I don't know when hair problems such as poor hair quality, early gray hair, and hair loss have become more and more people's troubles, "I have become stronger and bald" has become a kind of self-deprecation for young people, hair care and hair transplantation have become a compulsory course for middle-aged people, and even wigs and wigs have become popular online shopping...... Does your hair have dry, split ends? Do you have gray hair? Are you suffering from hair loss? Don't worry, and listen to Dr. Duan Xiaohan, who specializes in hair diagnosis and treatment in the Department of Dermatology of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital affiliated to Tsinghua University.
What should I do if I often perm and dye my hair, and my hair is dry and split ends?
In the process of dyeing and perming hair, chemical or physical factors can cause damage to the outermost layer of the hair shaft, causing the hair to look dry and split ends, and straightening the hair will also damage the elasticity of the hair and make the hair more prone to breakage. It is worth noting that there are many other causes of dry hair and split ends, such as sunlight and ultraviolet rays, excessive washing, using hard water with more soluble calcium and magnesium compounds, and physical damage such as using electric splints, hair extensions, braiding, etc.
Therefore, the focus of scientific hair care is mainly in three aspects:
First, avoid long-term sun exposure to your hair, and you can wear hats, umbrellas, etc. to protect your hair from the sun;
Second, wash your hair properly and choose the right toiletries. It's summer, and I wash my hair once a day in a humid environment; When dry, reduce the number of times you wash your hair, such as once every two to three days. It is generally recommended to blow dry after washing, comb normally, and do not let the water remain in the hair, otherwise it is easy to cause the hair shaft to swell and break. Shampoo products contain surfactants (detergents), stabilizers and other elements, choose shampoo products with moderate cleaning power, excessive cleaning can easily cause dry scalp and cause irritating dermatitis. Remember: if your hair follicles are healthy, you don't need to deliberately choose a shampoo product, it is simple and not complicated, but it can reduce the burden on the scalp. After shampooing, you can add conditioner, and after washing, you can use external vegetable oil, mineral oil, etc. to protect the hair skin;
Third, avoid excessive hairdressing projects. Generally speaking, hair dyeing or perming will not cause hair loss, but in order to protect the hair quality, it is recommended to choose a hair dye or perm that will not cause scalp allergies, and it is relatively reasonable to dye and perm hair 1-2 times a year. If you need to dye your hair frequently, it is recommended to choose a temporary hair dye, because this type of hair dye has relatively large particles and is not easy to penetrate the hair cuticle into the hair shaft.
What should I do if I have gray hair at a young age?
The most important reason for growing gray hair is "aging". Studies have shown that Asians begin to develop gray hair around the age of 40. By the age of 50, 50% of people will have half of their hair gray.
Those who develop gray hair before the age of 25 are called "juvenile white", and several large-scale studies have found that juvenile white is most associated with family genetic background, and the probability of developing juvenile white is the same for men and women.
In addition to genetic background, several studies have shown that the following factors can also affect graying hair: thyroid dysfunction, pernicious anemia, impaired pituitary gland function, autoimmune diseases such as alopecia areata, vitiligo and Progeria syndrome, and low calcium, low iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels are also associated with gray hair. In addition, studies have found that people who smoke develop gray hair earlier are 2-4 times more likely than non-smokers; In addition to causing or aggravating hair loss, increased mental stress may also cause hair to turn white; Cardiovascular disease, alcoholism, obesity are also associated with gray hair.
Here is a special note on acute diffuse alopecia areata, commonly known as "ghost shaved head", which is an autoimmune disease of acute alopecia and a reversible hair loss disease.
Hair aging is inevitable, and from a medical point of view, it is almost impossible to turn black after a gray hair. At present, it may be better to choose a safe hair dye to cover gray hair. However, if you have more gray hair in a short period of time, or if you have more gray hair before the age of 25 without a family background of "juvenile whiteness", it is recommended to see a dermatologist to rule out other systemic diseases.
Remember! Don't believe in the folk "special medicine" for treating gray hair, which may further damage the hair follicles or more seriously directly damage the liver and kidney function. It is also not recommended to forcibly pluck white hair, and the hair will be white if it grows out, although there will be no phenomenon of "pulling one and growing three", but due to long-term repeated hair pulling, it will easily cause inflammation of hair follicles, and even hair can not grow back after destroying hair follicles.
Hair loss, what to do?
Depending on the number of hair follicles and the hair growth cycle, it is normal to lose 50-100 hairs a day. If more than 100 hairs fall out every day, you're at high risk of hair loss. It is recommended that you spend a week observing the number of hair loss per day, and you can also do a simple "hair pulling test" by yourself before washing your hair, that is, you can brush your hair from root to bottom with your hands, and lose more than 3-5 hairs to indicate a tendency to hair loss.
There are many types of hair loss diseases. The most common of these is androgenetic alopecia, which is more common in men, with an incidence of about 20% in men and about 6% in women in mainland China. Androgenetic alopecia is mainly associated with androgenic and genetic factors.
In addition, telogen effluvium, which is also more common in women, is triggered by mental stress, medications, endocrine system diseases, postpartum, etc. Another autoimmune-related form of alopecia areata is also clinically common, with an incidence of about 2% and can manifest as oval-like patches of alopecia, total loss of hair on the head (alopecia totalis), or loss of hair from the whole body (alopecia universalis).
There are many types of alopecia, and it is difficult to diagnose and treat, so early prevention, early diagnosis, and early intervention are the key points. Prevention: normal diet, regular work and rest, no partial eating, no intense weight loss. There are many clinical treatment methods, such as external drugs, oral drugs, common oral drugs are finasteride, and external drugs are minoxidil. There are also platelet-rich plasma therapy, lasers, low-energy light-to-biologics targeted therapies, and more. However, it is important to identify the cause of hair loss and let a professional physician choose the appropriate treatment plan for the individual.
There are two main trends in the folk treatment of hair loss: one is dietary therapy, for patients with androgenetic alopecia, it has been medically proven that ginseng, saw palmetto, rosemary, green tea, licorice, and pumpkin seeds can inhibit androgens from attacking hair follicles, but the effect is relatively weak, and further research needs to be confirmed how much to eat to be effective; One is a variety of anti-hair loss, hair growth products, now there is more medical evidence is that the shampoo contains ketoconazole ingredients, androgenetic alopecia patients have the effect of inhibiting hair loss, but the effect is weak, and the external wash absorption is limited, for androgenetic alopecia patients, the important thing is to cooperate with other treatments, in order to effectively prevent hair loss.