Hair loss and treatment method

Throughout the ages, poetry has been the main sign of beauty for both men and women, with both pharaohs and Greeks showing great interest in hair health and trying to treat hair problems, especially hair loss with herbs and natural inducements that existed at that time, and in our time and with the development of science and technology, hair loss continues to occupy the first place in the interests of doctors who tried by all means to know its causes, diagnose it and find appropriate solutions to it, in this article we will discuss The latest developments in hair treatment and cultivation and the causes that result.

What are the components of human hair and what its functions are:

The hair is generally made up of two main parts, the bulb and the hair shaft, and the bulb is the main part of the hair and the unit responsible for its growth, where it is present in the dermis layer and from which the hair shaft emerges penetrating the skin cortex outwards.

The hair consists mainly of a protein material called keratin, which is the same material in the nails and gives the hair its strength and resistance, since thanks to this material, the hair has more endurance than that of a copper wire as the thickness of the hair. For hair many benefits including maintaining the heat of the body by holding heat between the follicles and protecting the dandruff from sunlight and accompanying ultraviolet rays that cause skin cancer, as well as helping to put toxins out of the body by contributing to sweating and putting sweat out and producing fatty substances that protect the dandruff, as well as giving the human an attractive appearance that enhances one’s self-confidence and gives him a stronger presence in his social life.

Hair cycle

There is a misconception that prevails among many that hair grows and increases its length collectively, but the reality completely denies this belief as each hair grows independently of the rest and this is due to the fact that each hair bulb has a life cycle independent of others, and each hair goes through three stages during its life known as the life cycle of hair:

Anagen phase: The length of the hair increases significantly at this stage due to the constant division of its cells, which gives the hair a dense appearance and usually the percentage of follicles passing at this stage at the same time is 80% of the total follicles present in the head, because the duration of this stage ranges from two to eight years and the duration of the growth time varies according to several factors, the most important of which is the genetic factor where the genetic component affects the duration of the growth phase directly in addition to the following severe diets Lack of key nutrients may lead to short growth, so some people grow their hair quickly because their growth stage is long while others grow their hair slowly due to their short growth period.

Catagen phase: Hair growth stops at this stage due to the blood stopping to flow into the hair follicles, depriving it of the necessary nutrients and gradually decreasing the length of the hair where it loses most of its length and damages its end but does not fall, and this stage lasts from two weeks to a month.

Telogen phase: After the end of the break phase, the damaged hair begins to fall and usually the proportion of hair that is at this stage is between 10% – 15% of the total hair found in dandruff, and this stage lasts from one month to two months and then the hair returns to the stage of growth again to start the hair to start to grow again.

Hair loss:

It is normal to lose hair at a rate of 50-100 hair per day, it is the result of the hair cycle and does not indicate any problem, but if the hair is falling heavily, especially during hair styling or during sleep, it indicates a problem that hinders the life of the follicles and causes hair loss and it is an early sign of baldness, it is worth noting that when hair is aware of the presence of voids in the head it has lost half the number of follicles in the head and requires a medical consultation quickly to stop hair loss and protect the rest of the follicles.

Hair loss is due to various reasons, including seasonal, where hair loss increases significantly at the beginning of spring and autumn due to climatic fluctuations that cause more follicles to move to the stage of loss, as well as pregnancy causes hair loss as a result of hormonal disorder in the woman’s body, in addition to the people undergoing chemotherapy they lose their hair completely because this treatment targets all cells of the body, including hair follicles, which are the most sensitive cells of the body causing their loss, but are temporary causes. Hair falling to grow again. Some causes and factors lead to the death of the follicles and thus prevent the growth of hair once and for all, including:

Genetic factor: The most widespread cause in the world where one third of men suffer from baldness due to the genetic factor, which is caused by a gene called the baldness gene, this gene is prevalent in men and is left in female sedation, which explains the prevalence of genetic baldness in men than in women, and this gene usually begins to be active at puberty, causing hair loss at the front of the head and crown area due to the sensitivity of the follicles in the front of the head compared to the follicles in the back of the head.

