Hair loss self-help guide: What can save you? My sparse hair...

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Are you losing your hair?

Data shows that in China, 21.3% of men and 6% of women suffer from seborrheic alopecia. It is mainly caused by androgens, so it is also called androgenic alopecia. Patients are mainly men. At the age of 20-30, male androgen secretion is vigorous, but usually does not cause symptoms. The number of patients increases after the age of 30, and the peak age of hair loss is 40-50.

The most fundamental cause of seborrheic alopecia is that the male hormone (testosterone) in the human body is converted into dihydrotestosterone under the action of type II 5α-reductase. Next, dihydrotestosterone binds to the androgen receptors in the hair follicles, causing the hair follicles to shrink and lead to sparse hair. Once the hair follicles are necrotic, baldness will occur.

Generally speaking, the hair follicles in the top area and on both sides of the forehead contain more androgen receptor genes and type II 5α-reductase genes, which are more likely to lead to dihydrotestosterone conversion. Therefore, most hair loss starts from the temples and top of the head. From the beginning of hair loss to complete hair loss, it will take several years to decades. But once you start to be bald, the hair loss will become more and more serious, and the difficulty of treatment will become greater and greater. If you are not sure about the severity, here is the universal Hamilton-Norwood scale. You can refer to it to judge the degree of your hair loss.

However, under the guidance of professional doctors, some hair loss can be alleviated or even cured. The current principles of treating hair loss are: 1) Transplant healthy hair follicles in the back of the head that are not attacked by testosterone, and permanently replace necrotic hair follicles with healthy hair follicles to grow healthy hair. For example, hair transplantation. However, it is worth mentioning that hair transplantation is also called hair transplantation.

Normally, hair follicles from other people cannot be accepted to prevent rejection and affect the effect of the operation. In other words, hair transplant surgery is to evenly distribute the hair group concentrated in the back of the head to the entire head area. Because some hair follicles are not strong enough during the transplantation process, they may die suddenly in the middle of the process. In summary, the total amount of hair is slightly reduced and is distributed in a dispersed manner. 2) Inhibit the conversion of testosterone to protect the hair follicles from attack. Such as oral medication. In this category, the more common drugs are four types of spironolactone, cyproterone acetate and finasteride. The first two inhibit the conversion of testosterone by reducing the production of androgens. Finasteride inhibits the conversion of testosterone to testosterone by inhibiting 5α-reductase.

However… Type IV spironolactone and cyproterone acetate will reduce the production of androgens, which will cause male patients to undergo feminization. For example: breast development, breast pain, galactorrhea, sexual dysfunction, spermatogenesis disorders, etc. The use of finasteride will also cause hormonal changes, and at a lower probability, it will cause adverse reactions such as decreased sexual function and allergies. 3) Repair damaged hair follicles and allow them to grow healthy hair. Such as topical ointments and scalp care. Common drugs include minoxidil, etc.

Although patients will experience a lot of hair loss within 2-4 weeks of medication, after 6-9 months of consistent use, 50%-85% of patients will gain slightly more hair. It is important to note that the above conditioning methods must be used with caution under the guidance of a professional doctor. The effect of use varies from person to person.

In addition, do not use folk remedies at will, such as ginger and Polygonum multiflorum. The 6-gingerol contained in ginger will inhibit hair growth. Polygonum multiflorum has strong hepatotoxicity. Eating a large amount may be fatal. In short, the road to treating hair loss is long and difficult.

Source: WeChat official account of China Science and Technology Press