Alopecia, or hair loss, affects a large number of people of all ages. Hair loss is genetic in some people and happens as a natural aspect of aging. In certain cases, hair loss may be a symptom of a more serious underlying medical issue.
Buckeye Dermatology has the skills necessary to differentiate between the many types of hair loss and to determine the underlying reason. Clinical examination, biopsies, and sophisticated methods and equipment are used to diagnose various kinds of hair loss.
Diagnosis
Before making a diagnosis, your doctor will likely give you a physical exam and ask about your diet, hair care routine, and medical and family history.
Prior to diagnosing, your doctor will likely perform a physical examination and inquire about your food, hair care routine, and medical and family history. Additionally, you may have tests such as the following:
- Test of the blood – This may assist in identifying medical problems that might result in hair loss.
- Conduct a pull test – Your physician carefully pulls several dozen hairs to determine the number that falls out. This information assists in determining the stage of the shedding process.
- Biopsy of the scalp – To study the hair roots under a microscope, your doctor scrapes samples from the skin or a few hairs plucked from the scalp. This can assist in determining whether an illness is causing hair loss.
- Microscopy using light – Your doctor examines hairs that have been clipped at their bases using a specialized tool. Microscopy aids in identifying probable hair shaft abnormalities.
Treatment
Effective therapies are available for certain forms of hair loss. You may be able to halt or even reverse hair loss. Without therapy, hair may regenerate in some situations, such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata). Medication and surgery are also options for treating hair loss.
Medication
If your hair loss is due to an underlying condition, that disease must be treated. If your doctor determines that a certain drug is causing hair loss, they may advise you to discontinue use for a few months.
Hair transplants
In the most common type of permanent hair loss, only the top of the head is affected. Hair transplant, or restoration surgery, can make the most of the hair you have left.
Our dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon removes hair from a part of the head that has hair and transplants it to a bald spot during a hair transplant procedure. Each patch of hair has one to several hairs (micrografts and minigrafts).
Sometimes a larger strip of skin containing multiple hair groupings is taken. This procedure doesn’t require hospitalization, but it is painful, so you’ll be given a sedation medicine to ease any discomfort.
Possible risks include bleeding, bruising, swelling, and infection. You may need more than one surgery to get the effect you want. Hereditary hair loss will eventually progress despite surgery.
Laser therapy
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a low-level laser device to treat hereditary hair loss in men and women. A few small studies have shown that it improves hair density. More studies are needed to show long-term effects.
