Source: Xihai Metropolis Daily
At present, more and more people are starting to pay attention to the problem of hair loss. The hairline that is getting farther and farther away from the bangs area, the hair volume that is thinning day by day...... Hair loss that does not seem to directly endanger life and health makes many people fall into low self-esteem, which directly affects work and life.
Ruan Zhenqiang, deputy director of the medical department of Jinan Dermatology Prevention and Treatment Hospital, introduced that common types of hair loss include androgenetic baldness, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, anagen alopecia, forehead fibrous alopecia, cicatricial alopecia, etc., the most common of which is androgenetic alopecia.
People with hair loss are getting younger and younger
"Under normal circumstances, the number of hairs that a normal person loses per day is less than 100. If you lose more than 100 hairs a day for several weeks, you should be wary of hair loss. Ruan Zhenqiang introduced that there is a simple and easy way to judge: insist on not washing your hair for 5 days, gently pinch about 50 hairs with two fingers, and gently pull them, if more than 10% of the hair falls out, it is a little abnormal.
In fact, in recent years, hair loss has become a disease or sub-health problem.
According to the relevant data of the National Health Commission, more than 250 million people in mainland China are suffering from hair loss, with an average of 1 in 6 people suffering from hair loss, and the proportion of hair loss before the age of 30 is as high as 84%, and the age of hair loss is 20 years earlier than the previous generation.
The "2023 China Hair Healthy Lifestyle Blue Book" survey found that the age of groups concerned about hair health is gradually getting younger. 97% of the post-90s and post-00s are concerned about their hair health, and 74% and 73% of the post-90s and post-00s young people are troubled by hair health problems.
"There are many causes of hair loss, some are natural and physiological, and some are caused by diseases." Ruan Zhenqiang said.
Why does hair loss affect young people? Experts said that teenagers tend to be more curious, have weak self-control, and are in an unstable state of hormones, which can easily cause endocrine system disorders, increased androgen levels, strong scalp sebum secretion, and malnutrition at the hair roots. ”
According to Ruan Zhenqiang, androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in clinical practice. Androgenetic alopecia, formerly known as seborrheic alopecia or premature alopecia, is a common hair loss disorder that occurs during and after puberty.
Androgenetic alopecia generally begins to occur between the ages of 20 and 30 years, more in men than in women, and is characterized by a progressive decline in hair diameter and density, and in men it generally manifests as a receding forehead or temporal hairline, forming a characteristic "M" shaped appearance, with a gradual thinning of the hair on the top of the head; Women tend to show thinning hair on the top of the head, and there is basically no significant change in the frontal hairline.
In addition to this, it may also be accompanied by symptoms such as itchy scalp, increased dandruff, greasy hair, scalp odor, and folliculitis.
Androgenetic alopecia
Closely related to genetics
It is reported that the exact cause and onset of androgenetic alopecia are not well understood, and it is generally believed that it is caused by a combination of factors, including genetic factors, inflammation of the environment around the hair follicle, increased sensitivity of local scalp hair follicles to androgens, psychiatric and neurological factors, life and diet factors, environmental factors, and age.
The latest research has found that androgens can also induce DNA damage, cause premature aging of hair papilla cells, and promote the occurrence of inflammatory responses, local inflammatory responses, and can also induce hair loss.
The hair follicles of people with androgenetic alopecia are particularly sensitive to androgens, and when the levels of androgens in the body rise, the hair follicles are stimulated and gradually shrink, causing the hair to become thinner, softer, and eventually fall out.
At the same time, genetic factors also play an important role in the onset of androgenetic alopecia, and most patients with androgenetic alopecia have a family history of heredity.
According to the domestic epidemiological survey, 53.3% to 63.9% of patients with androgenetic alopecia have a family genetic history, which is significantly higher in the paternal line than in the maternal line.
In addition, the high pressure and fast pace of modern life have driven the trend of younger hair loss from the environmental level. Factors such as high mental stress and staying up late can cause androgen levels to rise, which can negatively affect hair follicles.
"Based on the patient's family history, thinning hair, dermoscopy, etc., the disease is not difficult to diagnose." Ruan Zhenqiang said that the main manifestations of androgenetic alopecia under dermoscopy are: different diameters and thicknesses of the hair shaft, an increase in the proportion of fine hair, brown peripilar signs can be seen in the early stage, yellow dots can be seen in the advanced stage, and empty hair follicle openings and scalp honeycomb pigmentation can be seen in severe patients.
Before medication
The first step is to identify the type of hair loss
The "hair volume anxiety" of some young people has led to high sales of products related to the treatment of hair loss.
In this regard, Ruan Zhenqiang reminded that the vast majority of hair loss diseases are preventable, treatable and controllable, and if you really have hair loss diseases, you should go to the dermatology department of a regular hospital as soon as possible.
For androgenetic alopecia, it is necessary to follow the principles of early, standardized, long-term, and combined treatment, and adopt comprehensive prevention and treatment methods.
For the treatment of androgenetic alopecia, the commonly used clinical methods include topical drug therapy, systemic drug therapy, low-intensity laser therapy, platelet-rich plasma injection therapy, hair transplantation, etc. One of the most commonly mentioned is the topical solution of minoxidil.
According to Ruan Zhenqiang, minoxidil solution is the first topical drug approved for androgenetic alopecia, and its mechanism of action may be by promoting vasodilation, which can directly dilate small blood vessels, increase blood supply to hair follicles, and promote neoangiogenesis; Promote the proliferation of a variety of hair follicle cells, inhibit apoptosis, etc. Minoxidil solution is generally divided into two concentrations, 2% and 5%, with women generally using lower concentrations and men using higher concentrations. The drug mainly achieves the purpose of hair growth by improving scalp blood circulation, promoting neoangiogenic production, and promoting the proliferation of a variety of hair follicle cells. Adverse effects such as hirsutism, contact dermatitis, headache, and hypotension may occur in a small number of people.
For male patients, finasteride tablets are the most commonly used oral medication, which reduces the concentration of dihydrotestosterone in the blood circulation and scalp, thereby restoring the growth of miniaturized hair follicles. Generally, after 6 months to 9 months of use, hair growth can be seen gradually, and the effective rate can reach 65%-90% after 1 year of medication, and it is recommended to use the drug for at least 1 year or more.
"Regardless of the medication used, the type of hair loss should be determined by the doctor before treatment." Nguyen Zhenqiang emphasized. According to the Qilu Evening News