Can a trichologist stop hair loss?
Can a trichologist stop hair loss?
The short answer is yes, the longer answer is it depends on the nature of the hair loss.
Hair loss falls into three categories, Temporary, Treatable and Permanent.
Temporary,
This usually means the condition will improve by itself, given time, or the removal of the causative factor. Which could be for example nutritional deficiency, if a patient has low iron (Serum Ferritin) this can cause a type of hair loss called Telogen Effluvium, which is basically an interruption in the hair growth cycle, leading to a diffuse hair loss.
Treatable
There are treatment options, hair loss drugs are available, early androgenetic alopecia would be an example, for which in men there are two medically recognised treatments Minoxidil and Finasteride. Women are only able to use Minoxidil.When Minoxidil has been tested it has been shown approximately a third of patients don’t see any improvement ,a further third maintain their current amount of hair and approximately a third see significant improvement, the patient will need to carry on using Minoxidil to maintain effect.
Permanent
There is no treatment option, so cosmetic option of( wigs, hairpieces etc) or hair transplantation are the solution. An example of this would be well established androgenetic alopecia, male or female pattern baldness. In this case the hair loss is so advanced, even if you could stop it, the patient would probably require further intervention.
I have seen a number of patients in my clinic who have traction alopecia. This can be caused by the hair being scraped back too tightly or hair extensions weighing on the hair and left in too long. If this is done continually the hair loss will become permanent. If the hair has only been pulled out a few times and then is left to recover, the hair can become healthy again but if it is pulled repeatedly, the hair loss will become permanent.
Some of the so-called cicatricial alopecia , which tend to have auto immune involvement can be halted with steroidal treatment, although when treatment is stopped the condition can return to extension.
These are just a few examples of the Trichological conditions, the most important action is to get your particular condition diagnosed, so you can understand it and become aware of treatments or best course of action. In my experience the earlier this is done, the better the result.
Stress can also be a factor in a number of alopecia’s .In the absence any other causative factors, I may advise the patient of this and I am often met with the reply that they don’t feel stressed at all. I then mention does the hair loss not stress them, to which they reply how stressful the hair loss is in great detail, contradicting their earlier statement . My point is the better you understand your situation, the more in control you can feel . This is one of the reasons I trained to be a Trichologist so I could be an authority for people to come to for the most appropriate advice on hair loss. In a world where just about every magazine or TV station seems to be advertising a miracle hair restorer.