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Hereditary Hair Loss Treatment

People may lose their hair due to disease, heredity, changes in hormonal balance, medical procedures such as chemotherapy or even a mental compulsion to pull the hair out, according to the Mayo Clinic. Patients for whom hair loss runs in the family can fight back against their genetic predisposition with certain medical treatments that slow or stop the hair loss. In some cases, these treatments can even allow new hair to grow in.

  1. Underlying Conditions

    • The Mayo Clinic lists two principal causes of hereditary hair loss. Androgenetic alopecia, also called pattern baldness, affects both men and women and new hairs fall out increasingly easily with age. Alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss, appears to have a hereditary component and people whose families have a history of the condition face an increased chance of experiencing the condition.

    Treatment Selection

    • Before starting a course of treatment, sufferers from hair loss must undergo diagnostic tests to determine the cause of the problem. According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors first determine if the hair loss follows a certain pattern, how quickly the problem has developed and other factors that might reveal the underlying cause. They may pull on the hair to see how much comes out or perform a skin biopsy to check for infections. Doctors also ask patients about their medical history, including any medications they take and whether they have lupus, diabetes, a thyroid problem or some other condition that commonly leads to hair loss.

    Medicines

    • The Food and Drug Administration has approved a few different medications for treatment of hair loss, some of which work on hereditary conditions. A cream called minoxidil, popularly known as Rogaine, fights hair loss in people with pattern baldness or alopecia areata. This medication stops hairs from falling out and helps new hairs grow as long as the patient keeps using it. Finasteride, also known as Propecia, works on pattern baldness in men only. This pill usually takes months to yield results. Corticosteroids or a drug called anthralin offer additional solutions for people with alopecia areata.

    Surgeries

    • Depending on the extent of the hair loss, surgical treatments stand a good chance of successfully repositioning healthy hair into formerly bald areas. Hair transplant surgeons take small pieces of skin containing healthy hairs from other parts of the scalp and implant them into a receding hairline to combat pattern baldness. A scalp reduction procedure involves removing the bald area and stretching hair-covered scalp skin into that area. Some patients opt for a combination of both procedures.

    Considerations

    • The Mayo Clinic notes that patients should try more conservative treatment options before resorting to expensive, painful surgery. Surgical hair loss treatments can lead to complications such as scarring or infection while taking up to eight months to present the final result, for better or worse. Patients who do not respond to hair regrowth drugs or who fear surgery can always consider wearing a toupee or wig as a simple non-medical alternative.

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