Hormone imbalance: There are many glands in the body that secrete hormones and receive them directly in the blood, which is known as the endocrine glands, these hormones play a major role in maintaining the health of the body and balance its vital functions and any disorder in these hormones causes many health problems, as it also causes hair loss because increased or decreased secretion of certain hormones affects the health of the follicles and causes their death and therefore hair loss, one of the most important hormonal conditions that affect the health of hair hormone growth disorder that produces Thyroid, increased secretion of testosterone in men, lack of progesterone and estrogen in women or increased secretion of cortisol.

Lack of vitamins: Some people tend to follow severe diets to get rid of weight in short periods of time, and these diets are usually free of essential vitamins for the body, which causes many health problems in addition to the high rate of hair loss, the most important of which is folic acid, which helps to regenerate hair tissue, hair growth damaged and vitamin B12, which is included in the synthesis of red cells that nourish hair follicles and protect them from death.

Skin diseases: Hair loss is not only limited to genetic causes, but it can be caused by many skin diseases so that hair loss may be a sign of problems in the body and its foremost before its exacerbation of the most important diseases that lead to the death of follicles and hair loss:

1. Fatty eczema: One of the most widespread skin diseases affecting dandruff and may be caused by genetically or allergic to a particular food or chemical that may touch the skin of the head causing itching and redness accompanied by hair loss, scientists have not been able to find a definitive treatment for eczema, but it is possible to treat their symptoms through medications and preparations prescribed by the competent doctor in addition to knowing things that stimulate the appearance of foods and limestone water and stay away from them.
2. Psoriasis: Another common skin disease that causes hair loss where it appears in the form of patches in some areas of the head and it is possible to develop the condition of the disease to cover the entire head and due to its appearance due to a defect in the immune system causes the growth of cells irregularly leading to the appearance of spots, psoriasis is a non-infectious disease contrary to the belief of many and does not move from person to person and cause hair fall temporarily where hair can grow after treatment.
3. Alopecia: An immune disease that affects male and female people and usually affects people before the age of 30, this disease causes hair loss in the form of small spots that are sometimes blurred and can extend until they cover the entire head and cause hair loss completely, this disease occurs as a result of the attacking of the of the hair follicles due to genetic factors and can grow hair again after the treatment of the affected spots in the head.

Wrong daily habits: Many of the habits that people practice daily to protect their hair cause damage to the follicles and lead to hair loss over time, one of the most important of these habits:

1. 1. Following unhealthy diets: Some people follow diets for weight loss, which may lack key nutrients such as vitamins and proteins, which causes a noticeable increase in hair loss due to the decrease of the necessary elements for its growth, so it is necessary to ensure the health of the diet before following it and prefer to include meat, fish and legumes as well as fruits so that the hair can grow naturally.
2. Use of hair dryer: The high heat resulting from the dryer harms the health of the dandruff and affects the follicles so it is recommended not to use it much, especially immediately after the bath because exposing wet hair to heat leads to the cracking of the strands of hair and weakening it so it must be dried with the towel first and then the dryer can be used.
3. Exposing hair to hot water: The use of hot water during bathing harms the health of the follicles and causes long-term hair loss, so it is preferable to use lukewarm water.

4. Psychological stress: Scientists noted a direct relationship between hair loss and stress where the rate of hair loss increases in people with psychological problems as the hormonal disorder caused by stress harms the follicles and weakens them as it increases the likelihood of skin diseases such as alopecia, psoriasis and others.

Plasma and its role in preventing hair loss:

Plasma is the basic hemolytic substance within which other blood components such as erythrocytes and white cells swim, and consist mainly of water in addition to mineral salts, proteins and vitamins, and transport nutrients to all cells of the body to continue to perform their vital functions and withdraw the waste from the process of metabolization in cells and transfer them to the organs of the subtraction to get rid of the body, as well as they clot when exposed to air directly, which leads to the cessation of bleeding wounds.

