How to deal with hair loss

Alopecia or hair loss falls into two categories according to clinical manifestations, namely physiological alopecia and pathological alopecia. Physiological alopecia, such as telogen alopecia, postpartum alopecia, mental alopecia, and chemical alopecia caused by improper care effects, is reversible.

However, cicatricial alopecia and rogenic alopecia, which may cause permanent alopecia, as well as alopecia areata, are pathological conditions which should be treated in time.

Physiological hair loss

Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is caused by a variety of factors, such as malnutrition, excessive blood loss and mental stress. Sufferers normally experience diffuse hair loss, but the loss will not exceed 50 percent of the original hair. No treatment is needed for this kind of hair loss. Eating foods rich in B vitamins, such as cereals, coarse grains and walnuts, will help prevent this type of hair loss.

Postpartum alopecia

1. Decreased estrogen: The estrogen level of women drops sharply and hair follicles degenerate after childbirth, which in turn leads to hair loss.

2. Endocrine disorder: Taking care of a baby means inadequate rest, which often leads to endocrine disorder and hair loss.

3.Unbalanced nutrition: Hair loss can also be caused by an unbalanced diet adopted by some mothers for the purpose of producing milk or getting back in shape quickly.

Psychogenic alopecia

Mental tension, depression, fear or severe insomnia can all lead to neurological disorders, and put capillaries in a continuous state of contraction. As a result, hair follicles cannot get enough blood supply, which results in hair loss. Hair loss conditions can be eased by adjusting the rhythm of life and relaxing the mood.

Alopecia of nutritional and metabolic origin

Excessive consumption of sugar or salt, deficiency of protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc, and selenium deficiency or excess in the body can all lead to alopecia.

In recent years, some young women who have lost too much weight have also experienced a serious loss of hair, which may be caused by insufficient intake of nutrients such as protein and iron.

Causes of premature pathological alopecia

Androgenic alopecia is the most common form of pathological alopecia, which mainly occurs during and after puberty. Also known as seborrheic alopecia, androgenic alopecia in men is mostly observed as the hairline recedes to form a characteristic "M" shape and/or the top hair gradually becomes thinner and forms an "O" shape. These two patterns may eventually converge and form a "U" or horseshoe shape. Androgenic alopecia in women is generally mild, mainly manifested by thin hair on the top of the head.

Patients with androgenic alopecia often suffer from seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp. As androgen acts on hair follicles, it also stimulates the sebaceous glands, which increases the secretion of oil on the scalp, causing excessive reproduction of Malassezia and leading to seborrheic dermatitis.

Therefore, treating seborrheic dermatitis with more care, strengthening oil control, using antifungal and anti-inflammatory treatments, and creating a healthy and clean environment for the scalp will help reduce the recurrence of inflammation and reverse hair loss.

The key to hair loss prevention is scalp cleaning

We should not only pay attention to the superficial problems such as hair loss and dry hair, but also be aware that most hair quality problems are caused by an unhealthy scalp. Scalp care is much more important than simply cleaning the hair.

How to do scalp cleaning

People with oily hair should wash their hair once a day, especially in hot summer weather; in autumn and winter, when the climate is dry and the body can easily lose a lot of water, those with oily hair should wash it once every other day.

For people with dry hair, it is recommended to wash it twice a week.

For people with neutral hair, it is better to wash it once every three to four days.