HAIR LOSS TREATMENT
Many people have hair or scalp problems.
Their hair may be thinning or falling out, break off, or grow slowly.
Hair loss (also referred to as alopecia) can affect just your scalp or your entire body and can result from a number of causes. Everyone loses around 100 hairs a day, which is normal. However, a dermatologist should evaluate hair loss leading to thinning, bald spots or scarring. Many therapies are available to treat and prevent further hair loss depending on the type of alopecia.
Tania Cohen has worked with top medical hair loss specialists in the country and continues to help women and men investigate and diagnose the cause of their hair loss and also offer treatment options. She monitors her patients carefully throughout any treatment program she recommends and observes progress.
For both male and female patients, after taking a complete thorough history, she does a comprehensive workup that includes consideration of lifestyle stressors, thyroid irregularities, medications, family history, immune conditions, and nutrition.
Tania knows that getting straight answers about hair loss treatments can be almost as frustrating as losing your hair. She will educate you on the nature of your hair condition and continue to monitor your treatment progress.
Types of hair loss
Some of the most common disorders of hair loss are:
Male/female pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia)- This is the most common cause of hair loss affecting both men and women. About 80 million people in the United States have hereditary thinning or baldness. When men develop hereditary hair loss, they often noticing thinning at the top of the scalp and a receding hairline. Women, on the other hand, notice the first sign of hair loss as a widening part.
Alopecia areata- This is thought to be an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks its own hair follicles resulting in smooth, round patches of hair loss. While it occurs most often on the scalp, it can affect any hair-bearing area, such as the beard, eyebrows, or eyelashes. Alopecia areata occurs in up to 2% of the population, and can occur at any age from childhood to adulthood. Treatment may include topical and injected corticosteroids, topical minoxidil, topical immunotherapy and in rare, but severe cases systemic treatment with medications by mouth.
Telogen effluvium- It is normal to lose up to about 100 hairs a day on one's comb, brush, in the sink or on the pillow. This is the result of the normal hair growth cycle. Hairs will grow for years, then rest for months, shed, and regrow. Telogen is the name for the resting stage of the hair growth cycle. Telogen effluvium is when some stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state. This can be observed of acute onset of handfuls of hair loss. There are numerous causes of telogen effluvium including high fever, childbirth, severe infection, major illness, severe psychological stress, major surgery, over or under active thyroid gland, crash diets with inadequate protein, and a variety of medications. Teffluvium can be acute or chronic and is most often self limited, with improvement noticed over a 6-12 month period.
What causes hair loss in women?
Hair loss in women is extremely common. When this happens it can be very upsetting. Aside from hereditary and hormonal influences, women are prone to developing certain inflammatory scalp conditions along the crown, sides and frontal scalp that can cause hair loss and affect regrowth.
What causes hair loss in men?
Men experience hair loss for different reasons. Hormonal imbalance, specifically of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), can play a major role in male pattern baldness, which can occur as early as high school. Aside from genetics, men can also develop inflammatory conditions that cause hair loss that may affect the scalp, eyebrows, beard area, eyelashes, and body.
Do you treat children?
Children as young as 5 years can experience hair loss for a wide variety of reasons. Tania Cohen has extensive training and experience treating children. Her first step is to diagnose the underlying issue. She'll then develop a treatment regimen and closely monitors your child's progress.
What are some of the treatments you use for hair loss?
Medical treatments for male and female hair loss include:
- Finasteride
- Minoxidil
- Spironolactone
- Oral birth control
- Compounded creams and solutions
- Cortisone injections
- Cortisone solutions and creams
- Oral anti-inflammatory medications
- PRFM