Recently spread many researches and scientific studies on the use of plasma to protect hair follicles from loss and its role in re-germination of hair loss and as usual spread many misconceptions about this technique, plasma has a big role in feeding the cortex and resuscitation of the follicles by supplying them with sufficient need of oxygen and nutrients in plasma, which stimulates hair growth, but this is useful in the case of follicles where plasma stimulates these follicles in order to give hair, but not, The presence of follicles or in the case of the death of these follicles as a result of certain diseases or injuries or in the case of genetic baldness, the PRP technique is not useful because the hair needs a bulb to grow and in the absence of this bulb hair cannot grow.

The method of preparation of plasma injection: initially blood is withdrawn from the patient by 30 millimeters and placed in a test tube and then the plasma is separated from the erythrocytes and white cells using the centrifuge for 15 minutes, after which added to the plasma anticoagulant substance and injected into several areas of the dandruff by the competent doctor and this process takes less than one hour and does not need anesthesia.

The plasma injection technique does not give immediate results, so one injection is usually not enough as the number of sessions needed is determined after the clinical examination of the patient’s condition and the doctor determines a suitable time plan for the patient’s condition on this basis, but it can be said that at least 6 sessions of plasma injection should be used to get a noticeable result so that the patient takes in the first and second months four sessions (two sessions per month) and then it is enough to take one session per month for two months.

Hair transplantation:

Hair transplantation is a process that has been widespread for decades in short, in which hair follicles are transferred from a dense area of the follicles, which is often called the donor area, and is often in the back of the head where the hair is strong and dense, and transferred surgically to the bald area.

A brief history:

Hair transplantation, which is known as the ultimate and optimal solution for baldness in men and women, is not a modern technique as most people think, but it is the result of the development of many researches and techniques that were used before to perform the same purpose, the first known hair transplant occurred in 1822 by a student and professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Germany where he successfully transferred hair from one region to another but their method was not approved at the time, modern hair transplantation began in 1822. In 1939, the Japanese dermatologist (Okuda) created a technique known as “puncture technique” to transplant hair in areas affected by wounds and burns by taking small patches of skin containing the hair in the donor area and transporting it to the affected area. Dr. Okuda’s technique was the starting point for hair transplantation in our time. (FUE) which is the best way to grow hair and then result in many advanced techniques.

Follicular unit extraction Technology (FUE):

The most successful and most popular technology in the field of hair transplantation has yielded excellent and satisfactory results over time, making it the first choice for people who want to regain their natural hair appearance and get rid of baldness forever.

Stages of FUE process:

Initially the patient’s baldness is diagnosed by the doctor and determine the number of follicles to be transferred and most importantly know the density of the follicles in the donor area, which is the most important element in the operation as it is the area from which the follicles will be taken, After confirming the patient’s ability to undergo the transplantation process and conducting the necessary analyzes, the patient’s hair is shaved and the forehead line is drawn in proportion to the features of the patient’s face and the borders of the donor area and the borders of the balding area are defined, then the donor area is anesthetized with local anesthesia and the doctor begins to extract the follicles one by one. Then the doctor takes half of the number of follicles per 1 mm in order not to reduce the density of hair in the donor area, which leads to the emergence of empty spots of hair at the back of the head, and in this step a device called the micromotor with fine heads is used to help him extract the follicles, and This stage usually takes from two to three hours. The extracted follicles are placed in a container containing a preservative to preserve their vitality until the completion of the process of opening the channels in the balding area. Then the doctor prepares the area of baldness to which the follicles will be transferred and numbed topically and begins the most important stage known as opening channels, which depends mainly on the skill of the doctor, where the doctor opens small holes in the patient’s head deep and the size suitable for the extracted follicles and the doctor should open these holes at precise angles that make the transplanted hair grow giving the natural appearance, this stage lasts from one to two hours depending on the number of follicles to be implanted and on the experience of the doctor who performs the operation.

