More than 250 million people in China suffer from hair loss

How to break the troubles of "baldness"?

(Health through train (stop 51))

　　According to data released by the National Health Commission in 2019, more than 250 million people in China are suffering from hair loss. On average, 1 in 6 people are troubled by hair loss. Even a large number of "post-90s" have joined the hair loss army.

　　How much hair loss per day counts as hair loss?

How does hair loss occur?

how to respond?

Our reporter interviewed Duan Xiaohan, a physician at the Department of Dermatology, Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Beijing, and asked her to answer questions.

　　"Every time I wash my hair, I feel that I don't use shampoo, but hair removal cream." "As soon as spring and autumn arrive, I will compete with my dog ​​to shed hair." "People who lose hair may all belong to dandelion."...These years, Hair loss has become a dull pain in many people's hearts.

Hair loss is normal, you need to be alert if you lose more than 150 hairs a day

　　"Hair also has birth, old age, sickness and death." According to Duan Xiaohan, each hair follicle will cycle through the three stages of hair growth, regression and rest.

　　"90% of the hair is in the growth phase for about 2-7 years, then enters a very short retrogradation period, and then enters a resting period of about 3 months. During this period, the hair basically does not grow and is about to fall off. After falling off, it enters a new round of growth. Cycle." Duan Xiaohan said, "A person has about 100,000 hair follicles. According to the growth period, based on an average of one thousand days, it is normal to lose about 100 hairs a day, which belongs to physiological hair loss. If more than 150 hairs are lost every day , You need to be alert for possible abnormal hair loss."

　　Most people can perceive changes in the number of hair loss every day through daily observation. If the hair volume is significantly reduced, the hairline moves back, the hair slits become wider, and the top of the head becomes thinner, it may be pathological hair loss.

"One thing needs to be explained. Girls' hair on both foreheads is originally thinner, and the growth period is relatively short. Sometimes it doesn't grow longer when it falls off, but most of it does not belong to pathological alopecia." Duan Xiaohan said.

　　How to judge whether one is physiological alopecia or pathological alopecia?

Duan Xiaohan introduced a simple judgment method: "Use your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to grab a bunch of hair from the root of the hair, about 50-60 hairs, and gently pull it along the hair roots. Generally, no more than 6 hairs will fall off. If there are 3— 6 or more, we must consider whether the current hair loss is active. "Of course, this detection method is not suitable for all hair loss, such as androgenic alopecia is difficult to detect this way.

If you can’t make a judgment, you can ask a dermatologist in a regular hospital to make a judgment with the help of professional methods.

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common and can occur in both men and women

　　"There are many kinds of hair loss diseases." Duan Xiaohan introduced that the most common is androgenic alopecia, which is more common in men.

The incidence in China is about 20% for men and 6% for women.

Androgenetic alopecia is mainly related to androgens and genetic genes. Androgens are catalyzed into dihydrotestosterone, which can make hair follicles miniaturized, long-term hair shortening, and hair thinning and shedding.

"Androgenetic alopecia begins to appear in puberty, and it can occur in both men and women, and it is progressive. It is recommended to diagnose as soon as possible without delaying the best time for treatment." Duan Xiaohan said.

　　Androgenetic alopecia is divided into male pattern alopecia and female pattern alopecia, both of which can be accompanied by increased secretion of scalp oil.

Generally speaking, male pattern alopecia is mainly manifested as "M-type" alopecia (that is, the forehead, bilateral frontal horns, and bilateral temples are moved back) and the top hair becomes thinner and alopecia.

Female pattern alopecia is manifested as diffuse sparseness between the top of the head and the hairline, the distribution line is widened, and the hairline is generally unaffected.

　　In addition to androgenic alopecia, telogen alopecia is also more common.

"Hair loss during resting period has many predisposing factors, such as mental stress, drugs, endocrine system diseases, postpartum, etc., which are more common in women." Duan Xiaohan said that another type of alopecia areata (commonly known as "ghost shaved") related to autoimmunity It is also common in clinical practice, with an incidence of about 2%, which can be manifested as round-shaped patches of hair loss, or as total loss of head hair (total alopecia), or whole body hair loss (general alopecia).

Early detection and early treatment are important to prescribe the right medicine

　　"Different types of hair loss have different causes." Duan Xiaohan introduced that in addition to androgens and genetic factors, there are autoimmune factors and other factors that cause hair loss.

Autoimmune factors are most represented by alopecia areata. Some patients may also have other autoimmune diseases, such as vitiligo and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

　　"Other factors include mental factors (trichotillomania caused by psychological factors), infections (damage of hair follicles caused by fungal or bacterial infections), drug-induced (chemotherapeutic drugs causing acute growth period hair loss), and other systemic disease-related hair loss (thyroid function Alopecia caused by abnormalities), etc.” Duan Xiaohan said that many of the above other factors may cause acute telogen alopecia, or may aggravate other alopecia diseases.

　　"There are also staying up late." Duan Xiaohan said that staying up late is a predisposing factor for mental or endocrine disorders, which can cause hair loss, such as telogen alopecia, and can also aggravate other alopecia conditions, such as androgenic alopecia.

Many external factors such as modern people's fast-paced life and high life pressure can also cause or aggravate hair loss.

　　"There are many reasons for hair loss. The key is to increase alertness, early detection, early diagnosis, finding out the cause, and symptomatic treatment." Duan Xiaohan emphasized that for most non-scarring alopecia, such as androgenetic alopecia is a progressive alopecia disease, early Intervention can effectively improve symptoms.

Acute telogen hair loss can effectively stop the hair loss after removing the cause, and it is reversible.

For cicatricial alopecia, it is impossible to regenerate hair after the hair follicle is damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to find out as soon as possible to "keep" the undamaged follicle.

There are many treatments, but eradication is still difficult

　　"There are abundant treatment methods for hair loss now." Duan Xiaohan introduced that traditional treatment methods include topical medicine, oral medicine, hair transplant technology is changing day by day, as well as platelet-rich plasma therapy, laser, low-energy light and targeted therapy from biological agents.

　　"Finasteride is a common oral drug, and minoxidil is a topical drug." Duan Xiaohan said that finasteride mainly treats androgenic alopecia; the specific mechanism of minoxidil is unknown, and it can increase blood flow and promote hair follicle blood circulation. And increase vascular endothelial growth factor to promote hair growth.

　　"In pathological alopecia, except for acute telogen alopecia (usually 6 months course), it is generally long-term. Once the drug is stopped, the alopecia will still progress." Duan Xiaohan said that the most common androgenic alopecia is progressive type "Even if you are bald, most of the hair loss patients will not affect their health. In this case, it depends on the patient's expectations for the hair and the enthusiasm for treatment."

　　"Hair transplantation is to transplant the patient's existing hair to the bald area. It is essentially'digging the east wall to fill the west wall'." Duan Xiaohan said that not all hair loss can be treated by hair transplantation. Hair transplantation for cicatricial alopecia needs to be cautious. Cases of increased hair loss induced after hair transplantation.

At the same time, hair transplantation needs to consider the severity of hair loss and whether the hair in the follicle area is relatively healthy.

In most male patients with androgenetic alopecia, the posterior occipital hair is not attacked by androgens and can be transplanted to the hair loss area.

However, female pattern hair loss is diffuse, and often the posterior occipital hair follicles are also affected and have microscopic changes. At this time, hair transplantation is not necessarily a good treatment.

　　Wang Meihua