Anuradha Varanasi
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Anuradha Varanasi | Updated : May 16, 2016 2:04 PM IST
The most common complaint of people from varying age groups is hair loss. Dealing with alopecia or hair loss can be traumatising for both men and women, especially when you start developing bald patches. Having good hair is known as your crowning glory and when one starts experiencing hair thinning, their self-esteem and confidence can take a direct hit.
Dealing with constant comments by everyone on how your hair is looking too thin can only make it worse. In such desperation, people suffering from alopecia are willing to empty their pockets on any treatment that promises hair re-growth. While currently there s no shortage of expensive hair loss treatment options, the big question is, just how effective are these treatments and is it worth spending thousands and thousands of rupees on them?
Dr Smriti Naswa Singh, Consultant Dermatologist, Fortis Hospital, Mumbai, says, 'Before spending a lot of money on any hair loss treatment, it is important for people to remember that there are different types of hair loss or alopecia. In cases of male or even female pattern baldness where the individual has already lost most of their hair, no treatment is going to help them in regaining all that lost hair other than a hair transplant.
On the other hand, some patients suffer from hair thinning due to certain diseases or medications and usually, their hair grows back after six months or so and some hair loss treatments can help in enhancing their hair growth, adds Dr Naswa.
If you suffer from scarring alopecia, regular hair treatments won t help at all as it needs to be treated with steroids and immune-suppressive agents. Dr Naswa emphasizes the importance of first consulting your dermatologist to determine the root cause of your hair loss before you go ahead and invest on any hair loss treatment. This involves a series of tests to rule out any underlying health condition. Once your dermatologist determines what kind of hair loss you have and what would be the right treatment to address the issue, only then should you decide on whether you want to invest your hard earned money on it. These are the 5 unusual causes of hair loss or alopecia.
Blanket therapy for treating alopecia for every single person is not advised. Every person should be assessed and the investigations should be done, explains Dr Naswa.
These are six treatments that don t work in the case of hereditary hair loss or male and female pattern baldness:
1. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy
PRP therapy is a non-surgical procedure that involves using thin needles to inject your scalp with your own blood. First, the dermatologist will draw blood and then plasma with platelets is separated from the patient s whole blood. While the treatment claims to arrest hair thinning and even promote hair growth, Dr Naswa says that it hasn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Despite the claims that this treatment will help in promoting hair growth for those with androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness, results are definitely not sure shot. Not every patient sees any results, says Dr Naswa.
'There is an ongoing research on PRP and it has come out as an adjuvant to FDA-approved therapies which are topical minoxidil, oral finasteride, and hair transplant. But the clinical research on PRP is still in its infancy and evidence for PRP as a sole treatment for androgenetic alopecia is anecdotal,' adds Dr Naswa.
2. Hair loss brushes/ laser combs
Hairmax laser combs work on the principle of parting the hair with the comb and delivering low-level laser light with claims to stimulate hair growth. The Hairmax in particular, which is available in various models and band devices as well, is surprisingly US FDA approved for androgenetic alopecia . Other than that, it even has a peer reviewed, indexed paper supporting its use, says DrRajatKandhari, Consultant Dermatologist, and Specialist in Aesthetic Procedures, New Delhi.
I personally believe that hair fall is multifactorial and although these devices may help in one aspect of the pathogenesis their use alone being beneficial seems highly doubtful. More evidence, literature, and studies are required to stamp this device as a sure shot measure for regaining lost hair, says Dr Kandhari.
Hair loss brushes at most may help in giving a temporary volume to the hair but as a treatment its hogwash, he further adds.
3. Hair oils
Every other day, we read about how certain hair oils can help in arresting hair loss and hair thinning along with also helping in hair re-growth. However, these essential hair oils ranging from Moroccan oil to even coconut oil are nothing but a fad when it comes to treating severe hair loss. There is insufficient research or empirical evidence that all these hair oils can help in fighting against alopecia. First, the cause of alopecia needs to be determined and most of these hair oils are a fad, says Dr Naswa.
4. Minoxidil
Minoxidil was and is presently the gold standard in the treatment of male and female pattern hair loss. Despite many new hairceutcials / phytoceuticals entering the hair fall domain as safer and less tedious alternatives, they don t undergo drug trials and will never have the supporting evidence that minoxidil as a drug already has, says Dr Kandhari.
Minoxidil 2% is US FDA approved for women and 5% for men. Although minoxidil ranging from 2%-12% is also available in the Indian market, it remains to be seen whether the higher strengths have added benefits or not and further they must be used under a dermatologists supervision, adds Dr Kandhari.
Despite how widely it is used by dermatologists to treat male and female pattern hair loss, doctors say that you have to be very patient when it comes to seeing any results as it could take around six months. If after three to six months of using minoxidil, if there are still no results in terms of hair re-growth, it means the patient is resistant to this medical treatment, says Dr Naswa.
Minoxidil works in 70% of cases where the patient has just started experiencing hair thinning due to hereditary reasons. However, it works well only if the patient has lost hair in the back (crown area) of the scalp. For those who have developed bald patches on their temporal area or in the frontal region of the scalp, it is not effective and can t help in enhancing those dormant hair follicles, adds Dr Naswa.
5. Stem cell therapies
This is a non-surgical therapy that claims to stimulate and even re-grow hair follicles. In this procedure, doctors transplant stem cells into the patient s bald patches and then those stem cells are supposed to grow into new hairs. In laboratory set-ups, doctors have even used the patient s own stem cells. However, other than the fact that this treatment is ridiculously expensive, Dr Naswa and Dr Kandhari agree that stem cell therapy is still in its infancy stage. Unless the FDA approves stem cell therapies for alopecia, the results are only anecdotal. It is only after at least four phases of clinical trials can a certain therapy be passed as effective for treating any health condition, says Dr Naswa.
When it comes to stem cell therapies, it is not yet in practice and is yet to enter the market on a full scale, so it is too early to tell about its effectiveness, she adds.
So far, one plant stem cell treatment known as Anagrow treatment or PCT Rejuva Max is widely available in India which contains extracts from Apple stem cell, Pea stem cell and Argan stem cell. Although it sounds promising, not a single paper of evidence supporting its use and it is not FDA approved. Also, there are no studies on the stability of these plant extracts at all, says Dr Kandhari.
6. Fiber implantation or Biofiber hair transplant
This procedure involves synthetic hair fibers being implanted on your scalp. However, using artificial hair fibers in hair restoration is a controversial one as various studies have found that using the foreign material on the scalp can actually cause skin conditions like recurrent folliculitis. This is yet another fad and it causes recurrent infections when the body rejects the artificial hair fibers, resulting in pus formation and eventually, it has to be removed, says Dr Naswa. It can also cause facial swelling, pain, severe itching, and scarring.
Other than this, Dr Naswa says the maintenance cost is high where the hairpieces have to be changed every 12-18 months. 'Another problem is, the hairpiece that is attached to already present hair follicles have a chance of causing loss of these hair by traction or pull, which is also known as tractional alopecia,' she says. Instead, you could try these 5 natural remedies for alopecia or hair loss.
Image Source: Shutterstock