In the end, the follicles taken from the donor area and kept in the vessel are implanted manually and separately with caution, with attention to the directions and angles of the holes, this phase takes approximately three hours and can be more depending on the number of follicles. The dandruff can also be injected with a plasma needle after the operation in order to enhance its circulation, which helps to protect and strengthen the follicles as well as help plasma speed up the process of wound healing because of its beneficial growth factors, proteins and vitamins.

After the completion of the operation the area from which the hair is taken is covered with a special sterile cloth, to prevent inflammation for 24 hours, and does not show any swelling in the appearance of the patient who is taken to his room by the specialist and the patient sleeps in his room and on his back using the neck pillow given to him and continues to be used for five days to do not hit or scratch the head of the patient with anything, and in this way the hair is not exposed to any damage, as the first 24 hours is the period of holding the transplanted hair, which is very important so You should be under surveillance.

Blood pressure and heart rate should be monitored, and it is recommended to rest completely on the first day, and after 24 hours of operation the sterile cloth is removed from the hair-taking area and painted with ointment to protect it from infections.

Important notes on hair transplantation:

1. Before starting the operation, the patient should inform his doctor about all the information about his health, the diseases he complains about, the medications he uses and the surgeries he has undergone before, all these things help the doctor to evaluate the patient’s condition and see if the patient is able to perform the operation or not.
2. Some people have a weak donor area and cannot take enough follicles to cover the baldness area and in this case the transplant process is not useful as it will not give a natural appearance to the patient, as in some cases the baldness area is very large where the patient has to undergo two operations time between them at least one year.
3. During the procedure, it is best to wear a comfortable dress because the duration of the operation may take six to eight hours.
4. Some people tend to draw the front line down the forehead, but this is not recommended by experts because the operation in this case will not give a natural appearance of the head but on the contrary the result of the operation will look very similar to the wigs so you must listen to the opinion of the competent doctor who is able to determine the front line suitable for each case.
5. The results of the operation should not be judged immediately as the transplanted hair takes a long time to grow after the operation so you should wait six months and sometimes a year until the real result appears.
6. In the first three days after the operation, the hair should not be exposed to water at all as the doctor teaches the patient how to wash the head properly, and you should stay away from sunlight and heavy activities in the first month after the operation.
7. If the patient is a smoker or an alcoholic, he should stay away from it as much as possible before the operation because it affects the health of the follicles as it is preferable to stay away from them within the first three days after the operation.

Choi Pens Technology (DHI):

This technique has recently emerged as a development on the technique of picking and not as some believe it is a completely new technique, in this process the follicles are taken from the donor area using the micromotor device just as in the FUE technique, the only difference is that choi pens open the channels and implant the bulb at the same time and each bulb is planted separately by a pointed head pen, in short the technique of choi pens is a development of the technique of picking reduces the process through the opening of the channel and transplanting follicle at the same time.

SAFIR Technique:

Another technique emanating from FUE technique and not a new technique, where the patient is numbed topically and the follicles are removed from the donor area using micromotor as in the technique of picking, the only difference is that in the technique of ambassador opens the channels in the baldness area using a sharp-headed pen made of an anti-bacterial gemstone called safir, which reduces the damage to the tissue in the head and then the follicles are implanted manually such as the method of picking. Safir technology is an addition to a phase of FUE, which is to open channels and is not what some think it is a completely new technology, and if it were, it would have spread more widely and overwhelmed all other methods.

Hair transplantation in Turkey:

Medical tourism has recently become one of the main sources of the Turkish economy, where the government has supported this field by facilitating access to medical visa and providing an integrated transportation network to facilitate transportation within cities, especially in Istanbul, which has become the main destination for medical tourism destinations, including hair transplants, since according to an article published by the official Newspaper (Hurriyet) the number of medical tourists in 2017 exceeded 750 thousand, including 60,000 medical tourists who came to Turkey to carry out hair transplant operation. Hair transplantation. These figures continue to rise due to the constant monitoring and care of the state as well as the quality of medical services and reasonable prices compared to other countries.