How Drug Abuse is related to Hair Loss?

Recreational drugs are very common in this 21^st century. Knowing the fact that it harms your body you still want to get high. But do you know that apart from your physical health (which you think you can handle) they even affect your hair. Now how cool is that?

 

Drug addiction and chronic substance abuse not only affects your physical health but also affects your hair. Hair is an important part of our culture, both among men and women. In the process of ageing hair loss is an integral part which people try to avoid the hardest. Constant intake of alcohol and drug leads to a series of health issues including affecting the hair health and people taking drug fail to realise. Even if they do they still can’t get out of it as the stage they realise it’s already too late. The best hair transplant clinic in Kolkata will explain how drug abuse depletes the hair health.

 

How Drug addiction affects the hair?

There are various reasons why drug abuse affects hair health. Strange changes in physical appearance are quite noticeable in person going through regular drug or alcohol abuse. Also unhealthy hair is very prime symptom of drug abuse.

A very common side effect of drug abuse is anxiety. When a person is suffering from anxiety he/she starts to pull his/her skin or hair without even their knowledge. Constant pulling of hair damages the hair follicles and make them traumatized.The hair follicle is where the hair grows out of and anchors the hair to the scalp. If the follicles get damaged the person has a high chance of permanently losing hair on that spot. There are few drugs that acts as nervous hair pulling stimulant like:

Cocaine

Methamphetamine

Adderall (and other ADHD medications like Ritalin, Vyvanse, or Concerta)

Crack

People who are constantly into drug abuse, invests most of their time in taking drugs and doing nothing. Resulting to which they forget to take care of their basic hygiene like cleaning up or to take a bath. Washing hair and taking care of hair are in the lowest row of their priority list hence leading to hair damage and chronic hair loss.

 

Taking care of hair includes washing them, using shampoos, brushing them properly which cleanse the dead skin off the scalp and removing already fallen (or about to fall) hair strands. When none of these are done the dead skin starts to accumulate and leading to seborrheic dermatitis, in other words dandruff which causes itching in the scalp. Eventually the hair gets picked up one way or other and may lead to permanent hair loss.

Drug abuses, chemical changes and other causes of Hair loss

The drug abuse and hair loss is more complicated than just not washing your hair. People suffering from drug abuse goes through drastic psychological and hormonal changes which has various negative effects on the body.

Hair growth is a sensitive physiological process. When a person gets stressed the process gets disrupted and hence the hair growth doesn’t happen in the way they are supposed to. Drug abuse causes anxiety and anxiety results in taking drugs again to get a temporary relief and it becomes a loop. That’s how drug addiction works. Chronic drug abuse makes the body adapt to higher level of toxins which means they need higher doses and frequency of drug abuse to achieve the same effects.

Studies show that constant drug abuse at high level damages the keratin in the hair. Keratin is the protein that makes the hair strong and thick. When it gets damaged the hair becomes weak and brittle and ultimately falls off.

 

Drug abuses and stress induced hair loss:

Stress induced hair loss also known as Telogen Effluvium. It is very common in drug abusers as they go through mental and physical stress.  When the body is under stress, it puts all of its resources to the vital organs. Since hair is not that important, the body keeps it in a resting phase which means in that time span no new hair will grow and the other falls out prematurely.

People who abuse drugs might be overly stressed for a variety of reasons, ranging from emotional or mental struggles to problems within relationships or finances. As a result, stress is just another way that drug abuse causes hair loss.

People suffering from telogen effluvium doesn’t go through permanent hair loss. As soon as their mental state comes to normal the hair’s resting phase end and it again enters the regular hair cycle.

 

How to reduce the negative consequences?

You cannot just stop the negative consequences of drug abuse, to stop the negative consequence you have to stop drug abuse. The only way to ensure that addiction stops having negative effects on hair growth is to seek treatment for substance abuse. Even if you don’t think it will happen to you, drug abuse can cause hair loss. However, getting sober will reduce the physical strain being out on the body.

