Hair plays an important role in everyone's life and sometimes it is what defines us and the way we conduct our lives. As a result, hair loss can be very tragic for some and accepted by others. It can occur for no known reason, or can be associated with a regular hair routine or illness. Some routines are those that heat up, tug at, pull up or regularly wet their hair, eventually drying the hair out, making it fragile and brittle. There are lots of products and instruments in today's world of beauty that entice women to make use of them to either strengthen, relax, curl, color or add body and volume.
These beauty strategies sometimes are not beneficial to the hair, and can unfortunately result in baldness or gradual hair thinning. Therefore, apart from illness that can be a cause of the hair loss, products used should be ones to stimulate, moisturize and encourage hair growth. Products that contain various combinations of vitamins such as E and B, and essential items like olive oil, water, soybean oil, aloe vera, sulfur, lanolin or petroleum, to name a few, are some of the products that should be used to encourage healthy growing hair. However, if the loss is as a result of an unknown medical illness -- in some cases once the condition is identified by a dermatologist and treated -- hair regrowth usually can resume.
If hair loss is as a result of hereditary association such as male or female pattern baldness or more of a chronic condition, then consultation by a dermatologist would be needed in order to determine the best possible treatment. Depending on the severity of the loss, combination treatments using hair stimulating products that gives a nice tingle to the scalp, applied topically via a cream, gel, grease or shampoo with or without the addition of an oral medication or the use of wigs can be the treatment of choice for an individual experiencing this loss. The skin of the scalp is also very important and often neglected and mistreated because it isn't appreciated or viewed as being a part of the general skin.
As a result, the scalp can become itchy, scaled, flaked, red and inflamed or irritated when certain products or treatment regimes are applied. The condition of the scalp, like the skin, can sometimes provide answers to what is happening to the body and definitely can indicate the condition, strength and texture of the hair. Hair loss can be a major tell-tale sign as to what is happening, and the quicker it is recognized recovery of scalp skin and hair can occur much faster. The skin of the scalp does not require much, it just needs to be nourished regularly to prevent irritations and dehydration which then can lead to drying out, flaking and scaling of the scalp. The scalp skin, just as the body skin, needs proper circulation of blood flow, minerals and vitamins in order to cultivate healthy hair.
These important factors are some of the things people forget, and as a result the scalp can react immediately or gradually to cause hair loss and balding, irritations and inflammations and sometimes scarring which results in no hair growing back ever again. A common condition that occurs on the scalp is called Alopecia areata. In this condition hair falls out of the scalp spontaneously. Usually it can occur without warning and is seen on inspection of the scalp if it is a child or when grooming one's self as an adult. It occurs in both male and female without prejudice. Normally the area or areas are in a circular or ring shape pattern. The scalp usually is not irritated or red and no swelling, flaking or scaling is observed.
But the patch of hair loss can seem as if it is spreading particularly if there are a number of bald patches that would tend to coalesce together creating a large area of hair loss. Additionally, the bald area can appear to be widening as a result of the surrounding hair at the edges being affected from inside the scalp at the level of the hair follicle which progressively degrades and then falls out as well. Normally, in 80 percent of cases, hair spontaneously grows back in the bald areas provided that there are no other associated illnesses, medication usage, or bacterial or fungal infections that can irritate or interfere with the scalp and its nutritional and circulation supply. However, once noticed, depending on the severity, treatment can commence.
One can do nothing trusting that hair would spontaneously grow back, or upon advice of a dermatologist apply medical treatment by way of potent steroid creams or injections with or without the combination of topical irritants, for example Retin A, to stimulate the scalp for hair growth and scalp recovery.
• Dr. Rokeisha Clare-Kleinbussink studied at Cosmetology Cosmetic Training for Dermal Filler in London, UK and attended the Academy of Beauty Training for Laser and Microdermabrasion in Nottinghamshire, UK. She also attended the University of the West Indies School of Medicine and Cardiff University School of Medicine. She has a private practice at Roseona House of General and Cosmetic Dermatology and can be reached at www.roseonahouse.com or 422-2022.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
