Everyone experiences hair loss at some point of time in their lives. Most of us lose around 50-100 strands of hair every day, especially on the day you decide to wash your hair. But if you notice loss of hair more than the usual, on your pillow, comb or shower drain it should be a cause of concern. Possible causes of hair loss include stress, poor diet and underlying medical conditions. Here are a few common causes:
- Telogen Effluvium:
This kind of hair loss can happen about 3-6 months after you go through something stressful including giving birth, recovering from an illness, losing a job, ending a relationship or going through a major surgery. - Certain medications:
Taking blood thinning medications or chemo therapy drugs can be a possible reason for sudden hair loss. - Poor Diet:
A diet deficient in essential nutrients required for strong hair such as Iron and Vitamin A could be the reason for excess hair fall. Other important nutrient deficiencies are: Biotin, Vitamin D, Zinc, Copper and Selenium - Underlying Medical Conditions:
If a person is diagnosed with underlying infections, chronic diseases or hormonal imbalances they can suffer from severe hair loss. Common conditions causing hair loss are: Thyroid disorders, PCOD and cancer. - Alopecia Areata:
These are well-defined patches of hair loss on hairy areas such as scalp or beard. They usually occur suddenly and can be multiple in number. In this condition our body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles making you lose a significant amount of hair. Spontaneous re-growth of hair is common even without treatment however, treatment will significantly improve the speed of recovery.
PRP Therapy for Hair Loss
If you are you suffering from mild or moderate hair loss, your doctor may suggest PRP (Platelet-rich Plasma) Therapy to restore hair growth. The entire process may take up to an hour and a half and the person may require several sessions based on how well they respond to the PRP therapy. The doctor might suggest a maintenance session every 3-6 months once hair loss in under control.
During the procedure a medical professional draws blood from a vein in your arm and places the blood sample in a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the blood to separate its components and the medical professional extracts the plasma part to use for injection. The plasma is injected into the specific areas in your scalp to promote hair growth.
PRP therapy for hair loss is considered to be a safe treatment as the patient’s own blood components are used, making the risk of getting a reaction very low. After the treatment the patient can resume most normal activities the very next day.