In addition to helping with physical changes, inpatient addiction treatment programs provide comprehensive therapy that includes stress management techniques. By learning new ways cope with anxiety, stress, and other emotions, you will not only learn to stay sober but to begin improving your hair health as well.

 

HAIR TRANPLANTATION SURGERY – HOW IT ALL BEGAN?

Hair transplantation surgery is one of the most common cosmetic surgery that is performed in these days as hair loss has become an enraging problem in this 21^st century. No one wants a patchy scalp or a shining bald in their late twenties or early thirties hence hair transplant in Kolkata has become very popular. But ever thought how it all started?

 

Way back in 1987, Menaham Hodara, an ottoman surgeon, successfully implanted hair on a patient, taking from the unaffected part of the scalp on a scar that was left by favus, a disease usually affects the scalp, but occurring occasionally on any part of the skin, even on the mucous membranes.

 

In the year 1939, Dr. Okuda first documented his surgical attempts to restore hair in burn victims. He used a “punch technique” to extract skin with hair cells and then implanted them in the scarred areas of the patient. After recovery hair continued to grow on those scarred areas.

 

In 1943, a Japanese dermatologist named Dr. Tamura refined hair transplantation surgery with finer grafts consisting of 2-3 hair strands, a process similar to the ones used today. But their efforts did not receive worldwide attention at the time, and the traumas of World War II kept their advances isolated for another two decades.

 

Later on in 1953 a Dermatologist from New York, Dr. Norman Orentreich while experimenting with free donor grafts with a patient suffering from male pattern baldness successfully implanted the hair grafts. Previously it was thought that the graft from the donor site will turn out to be same like the hair fell out when implanted in the recipient site. Dr. Orentreich demonstrated that the hair from the donor site are “donor dominant” and will act the same as it was supposed to act in its original position.

 

Advancing the theory of donor dominance, Walter.P.Unger defined the parameters of the “Safe Donor Zone” from which the most permanent hair follicles could be extracted for hair transplantation. As transplanted hair will only grow in its new site for as long as it would have in its original one, these parameters continue to serve as the fundamental foundation for hair follicle harvesting, whether by FUTor FUE.

 

In the next 20 years there was no development. Each and every experimentation failed and the end results turned out looking too artificial using the plug technique. Then in 1980’s the strip technique was introduced which replaced the plug technique.Carlos Uebel in Brazil popularized using large numbers of small grafts, while in the United States William Rassman began using thousands of “micrografts” in a single session.

 

The follicular unit transplant technique has evolved since and became much more refine and precise. Much lesser incisions are made along with more number of grafts are implanted in a single sitting. Surgeons have devoted much more time and attention to improve the technique considering the least incisions and discomforts to be made with the patients.

 

Currently there are two procedures that are used to transplant hair. FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) and FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant). In FUT a strip is extracted from the back of the head which is then dissected into individual graft which is them implanted in to the affected area. Whereas in case of FUE individual hair follicles to be removed from the donor area. They are transplanted to the balding area without causing any type of linear scar on the scalp.

What is the Best Hair Transplant Method for Me?

Since you have come this long in search of your hair restoration method, you definitely know what hair transplant surgery is. But to be clear let’s understand the techniques and some details about hair transplant surgery in Kolkata.

 

Hair transplant surgery is kind of cosmetic surgery where the hair follicles are taken out from the back or side of your head (also known as the donor area) and inserted to the area where there is no hair follicles. This surgery is successful in the case of Androgenic alopecia where the balding has occurred to the crown of the head leaving the back and sides intact.

 

Cases of people suffering from hair loss has significantly risen in the last couple of years due to various factors. And so does the solutions to hair loss. But unfortunately all they do is take your money down the sewage and give you false hope. But there is good news that medical science have come up with new techniques to actually solve the problem to get real and long-lasting solutions.

These techniques and technologies can be surgical and non-surgical method of hair restoration based on the severity of your hair loss.

