Hair loss in women

The roots of hair loss is still ambiguous, ranging from health conditions like hyperthyroidism to lifestyle patterns, calorie restricted diet, stress, and heat based hair treatment

Hair-Loss is not just a guy thing anymore. Unlike, 2 decades ago, when 90 percent of patients complaining about balding were men, its more than 60 percent women who consult dermatologists for hair loss.  

The roots of hair loss is still ambiguous, ranging from health conditions like hyperthyroidism to lifestyle patterns, calorie restricted diet, stress, and heat based hair treatment. 

Two major patterns of hair loss are witnessed in women: 

1.Female pattern hair loss: Starts as mild to moderate shedding but eventually leads to thin (miniature) hair, thinning hair parting and Christmas tree like pattern of balding.

2.Telogen Effluvium: This is characterized by sudden onset, with massive (>100) loss of hair strands per day leading to loss of hair volume. 

Factors triggering hair loss in women are less than 1800-calorie diet; weight loss, major illness like dengue, malaria and deficiencies of iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D. Hormonal imbalances are the causative factors for several disorders, in the case of hair loss PCOS and high levels of androgen (also known as male hormone) need to get tested. Hair have always been equalized to grace and beauty for women in Indian society, thus hair loss not only affects them cosmetically but also mentally. 

Treatment for Hair loss: 

1. Adding minerals like zinc and iron, biotin, Amino acids in the diet, treat hair loss in women. 

2. Calorie sufficient diet with complex carbs like wheat and brown rice and nuts are recommended to women. 

3. Plasma Therapy: Technique that involves retrieving blood form a person, separating platelets and injecting them into the scalp. Platelets, due to their growth factors stimulates hair growth. 

4. Hair Monotherapy: Nutrients and medicines are infused into the skin for better absorption with the help of mesogun/needling/ derma pen or derma roller. 

5. Regenera Activa Treatment: The procedure involves scraping of a small piece of skin from the scalp and separating stem cells, which are directly injected into the scalp. 

6. Medicines that improve hair growth like anti-androgens, minioxidil, growth factors/ peptide serums.