Before reaching a diagnosis, your doctor will likely give you a physical exam and inquire about your food, your hair care routine, and your medical and family history. You could also have testing, such as the following:
-
Blood test. This could help identify medical issues that might cause hair loss.
-
Pull test. Your doctor carefully pulls several hundred hairs to check how many come out. This helps assess the stage of the shedding process.
-
Scalp biopsy. Your doctor scrapes samples from the skin or from a few hairs plucked from the scalp to study the hair roots under a microscope. This can help establish whether an infection is causing hair loss.
-
Light microscopy. Your doctor uses a specific device to check hairs clipped at their bases. Microscopy helps identify probable abnormalities of the hair shaft.
Treatment
Effective therapies for some forms of hair loss are available. You might be able to reverse hair loss, or at least halt it. With some disorders, such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), hair may recover without therapy within a year. Treatments for hair loss include medicines and surgery.
Medication
If your hair loss is caused by an underlying condition, therapy for that disease will be essential. If a specific drug is causing the hair loss, your doctor may advise you to stop using it for a few months.
Medications are available to treat pattern (hereditary) baldness. The most prevalent possibilities include:
-
Minoxidil (Rogaine). Over-the-counter (nonprescription) minoxidil comes in liquid, foam and shampoo forms. To be most effective, apply the cream to the scalp skin once day for women and twice daily for males. Many individuals prefer the foam applied when the hair is damp.
-
Products containing minoxidil help many people regrow their hair or decrease the pace of hair loss or both. It'll take at least six months of medication to prevent additional hair loss and to initiate hair regeneration. It may take a few more months to see whether the therapy is working for you. If it is helpful, you'll need to continue using the drug continuously to keep the advantages.
-
Possible adverse effects include scalp irritation and undesired hair growth on the neighboring skin of the face and hands.
-
Finasteride (Propecia). This is a prescription medicine for guys. You take it regularly as a tablet. Many men using finasteride see a slowdown of hair loss, and others may exhibit fresh hair growth. It may take a few months to know whether it's working for you. You'll need to maintain taking it to preserve any advantages. Finasteride may not function as effectively for males over 60.
-
Rare adverse effects of finasteride include reduced sex drive and sexual function and an increased risk of prostate cancer. Women who are or may be pregnant need to avoid handling crushed or broken pills.
-
Other medicines. Other oral alternatives include spironolactone (Carospir, Aldactone) and oral dutasteride (Avodart).
Read Also: Herbal Hair Growth Treatments
Hair Transplant Surgery
In the most prevalent kind of permanent hair loss, just the top of the head is affected. Hair transplant, or restoration surgery, can make the most of the hair you have left.
- During a hair transplant treatment, a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon pulls hair from an area of the head that has hair and transplants it to a bald place. Each patch of hair has one to multiple hairs (micrografts and minigrafts). Sometimes a wider piece of skin comprising many hair groups is extracted. This treatment doesn't require hospitalization, but it is uncomfortable so you'll be given a sedative drug to reduce any discomfort. Possible hazards include bleeding, bruising, edema and infection. You may require more than one procedure to acquire the result you want. Hereditary hair loss will ultimately progress despite surgery.
Surgical techniques to address baldness are not frequently covered by insurance.
Laser Treatment
The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a low-level laser device as a therapy for genetic hair loss in men and women. A few modest studies have suggested that it enhances hair density. More research are needed to prove long-term effects.
Answered 4 months ago
Ola Hansen
Before reaching a diagnosis, your doctor will likely give you a physical exam and inquire about your food, your hair care routine, and your medical and family history. You could also have testing, such as the following:
Blood test. This could help identify medical issues that might cause hair loss.
Pull test. Your doctor carefully pulls several hundred hairs to check how many come out. This helps assess the stage of the shedding process.
Scalp biopsy. Your doctor scrapes samples from the skin or from a few hairs plucked from the scalp to study the hair roots under a microscope. This can help establish whether an infection is causing hair loss.
Light microscopy. Your doctor uses a specific device to check hairs clipped at their bases. Microscopy helps identify probable abnormalities of the hair shaft.
Treatment
Effective therapies for some forms of hair loss are available. You might be able to reverse hair loss, or at least halt it. With some disorders, such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), hair may recover without therapy within a year. Treatments for hair loss include medicines and surgery.
Medication
If your hair loss is caused by an underlying condition, therapy for that disease will be essential. If a specific drug is causing the hair loss, your doctor may advise you to stop using it for a few months.
Medications are available to treat pattern (hereditary) baldness. The most prevalent possibilities include:
Minoxidil (Rogaine). Over-the-counter (nonprescription) minoxidil comes in liquid, foam and shampoo forms. To be most effective, apply the cream to the scalp skin once day for women and twice daily for males. Many individuals prefer the foam applied when the hair is damp.
Products containing minoxidil help many people regrow their hair or decrease the pace of hair loss or both. It'll take at least six months of medication to prevent additional hair loss and to initiate hair regeneration. It may take a few more months to see whether the therapy is working for you. If it is helpful, you'll need to continue using the drug continuously to keep the advantages.
Possible adverse effects include scalp irritation and undesired hair growth on the neighboring skin of the face and hands.
Finasteride (Propecia). This is a prescription medicine for guys. You take it regularly as a tablet. Many men using finasteride see a slowdown of hair loss, and others may exhibit fresh hair growth. It may take a few months to know whether it's working for you. You'll need to maintain taking it to preserve any advantages. Finasteride may not function as effectively for males over 60.
Rare adverse effects of finasteride include reduced sex drive and sexual function and an increased risk of prostate cancer. Women who are or may be pregnant need to avoid handling crushed or broken pills.
Other medicines. Other oral alternatives include spironolactone (Carospir, Aldactone) and oral dutasteride (Avodart).
Read Also: Herbal Hair Growth Treatments
Hair Transplant Surgery
In the most prevalent kind of permanent hair loss, just the top of the head is affected. Hair transplant, or restoration surgery, can make the most of the hair you have left.
Surgical techniques to address baldness are not frequently covered by insurance.
Laser Treatment
The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a low-level laser device as a therapy for genetic hair loss in men and women. A few modest studies have suggested that it enhances hair density. More research are needed to prove long-term effects.