Hair loss is a common process. A normal person loses some strands of hair every day. If the hair fall exceeds the normal hair fall rate, then it is a cause for concern. If you look closely at the phases of the hair cycle, you will know that hair strands go through 3 phases during hair growth. Keeping that in mind, it is evident that around 10 per cent of our hair strands are going through either shedding or growing phase at a given point of time. Losing is not an issue, but it does become an issue if the loss is more than the growth. It could well mean that you have thinning hair or a balding head. The ultimate treatment of hair loss is hair transplant surgery. For understanding the process further, we should know how the hair’s growth cycle works-
Hair Growth Cycle
The cycle consists of three phases
Anagen: It is the first phase of hair growth. It signifies the phase in which the cells present beneath the hair follicles grow rapidly in number. It leads to the generation of hair bulbs. The bulbs further give rise to the new hair fiber. The hair fiber emerges out of the scalp after pushing the follicle up.
Catagen: It is the resting phase in which the hair remains attached to the follicle but doesn’t grow. The cell division process stops during this phase and it leads to the degeneration of hair.
Telogen: In this phase, the bulb reaches the end of the epidermis which results in the falling out of the hair strand. The hair may fall during washing or brushing.
After the hair strand falls, the bulb retracts and again goes through the anagen phase. The hair loss occurs when the hair fall during the telogen phase is extremely high. People with excessive hair fall may benefit from a hair transplant.
Stages of Hair Loss
People are rushing towards Hair transplant clinics as an increasing number of people are suffering from extreme hair loss. People are leaving no stone unturned in seeking medical help for their hair loss problem. Exactly when should you visit the hair specialist? We would like to specify the guidelines so that you don’t take the step too soon or too late. It depends on the stage of hair loss you are in. Consider the following seven stages of hair loss-
I: Minimal hair loss (losing 50-100 strands of hair every day, which is normal).
II: Hair loss at the temples (really insignificant!)
III: Thinning hair on the vertex accompanied by a receding hairline.
IV: A larger pattern of hair loss on the vertex and the hairline.
V: Patterns at both sites seem to be getting bigger with time. They are divided by a thin division line.
VI: The thin division vanishes, leaving behind many short fine strands of hair.
VII: Very little hair remains on the front or top area of the head.
Consult a doctor as soon as you feel that the hair loss is occurring at an alarming rate.