 

Non-Surgical method of Hair restoration

Let’s get some facts straight, products like specialty shampoos, supplements and leave-in products are not going to show instant results. Actually nothing will show immediate results but since we are keeping this medical so we will rule out these products.

Medications and medical products will show results if you start to use them on the early period of your hair loss. Medications can slow down or reverse the hair loss process by improving hair growth and fullness in surrounding follicles that are not totally dormant.

 

According to FDA’s approval there are two types of medication that is used to treat male pattern baldness: androgen dependent and androgen independent.

 

Androgen dependent medication: Finasteride, works by stopping the action of an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase which converts testosterone into DHT (Dihydrotestosterone), which is an element that shrink the hair follicles eventually making the hair thin, grey and prone to breakage.

 

Androgen independent medication: Minoxidil, work by dilating small blood vessels in the body. While it is still unknown why this stimulates hair growth, it has been shown to provide hair regrowth in around 40% of men after three months and will continue to support hair growth while the medication is being taken. Unlike androgen-dependent medicines, androgen-independent medicines can be used by women.

Supplements:

There are a variety of dietary supplements and vitamins available in the market but no clinical studies have shown that it can actually restore hair. People who have hair loss in their genetics and still haven’t seen any sign of hair loss or thinning can apply these products and they might get results.

 

Surgical Method of Hair Restoration

For the people who have experienced significant amount of hair loss, the surgical mode of hair restoration is the only option they can go for. There are two types of hair transplant surgery, FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant) and (Follicular Unit Extraction).

 

Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT): This method of hair transplant involves taking a strip of skin from the back of your head where the hair is fuller and healthy. The strip is then separated in individual tissues containing the hair follicles and prepared for transplantation. During the process tiny individual holes are made in the recipient site where you are experiencing balding. Then the grafts are individually places in those holes.

This method of transplantation has great end results and much long lasting. More number of grafts are achievable in a single sitting in this method. Though this method has some downside like the scar on the back of the head will remain for life time and while recovering both the sites needs to be taken care of.

 

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE): FUE involves harvesting hair follicles from a donor site at the back of the head and moving them to create a fuller, natural-looking hairline. Unlike FUT, this method doesn’t involve removing a strip of tissue from the back of the head but rather collecting individual hair follicles directly from the scalp and inserting them into small incisions made in the recipient site.

 

What to choose?

Again coming to back to where we started, depending on the condition of your hair loss the necessary procedure has to be applied. If the hair loss has become quite significant then there is no other way except surgical method. But even in this case various factor involves like the toughness of the scalp, the intensity of hair loss and few others. Consulting to the right surgeon will give you the clear idea what you should go for and the “pros and cons” of both the method of transplant.

FUT or FUE? Which One Should You Choose?

Hair transplant is the permanent solution to for people suffering from hair loss. Now there are two different techniques in which hair transplant in Kolkata is performed. So you need to understand what method is suitable for you.

FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant)

In this method of hair transplant, a strip is extracted from the donor site which is the back of the scalp as it contains the healthier and thicker hair. The strip is then meticulously separated into each grafts of follicular units comprising one to four hair stands. The grafts are then inserted into the affected area.

The donor area is then stitched up and covered with the surrounding hair. General studies say FUT procedure gives access to higher donor yield area compared to FUE. While going through this method of hair transplant the patient doesn’t need to shave their head. It gives a fuller and denser look as maximum number of donor grafts can be extracted in this method. Also this method of transplant is cheaper than FUE.

FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction)

Unlike FUT, there is no concept of cutting strip whereas the individual hair follicles are extracted from the donor area using a punch of 0.8mm to 1mm diameter. The follicles are then inserted to the affected area. This method of hair transplant is generally opted for the patients requiring lesser number of grafts. This method doesn’t leave any linear scar but tiny dots in the scalp from where the donor grafts are extracted.

Now both of these methods are approved and safe but it depends upon the condition of the patient which method of hair transplant is suitable. A lot of factors need to be considered. Still worried? Visit us and the experience the consultation from the best hair transplant clinic in Kolkata.