Both men and women can suffer from some type of alopecia. Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss and several types of alopecia have been recognized and classified based on the causative factors.
Traction alopecia is a type of hair loss caused by pressure placed on the hair due to wearing certain types of hair styles such as pony tails, wigs and braids. If the hair follicles are pulled too forcefully when putting the hair in particular style, then hairs can break. Over time this can result in hair loss problems; this is a common problem for models who often have to wear their hair in different styles. To some extent traction alopecia is more commonly a problem for women who tend to have long hair and wear their hair in ponytails or braids.
Alopecia androgenetica is the more typical hair loss pattern we see in men which is related to the presence of androgen hormones. There is also a genetic component to this pattern of hair loss since it is often seen in families. The main hormone believed responsible for androgenetic alopecia is dihydrotestosterone which is a hormone that is abundant in men.
Alopecia areata is a pattern of hair loss believed to be caused by an autoimmune response of the body in which a person’s own cells attack the hair follicles leading to bald spots developing.
Treatment options for hair loss
There are both nonsurgical and surgical treatment options for these different types of alopecia for both men and women. Consulting with experts at a clinic such as the Vera Clinic is a good idea to find out what treatments could work for you.
Nonsurgical interventions include the use of prescription medications such as spironolactone or minoxidil. These medicines help to stimulate hair growth but it can take many months to see if they work. The other issue is that these drugs can have unpleasant side effects and may be a problem for women who may want to get pregnant since they could be dangerous to a developing fetus. Plasma-rich platelet therapy is another good nonsurgical option in which a person’s own blood plasma is used to stimulate the growth of hair follicles.
Surgical options include hair transplant methods such as the FUT, FUE, Sapphire FUE, and DHI. The FUT is still performed but is largely outdated and has been replaced by the FUE procedure. The DHI is an even newer method of hair transplantation that has been more recently invented. However, there are not many clinics with experienced enough staff to perform the DHI comfortably.
At the current time the FUE, Follicular Unit Extraction, is the gold standard of hair transplantation for both men and women who have varying degrees of hair loss and who are healthy enough to qualify for a surgical treatment option.
There are also modifications of the FUE such as the Sapphire FUE which uses a different type of blade for cutting, which is made out of sapphire instead of metal.
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