Treatments to halt that hair loss

The most common type of hair loss is hereditary and cannot be prevented, but can be potentially treated. — Filepic

The science behind hair loss is as such: we all grow our hair in cycles and each hair growth cycle goes through three stages.

These three stages are the growing phase, the resting phase and the falling phase.

Every day, we lose as many as 50 to 100 strands of hair.

This is part and parcel of the growth cycle.

You will see evidence of this on your comb, on the floor where you comb your hair, on your bed and on your shower floor.

Men usually present with male pattern hair loss that has progressed slowly over the years.

It is usually not unexpected as they would have already seen this condition in their fathers or other older male family members.

It is an ongoing condition, meaning that it will only get worse with age.

Therefore, treatment is usually long-term and complicated.

Your first step should be to consult a doctor to see if you have any other underlying skin or health condition that might be causing your hair loss.

If so, you should get the condition treated.

If your hair loss continues or is determined to be due to your genes, then you can consider other forms of hair growth treatment to treat it.

All forms of hair loss treatments need at least three months to see improvement.

They include:

> Topical and oral hair growth medication and supplements

Topical hair growth sprays such as minoxidil are useful in treating hair loss.

Oral medications such as finasteride, and oral supplements rich in biotin are often prescribed as part of the treatment for hair loss, especially male pattern hair loss.

Hair supplements that contain proteoglycan can promote normal, healthy hair growth by addressing proteoglycan follicular atrophy, which is an underlying cause of almost all cases of hair growth disruption.

> Regenerative hair growth treatment

Regenerative hair treatment can be used to treat hair loss and hair-thinning in both men and women.

It uses capillary regenerative technology targeted at male pattern hair loss.

This treatment uses your own hair, which contains cells that help activate the follicles around the areas of hair-thinning and hair loss.

In other words, it uses your own body’s ability to produce new hair by stimulating the hair regeneration process.

Dr Sii Sik Liong is a physician practising aesthetic medicine in Singapore. For more information, email [e-mail]. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this article. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.