Combatting hair fall: Understanding causes and effective solutions

The most annoying sight for any of us is seeing our hair laying around our bathroom floors, sticking to our clothes or sometimes entwining in our fingers when we brush them. Consistent hair fall shows evident results on our scalp peeking from our brunettes. The real question here is, what causes hair to fall out? 

Unveiling the root causes of hair fall

With genetics and lifestyle changes at play, hair fall can stem from various factors. Here are some of the root causes of hair fall:

1. Androgenic alopecia: Male or female pattern baldness can take place when your elders have experienced hair fall too. Usually, males end up losing hair from the temple or crown area while women are exposed to hair thinning. Genetics is the most common cause of hair fall and commences with ageing but can also begin during puberty. 
2. Hair care treatments and hairstyles: While hair care treatments like bleaching, colouring, perming or relaxing promise beauty, they don’t ensure a positive hair health and might just lead to hair fall. Tight hairstyles like cornrows, high ponytails or pigtails can contribute to hair fall as well, leading to a condition called traction alopecia.
3. Telogen effluvium: This happens due to emotional or physical shock, serious illness or trauma. One of the most substantial hair fall reasons in females is hormonal changes due to puberty, pregnancy, childbirth, PCOS and menopause. Thyroid conditions and severe stress can lead to hair fall as well. Usually, these are temporary. 
4. Pollution: Urban cities with their modern infrastructure are tempting places to settle in but the pollution due to it isn’t the best environment to expose our hair to. 
5. Nutritional deficiencies: Diets devoid of protein, vitamins such as iron and minerals such as zinc significantly contribute to hair fall.
6. Anagen effluvium: This involves rapid loss of hair due to medical treatments like chemotherapy and other radiation therapies. There are certain medications and drugs which lead to hair loss such as antidepressants, thyroid medications, antifungals, birth control pills, retinoids, beta-blockers and hormone-containing drugs. 
7. Ringworm: It is called tinea capitis, a fungal infection which portrays in circular patches which might end up growing back. Symptoms of this infection include scaly, itchy, discoloured patches or brittle hair. 
8. Alopecia areata: This is an autoimmune condition when the immune system attacks the hair follicles leading to complete baldness in some cases. Hair from eyelashes, eyebrows and other parts of the body might also fall out. 

Exploring hair fall treatments and solutions

If you are experiencing hair fall, there are various treatments options that your healthcare professional would consider:

1. Hair care products: This is usually the first stage in the treatment for hair fall where you apply solutions, gels, shampoos and lotions to heal it. These products usually consist of minoxidil which helps in reducing hair loss and promoting hair growth. People usually see evident results in 6-12 months. 
2. Corticosteroids: If the underlying reason of your hair fall is an autoimmune dysfunction, your doctor might inject corticosteroids in the affected areas every few weeks to trigger regrowth.
3. Vitamin and mineral supplements: If vitamin, mineral and protein deficiencies are encouraging your hair loss, your doctor might ask you to increase your intake or prescribe you their respective supplements to cure the issue.  
4. Laser therapy: Low-level laser therapy usually helps with hereditary hair loss and needs consistent sessions to portray results. 
5. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP): This hair fall treatment requires extracting your blood, separating it and then injecting the plasma from the blood in the affected patches. Similar to laser therapy, this process requires a couple of sittings as well. 
6. Hair transplant surgery: In this procedure, small parts of skin with multiple strands of hair are removed and transplanted to the bald patches of the scalp. This process usually proves to be effective but might need more than one surgery if the hair loss is progressive such as in the cases of hereditary hair fall. 

Practical tips to reduce hair fall

While dermatologists might help you treat hair fall, you still might think how to reduce hair fall at an individual level. Here are a few quick tips that could help you: 

1. Don’t tend to your hair with harshness, always wash them gently and use leave-in conditioners and detanglers. Once you’re done washing, use a microfiber towel to dry them quickly instead of using a blow dryer. 
2. Avoid using styling products such as curling or straightening irons, hot combs and blow dryers that cause hair fall. Avoid perming, colouring or bleaching your hair at home and visit a salon where they’ll be treated professionally. 
3. Adorn your hair in loose hairstyles and avoid tight ponytails, pig tails or corn rows that might give you a comb full of hair. 
4. Don’t pull, pick or twist your hair around your finger . 
5. Make sure that your diet is full of all the macronutrients involving a rich content of protein, vitamins and minerals. 
6. Brush your hair gently and make sure you use good quality combs that don’t weaken your hair. Wooden combs are highly recommended. 
7. Leave your smoking addiction behind if you want a scalp full of healthy hair. 
8. Home remedies such as tulsi hair pack, amla and lemon juice, fenugreek hair mask, egg mask, green tea or onion juice could potentially help you get rid of hair fall. Applying coconut oil, aloe vera and curd also works wonders. 

Conclusion

Hair fall is an issue that would continue to decline your hair quality until it is cured with the right treatments. Knowing the reason for your hair fall is the first place to start, further consulting a dermatologist and following their solutions and treatments is the way to go. 

Make sure that while medical therapies and drugs might improve your hair fall problem, there are steps you need to take at home to keep your hair lusciously healthy forever!

Frequently Asked Questions 

What are the most common causes of hair fall?

Common causes of hairfall include genetics, hormonal changes, medications, hair care treatments, tight hairstyles, ringworm and nutritional deficiencies. 

How does diet and nutrition influence hair health and hair fall?

Lack of protein, minerals like zinc and vitamins like iron lead to hair fall. 

What are some effective treatments for combating hair fall?

Effective treatments to combat hair fall include using minoxidil, taking prescribed medications or employing procedures like platelet-rich plasma, hair transplantation, injecting corticosteroids and laser therapy. 

Are there any natural remedies that can help reduce hair fall?

Natural remedies to reduce hair fall include applying tulsi hair pack, amla and lemon juice, fenugreek hair mask, egg mask, green tea or onion juice. 

How can stress and lifestyle factors contribute to hair fall?

Elevated cortisol levels due to stress, nutritional deficiencies, wearing tight hairstyles or bleaching and colouring hair contribute to hair fall. 

Can hormonal imbalances lead to hair fall, and how can they be addressed?

Hormonal imbalances that take place during puberty, pregnancy, childbirth, PCOS, thyroid and menopause lead to hair fall. Taking medications to balance your hormones, lifestyle modifications, thyroid and scalp therapies like platelet-rich plasma and laser therapy can help address this issue. 

Is excessive hair fall a sign of an underlying health condition?

Excessive hair fall can be a sign of thyroid problems, PCOS, nutritional deficiencies, autoimmune disorders, diabetes and cancer.