible condition! Whatever hair you lose, tend to grow back!

What is trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania is a psychiatric disorder in which the person has an irresistible urge to pull out their own hair, and after pulling out their hair, they get a great sense of satisfaction and gratification.
The common areas affected in this condition are the ones which are easily accessible like the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, and even the nose and body hair.

Can hair loss occur because of some medicines as well?

Yes. There are some medications that can precipitate hair fall. These include blood thinners, high dose vitamin A, medicines that treat arthritis, depression, gout, heart problems, and high blood pressure. Birth control pills and anabolic steroids may also cause hair loss.

What are the haircare practices that can damage the hair and cause hair loss?

It is very important to have good haircare practices to maintain the hair in good condition.

The hairstyle you wear and some of the products you use can cause hair loss. These include:

What is the treatment of hair loss?

The treatment for hair loss depends on the reason for hair loss. So before jumping on the treatment, it is very important to consult an experienced dermatologist to get a proper diagnosis and then start with the treatment accordingly.
One should be prompt and proactive in taking anti hair loss treatment, as sooner the treatment is started, higher are the chances to restore a good hair volume.
Following are the different treatment modalities. Usually a combination of different treatments give the best results.

What dietary supplements can help in my hair loss problem?

A well balanced diet as per the age and body weight containing all the nutrients is essential to have healthy hair.

Protein forms the structure of hair. Eating more protein will stop the hair loss. Some of the rich sources of proteins are meats, eggs, fish, nuts, seeds, and beans.

Iron is again very important for hair growth. Iron deficiency is one of the most common reason of diffuse hair fall in both men and women. Iron rich foods include iron-fortified cereals, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, white beans, lentils, spinach, clams and oysters.

In case you have some specific nutritional deficiencies, you should seek help of a qualified doctor to take the necessary supplements to fulfil the deficiencies.