Did you know that losing your hair is part of everyday life? In fact, hair shedding happens throughout the day – it’s why you’ll need to sweep the floor and clear your shower drain!
The average adult loses 80 strands of hair a day. While it’s completely normal to shed hair at a slightly higher rate than that, most people who start seeking hair loss treatments in Malaysia often do so when they find out that they’re shedding significantly more hair or that they’re not growing back!
The thing is, when it comes to hair loss, there are so many potential reasons why it happens. This also means it can be tricky to pinpoint the exact reason and how to treat your condition.
With the help of a doctor or dermatologist, however, you can root out the cause of your hair loss based on a physical examination and your health history.
In some cases, simple dietary changes can help. As persistent hair loss is often due to an underlying health issue, your doctor also prescribe medications.
Dermatologists might also take a biopsy of your scalp to check for autoimmune or skin disease – so keep in mind that hair loss is a complex issue that might take time and effort to solve!
The causes and symptoms of hair loss
Generally speaking, there are two main reasons that cause hair loss in individuals that lead to them seeking hair loss treatments in Malaysia. These are:
1. Genetics and hereditary reasons
If you’ve noticed hair loss and issues from your parents, there’s a chance that you’ll be genetically predisposed to hair thinning or hair loss as well. You might notice a progressive, gradual reduction in hair volume as you age!
2. Reactive or medical reasons
This simply implies that your hair loss is triggered by something apart from genetics. For example, it could be the result of an internal imbalance of your immune system, nutritional deficiency, severe stress, crash dieting or specific medical illnesses or simply the side effects of medical treatments.
While hair loss appears in a variety of ways, here are some typical signs and symptoms:
- You notice a gradual thinning of hair at the top of your scalp
This symptom is the most common for hair loss associated with age. For men, their hair usually starts to recede on the forehead. Women, however, will have a broadening of the parting in their hair.
- You start finding circular or patchy bald spots
Some might start losing hair in circular or patchy bald spots on the scalp, beard or eyebrows. Additionally, your skin might feel itchy or even experience pain as hair falls off.
- You experience a sudden looseness of your hair
This can be due to a physical or emotional shock. It often manifests in the form of handfuls of hair dropping when combing or washing your hair, causing significant overall hair thinning.
Hair loss treatments in Malaysia
1. Medication
If your doctor or dermatologist diagnoses that your hair loss is caused by a reactive reason, he/she might recommend certain medications to treat them.
Medications are also available to treat pattern (hereditary) baldness. The most common options include:
- Minoxidil (Rogaine) – this often comes in liquid, foam and shampoo forms
- Finasteride (Propecia) – this is a prescription drug that is taken daily as a pill
- Oral medication options including spironolactone (Carospir, Aldactone) or oral dutasteride (Avodart)
2. Hair transplant surgery
As the most common type of hair loss is affecting the top of the head, hair transplant or restoration surgery can solve the issue by making the most of the hair you have remaining.
During a hair transplant procedure, a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon removes hair from a part of the head that has hair and transplants it to a bald spot. Each patch of hair has one to several hairs (micrografts and minigrafts).
However, you may need more than one surgery to get the effect you want!
It is also a common misconception that hair transplants last forever – while most hairs that are transplanted do remain for a long duration, there will be hair that drops off after time has passed and will not remain in the same number.
There could be many reasons to this – from genetic balding factors to medical, immunological or physiological changes over a long period of time.
Start your journey of recovering from hair loss at LiV Skin Clinic
While hair loss can be very distressing, there are various methods and ways they can be treated.
At LiV Clinic, our dermatologists will take the time to listen to your scalp and hair loss problems carefully before analysing your suitability for our hair-loss treatments. Book an appointment now at https://www.livskinspecialist.my/.
