Telltale signs of this chronic condition, also known as androgenetic alopecia, include general sparseness or spreading, especially toward the back of the head, a pattern that experts refer to as a Christmas tree. I’m here. (Remember my overhead photo?) My diagnosis is hair loss, the most common form of hair loss in both women and men. It’s genetic. In other words, my DNA is programmed to shorten the hair growth phase and start shrinking the hair follicle itself, making each hair thinner. This is a process called hair follicle miniaturization. I’m in my 40s and on schedule for the premenopausal hormonal changes that start this process (lowering of estrogen and progesterone levels, imbalance of testosterone), and according to Dr. Goh, the passage of time without treatment. The condition is said to worsen over time. I left her office with 5 different prescriptions and hopes. This wasn’t the news I was hoping for, but I finally found out the cause of my hair loss and was able to create a treatment plan to stop it or at least slow its progression.
2. The sooner you deal with hair loss, the better.
All the experts I spoke to for this article say you should address the problem as soon as you notice signs of hair thinning. However, hair stuck in your shower drain doesn’t necessarily mean you need to see a doctor. By the way, it is normal to lose 100 hairs a day. So if you’re a busy mom who wears a lazy bun all weekend (raise your hand), chances are you’ll have brushed out 300 strands of hair by Monday. For my chest-length hair, that’s golf ball-sized chunks. On the other hand, if you’re losing a few hairs at a time or notice exposed areas of your scalp in party photos, that’s a clear sign that you need to see a dermatologist.
Now, back to early intervention. If your hair follicles are still young and intact, you have a better chance of regrowing hair and improving the health of your existing hair. “You want to start treatment while you have a lot of hair. If you have a shiny, bulbous scalp, your hair follicles are very compact and can’t turn, so they probably won’t grow back.” No,” says Dr. Grossman.
“I always think of hair loss as being like a car going downhill. Everyone is moving in that direction, some faster, some slower. ” added Dr. Bhanusari. Ask your family how quickly their car accelerates. “I have a lot of people in my family who have severe hair loss. They use over-the-counter minoxidil two or three times a week just to maintain their hair, and they’re doing pretty well,” he says. I say. “It’s much easier to maintain hair than to grow it back.”
3. Even after identifying the root cause of hair loss, the solution can be multifaceted.
My treatment plan from Dr. Goh is anything but simple. To address my male pattern baldness, she prescribed 0.625 mg of oral minoxidil per day, which stimulates hair growth by dilating blood vessels to the scalp. Results are usually visible after 4 months. Many people use topical versions of the same ingredients (such as Rogaine’s 5% minoxidil foam for women), but I have itchy scalp and Dr. Go says that topical minoxidil makes my scalp even more itchy and irritated. It is said that it may cause. (Hair loss is closely related to chronic itching, as inflammation inhibits hair growth and causes hair loss.) What are the potential downsides to oral minoxidil? She has extra peach fuzz on her face and rogue hair on her nipples and stomach. “Some people are concerned about that, but a lot of people just say, ‘Well, let’s shave or pluck the hair,'” Dr. Go says. I’m taking a chance.
