Dealing with alopecia or hair loss
It is amazing to note that both men and women care seriously about their hair. How they spend a reasonable amount of money and time thinking about the next style they would like to have on their next visit to their favorite salon or on the latest treatments and maintaining a beautiful and healthy condition of their hair. They engage in these things to pamper themselves or simply to enjoy the feeling of feeling beautiful in the eyes of other people. It goes without saying that the appearance of your hair is an important factor in your overall appearance every day. Without a doubt, this is just one of the many methods that a man or woman would try to adopt to improve their self-esteem today.
So how upset do you get when you see your pillow full of strands of hair when you wake up and have to pick them up one by one? Seeing your brush always full of your own hair? Are strands of hair clogging your bathroom water drain because your hair just can’t stop falling out when you shower? Accumulate countless strands by sweeping the floor? And when you arrive at the office, the first thing that your co-workers notice is hair loss or thinning of your hair. Then you start studying your hairline in the mirror and notice the changes. It is a disease called “alopecia” or, in simple terms, “hair loss or baldness”.
Specialists get different reactions about alopecia. It largely depends on how informed the patient is about the disease, its causes, its possible effects on people, and the knowledge and acceptance of the probability of being cured or not. Some experience social phobia, anxiety and depression.
As for Maya Torres, hair loss caused by the induction of chemotherapy drugs initially added to her discouragement. This fine 23 year old lady was just like any other typical woman who is well aware of how she would look like herself. Who would probably also be happy to pamper himself with the same method mentioned above to boost her self-confidence. But Maya is a young man with colon cancer. She has been fighting the battle that her dreaded illness has had against her for three (3) years and she has yet to taste victory. Maya was first diagnosed with stage 2A colon cancer when she was a graduating college student in 2003. The malignant tumor that grew large in her ascending colon was surgically removed the same year. For two years after the surgery, she lived a normal life, graduating with honors, landing a position as a legal secretary at a law firm, and working very well. One day she heard the bad news, the tumor had reappeared and she had to be operated on immediately. It was actually a prognosis, Maya’s oncologist explained very well after the first surgery that she had to undergo twelve (12) sessions of chemotherapy to decrease the possibility of tumor recurrence. But Maya, a graduate student at the time, opted not to undergo chemotherapy, thinking of her studies. She then underwent a second surgery, but this time the tumor cannot be completely removed due to the complexity of its location which could cause internal bleeding if doctors removed it completely. After the second operation, she and her family decided that Maya needed to undergo and complete the required twelve (12) sessions of chemotherapy. And she did finish it after almost a year and they savored the victory that would later turn out to be short-lived.
Maya has lost approximately eighty-five (85%) percent of her hair on her entire body, including her pubic hair. At first, Maya was hesitant and she felt uncomfortable looking at herself in the mirror. It pained her to see her head almost hairless and still falling out. But now, she has learned a new way to approach her condition: acceptance, patience, and unwavering faith.
With sufficient and substantial information, any patient suffering from hair loss or alopecia could cope, remove fear, accept and ease their burden, calming down and thus boosting their immune system.
Hence, we should all learn more about alopecia, its causes, its different types, effects, preventions and remedies.
CAUSES OF ALOPECIA
The causes of alopecia are usually related to aging, heredity and hormones. The story of Maya Torres is also an example, that is, drugs for cancer chemotherapy. There are several other causes of alopecia, namely:
– Don’t be surprised if you notice that you are losing a lot of hair around 3-4 months after an illness or major surgery because this is said to be stress related and your hair will eventually grow back.
– Hormonal imbalance. For example, overactive or underactive thyroid gland; Unbalance male hormones known as androgens or female hormones known as estrogens.
– Induction of drugs such as blood thinners (anticoagulants); medications used for gout, birth control pills, antidepressants, and too much vitamin A.
– fungal infections of the scalp; Tinea capitis (ringworm of the scalp)
– It is important that you first consult your doctor before taking any medication related to hair loss because it may be an underlying part of another disease such as diabetes or lupus.
– Excessive use of shampoo, dryers, hot oil treatments or chemicals used in permanents that cause inflammation of the hair follicles that causes hair loss.
