Dermatologists point out that hair volume will decrease with age, but if the top of your head looks bald visually, there may be a cause of baldness. (Photo by Du Yishen) (The picture is a situational photo and has nothing to do with the person in the photo)
Many elders will lament that “as we get older, our hair becomes less and less.” However, dermatologists point out that although hair volume will decrease with age, if the head looks bald visually, it may not be just aging. For example, the common “male baldness” is related to hormones. About 30% of men and 20% of women in China have it. However, they mistakenly think it is normal aging and may miss the golden treatment period. The later the treatment, the more difficult it is to recover.
Yang Chaojun, director of the Dermatology Department of National Cheng Kung University Hospital, said that not everyone will go bald as they get older. If the hair looks obviously sparse and bald, there may be a baldness disease behind it. The most common one is male baldness. Male baldness is related to genetics. When male hormones are secreted too much locally or have abnormal metabolism, resulting in increased overall activity, hair follicles will shrink.
Yang Chaojun said that male baldness is not uncommon clinically. There are 3 out of 10 men and 2 out of 10 women. Due to the shrinkage of hair follicles, the hair on the forehead and top of the head will become thinner, less or even bald, leaving only The hair on the lower side and back of the head. Male alopecia can be divided into 7 stages. Although there is currently no cure, drugs can be used to slow down the progression and there is a chance to return to stage 1.
“The later the treatment, the less likely to come back!” Yang Chaojun said that the second and third phases are the best time for treatment. The former is when the hairline on the forehead starts to go up and the sides start to form an M shape, while the latter is when the hairline on the top of the head starts to appear. The hair on the scalp begins to decrease and gradually leads to Mediterranean type baldness. Treatment methods include oral medicines and topical drops, which require long-term use. However, oral medicines are only approved for use by men, and a small number of patients will have side effects of sexual dysfunction.
Other common baldness conditions include alopecia areata and telogen effluvium. Yang Chaojun said that alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. T cells mistakenly attack hair follicles as enemies, causing hair to break and fall easily. Within a few weeks to a few months, one or several patches may appear on the head. Alopecia, which can range from coin-sized to total baldness, must be treated with immune-modulating drugs such as steroids and JAK inhibitors.
Telogen telogen hair loss is caused by certain external factors that affect the hair follicle growth cycle. Yang Chaojun said that the hair cycle from growth, degeneration to resting period is about 2 to 6 years. Under normal circumstances, each hair has a different cycle and will not fall out at the same time. However, it may occur after a serious illness or psychological trauma. It affects the regulation of cytokines or hormones, causing a large number of hairs to enter the resting phase at the same time.
Yang Chaojun gave an example. Common causes of telogen effluvium include COVID-19, dengue fever, etc., or after childbirth or vaccination. They usually occur 2 to 3 months after the event. Since the hair follicles themselves are not damaged, but are only subject to cyclic changes, they usually return to normal after about half a year, and no special treatment is required.
2024-04-06 20:10:00
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