Hair Loss Medicine

The existing medical options for regrowing lost hair in patients suffering from hereditary forms of hair loss are limited to relatively few treatments which are most effective in the early stages of baldness. Once you have lost a substantial portion of hair due to hereditary factors or an accident, such as a burn, the only remaining option is to replace the missing hair. Your options can be either of a temporary nature, such as the use of wigs and hair loss concealers, or a permanent surgical solution. Hair transplantation happens to be the most effective way of surgical hair replacement and the only permanent solution that offers satisfactory results.

Hair transplant surgery consists in transplanting your own hair from the back of your scalp to the frontal, balding area. The major limiting factor of hair transplantation is the shortage of donor hair and, hence, many patients do not make a good candidate. The ideal hair transplant candidate should have a high hair density in the back of the scalp, his hair should be thick and wavy, his scalp flexible and the contrast between the colour of his hair and scalp should not be too great, and he must be in good physical condition. Women usually suffer from a diffuse form of hair loss and, therefore, do not make very good hair transplant candidates. Hair transplantation also cannot be performed on patients suffering from unpredictable forms of hair loss such as alopecia areata.

Given the chronic shortage of donor hair, the hair restoration surgeon must be able to utilise the little hair he can use to create the optical illusion of a full head of hair. This is one of the biggest risks in hair transplantation, as it can sometimes happen that the patient does not like the final result. Although you can arrange for another hair transplant session, some damage can be irreparable. Other risks and side effects occurring during and after hair transplant surgery include excessive bleeding and scarring, the lengthy healing of wounds, the transaction and eventual death of many implanted hair follicles, post transplant shock hair loss, which, though usually only temporary, can affect your newly-implanted hair as well the hair in the donor area, scalp numbness and tension and the further progression of hair loss post surgery, which can lead to unnatural patterns of baldness. In a recent study, which analysed the experiences of 425 hair transplant patients who had undergone 533 hair transplant procedures in total, it was determined that about 5% of the patients experienced complications either during or after surgery.

Hair transplantation can cost ten thousand dollars and more, depending on the technique used, the location and reputation of the clinic, the extent of hair loss and the number of hair transplant sessions needed to achieve the desired effect. However, sometimes it is impossible to estimate the final cost, which is another risk you take when deciding on hair transplant surgery. Given the pain, time and cost involved, it pays to educate oneself prior to signing up for hair transplant surgery. The hair transplant industry is a fast-growing sector and the quality and affordability of hair surgeries are improving, so do not let anybody push you into hasty uninformed decisions.

Considering the currently available treatment options it seems that the graying process cannot be reversed. There is no scientific proof that any existing medicine, herb, dietary supplement or natural product can prevent or reverse graying hair. Several cosmetics and pharmaceuticals companies are working on the discovery of the ultimate cure for gray hair but no adequate solution is commercially available yet.

Occurrence of premature gray hair is often associated with excessive stress, psychological shock or trauma, bad diet, vitamin B deficiency and smoking. The fact is, however, that the main cause for premature graying hair is genetics. The pigment that determines the colour of our hair is produced by special cells at the root of our hair called melanocytes. It is the lifespan of melanocytes that determines the onset of the graying process. Once these cells die, the hair turns white.

There is no principal difference between a premature and a normal, age-related graying process. It is by virtue of nature that some people will experience their first gray hair in their teens and turn completely white in their early thirties, while others will keep their native hair colour for many decades. If more than half of a person’s hair is white by the age of 40, it is considered premature.

There are numerous commercial products out there that are claimed to rejuvenate the dead pigment-producing cells and reverse gray hair. Such claims, however, are totally unsubstantiated. The sad truth is that at this point in time no remedy exists that can reverse the graying process. Most of the anti-gray hair remedies either use Fo-Ti, referring to the centuries old legend of Mr He, who recovered his hair colour, youthful appearance and vitality thanks to this traditional Chinese medicinal herb, also known as He Shou Wu or use vitamins B (mainly PABA and folic acid) as their main ingredients, since some forms of premature graying are said to be caused by vitamin B deficiency. However, such products are ineffective for the majority of grey hair sufferers.

Therefore, the only remaining grey hair treatment option that seems to deliver guaranteed results is to cover your gray. Women use various types of permanent, semi-permanent and demi-permanent hair dyes but men usually prefer a subtle and less noticeable change in their hair color that does not cover all their gray. Such products are usually called progressive hair colorants. It is obvious that none of these products can make the dead cells produce pigmented hair and thus they must be used continuously to cover the gray of fresh hair. Although there are some natural hair dyes that claim to effectively cover your gray hair, the products that really work well all use certain chemicals. When deciding about hair dyes or progressive hair colorants, you should always take into account the potential health risks, as most of them contain toxic substances and, if used inappropriately, can lead to severe allergic reactions. You should always use a patch test before applying any such product to your scalp and follow the application guidelines in order to minimise exposure to aggressive substances.