– Emotional or physical stress
– Pulling out the hair or rubbing the scalp continuously, which are considered nervous habits of the person.
– Burns or radiotherapy
– Alopecia areata (see meaning below).
TYPES OF ALOPECIA
In male adult humans, the most common form of alopecia is the condition of continuous thinning of the hair called androgenic alopecia or “male pattern baldness,” while in female adults, the same condition is called androgenetic alopecia or “male pattern baldness.” feminine”.
Scientific studies also show that hair loss or baldness is the result of two factors: first, genetic background and second, large amounts of androgenic hormones that cause intense masculinizing effects throughout the body, including testosterone. Therefore, when a female human species has large amounts of said hormone, it develops virile characteristics such as baldness.
Alopecia areata is also sometimes called spot baldness. It is a form of hair loss that usually begins on the scalp.
Alopecia areata is believed to be an autoimmune disease, any disease that results from an aberrant immune system response, in which the body mistakenly treats hair follicles as foreign tissue and suppresses or stops hair growth. it is hereditary
When the condition spreads to the entire scalp, it is called alopecia totalis.
Alopecia universalis – refers to the entire epidermis.
Alopecia areata multilocularis: refers to multiple areas of hair loss.
Alopecia areata monolocularis – a condition of baldness in one place. It occurs anywhere on the head.
Alopecia areata totalis – is a condition where a person loses all the hair on the scalp.
Alopecia areata universalis: refers to the condition of loss of all body hair, including pubic hair.
Alopecia areata barbae – is a disease limited to the beard.
EFFECTS
The effects can be psychological (anxiety, depression, social phobia, etc.) or physical. Patients may experience asthma, allergies, atopic skin diseases, hay fever, and hypothyroidism. Excessive sun exposure can also cause scalp burns.
DEALS
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two non-surgical treatment combinations: (1) Finasteride is a form of antiandrogen that functions as an inhibitor of an enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone called type II 5-alpha reductase. It is used in many countries to treat ‘male pattern baldness’ or what is also called ‘androgenetic alopecia’. Minoxidil is a drug used to treat high blood pressure, but some patients were noted to have excessive hair growth or what is medically called “hypertrichosis.”
(2) Low level laser therapy
(3) Anti Androgen Therapy
(4) Surgery
(5) ketoconazole
(6) Unsaturated Fatty Acids
(7) Exercise
(8) Resveratrol – a substance found naturally in red wines.
FOR MORE NATURAL FORMS OF PREVENTION/TREATMENT
“Vitamin A is an antioxidant that helps produce healthy sebum (oil) on the scalp. Fish liver oil, milk, meat, cheese, eggs, cabbage, carrots, spinach, Broccoli, apricots and peaches are rich in vitamin A.
Vitamin C is another antioxidant that helps maintain healthy hair and skin. Citrus fruits, kiwi, pineapple, tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes and dark green vegetables are rich in vitamin C.
Vitamin E increases circulation to the scalp, which is vital for hair growth. You can find this type of vitamin in wheat germ oil, soybeans, raw seeds and nuts, dried beans, and green leafy vegetables.
Biotin is believed to help produce keratin, the building block of hair and nails. It is also believed that this vitamin can prevent aging (whole grains, egg yolks, liver, rice and milk).
Vitamin B6 is believed to prevent hair loss and help create melanin, the pigment that gives hair its color (liver, whole grains, vegetables, organ meats, and egg yolks).
Calcium is essential for healthy hair growth (dairy, fish, nuts, lentils, and sesame seeds).
Copper helps prevent hair loss and defects in hair color and structure (shellfish, liver, green vegetables, eggs, chicken, and beans).
Iodine helps regulate thyroid hormones. Thyroid disease is the number one cause of disease-related hair loss (fish, algae, seaweed, iodized salt, and garlic).
Manganese prevents hair from growing too slowly (eggs, whole grains, avocados, beans, nuts, meat and poultry).
Silica prevents hair loss by strengthening hair (seafood, soybeans, rice and green vegetables).”
An informed patient and his attitude towards his illness are vital factors to win the battle.
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