By Dr Chung WL 

Hair loss commonly seen at IYAC can be grouped broadly into 3 major causes:

1. Pattern Hair Loss, also known as Androgenetic Alopecia

• This is due to a very complex interplay of genetics & hormones.
   

2. Stress-related hair loss, also known as Telogen Effluvium

• Common stressors are nutritional deficits, recent health changes such as pregnancies & illnesses, & even mental/ emotional stress coupled with poor sleep
   

3. Senile hair loss, due to natural ageing

• Hair loss is often more noticeable during peri-menopause.
  

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• Of course, one’s thinning crown can be due to a combination of causes, so it’s essential to identify all possible causes to personalise treatment options & manage expectations.  It’s always a good idea to consult a doctor to exclude medical causes of hair loss & to seek help in the early stages before hair loss becomes irreversible.

• At IYAC, a clinical consultation & scalp analysis will help you to understand:
   

WHY

• Diagnose the root cause of your hair loss (genetics, hormonal or nutrient deficiencies?)
• Exclude serious medical causes
• Interpret your blood lab values (what is in the “acceptable range” is not necessarily optimal for hair growth)
   

HOW

• Choose the right combination of treatments for your diagnosis

For a thicker crown of hair, it’s about tackling as many factors in the hair cycle as possible, not just focusing on one aspect, for the best outcome.

• Optimise hair care at home
• Address nutritional needs & appropriate supplements

 

WHAT

Based on IYAC’s clinical experience, 3 treatments that have made an impact on our patients, especially for pattern hair loss, are:

–  5-in-1 Hair CPR

CPR – Think Comprehensive Painless Regrowth

This is our comprehensive, multi-functional & painless treatment protocol to boost local blood circulation + oxygenation & deliver growth factors to activate sluggish hair follicles. Reduce hair loss, promote hair regrowth & get a healthier, fuller scalp over 6 sessions.  

Experience the benefits of 5 types of hair-boosting technologies at each session – but with no needles, pain or downtime.

 – Autologous Micrograft Technology

Autologous Micrograft Technology is a minimally invasive hair loss treatment for pattern hair loss.  The 30-minute procedure uses the body’s own regenerative cells to signal the scalp for hair growth.

Small skin samples are taken from the back of the scalp, just behind the ears, & processed to extract a “super growth serum” of progenitor cells & growth factors. This serum is injected into thinning areas to stimulate dormant hair follicles, to grow more & thicker strands of hair.

 – Medications

To date, there are 2 medications FDA-approved for growing hair: finasteride & minoxidil.

These medications have been around for a long time, work well to grow hair for those with pattern hair loss, & are generally well tolerated. They are sometimes prescribed to augment the effect of treatments for those with advanced or stubborn hair loss.

The goal is to empower you with a clear understanding of the specifics of your diagnosis, including realistic expectations & treatment possibilities. This helps us to tailor a hair restoration plan that is aligned with your preferences and comfort level.

In the meantime, this article takes a deeper dive into pattern hair loss, a common & progressive condition affecting millions worldwide. If you suspect or have been diagnosed with pattern hair loss, read on to find out more.

 

What is Pattern Hair Loss?

Pattern hair loss is characterised by progressive thinning of hair. It occurs more frequently in males, but can also affect females. Epidemiological data suggest that 70% of men & up to 50% of women have some degree of baldness in the course of their lifetime. There is no single cause to pinpoint. Instead, pattern hair loss is driven by hormones, age & environmental stresses in someone genetically predisposed.

Hair loss can start as early as the late teens or early 20s. Most of our patients come to us in their late twenties & early 30s, when the thinning becomes more noticeable & frontal hairlines recede. 

True to its name, pattern hair loss is characterised by hair loss that follows very typical patterns.

Since the 1950s, various systems, including Hamilton’s, Savin’s, and Sinclair’s, have been developed to classify hair loss. No matter the names or systems, the broad principles are:

• For the gentlemen, the initial hair loss starts at the temples, forming a V-shape. The frontal hairline progressively recedes, forming an M-shape while the crown continues to thin out. A late-stage hair loss shows up as balding on the crown with a horseshoe-shaped rim of hair remaining on the sides & the back of the head.

 

• For the ladies, hair loss patterns are more varied- the hairlines may or may not be affected. The early stages may appear as more noticeable shedding from the bathroom floor count. For mid-stage, the temples may feel emptier when the hair is pulled back & the central hair parting looks wider. The late stage is when there is diffuse thinning throughout the scalp. In a way, nature has blessed the ladies & they seldom go Comprehensively bald.

 

Understanding the Causes

For someone genetically predisposed (look beyond the immediate relatives to see who else is balding), the main driving force is a testosterone-derived hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), so it’s no surprise that males are more afflicted & affected.

DHT shrinks & weakens hair follicles, resulting in fewer, shorter, thinner hairs. The process is known as miniaturisation. These hairs also tend to fall out earlier than their usual growth cycle.

Over time, the affected follicles may eventually stop producing hair altogether & close up, leaving a shiny bald scalp with little room for remedy & improvement.  

 

How do I Know if I Have Pattern Hair Loss?

At IYAC, we have a comprehensive hair analysis system to help identify the type & cause of hair loss – whether it is genetics, nutritional, stress-related, or disease-related. It’s like a health screening report for the scalp, detailing the distribution & percentage of thin, mid & thick hairs, as well as the state of the hair follicles. The balding scale is also reported to indicate the severity of hair loss.

 

Treatment Options

While pattern hair loss cannot be cured, we can control & slow the progression.

With appropriate & timely interventions, it’s possible to regain & maintain a fuller crown.

Hair grows approximately 1 cm per month, so patience is key.  Allow 4 to 6 months to appreciate the results from any given treatment.

 

The treatments detailed here are what we found impactful for those with mild to moderate hair loss, long before anyone needs to consider a hair transplant.

1. 5-in-1 Hair CPR

CPR – stands for Comprehensive, Painless, Regrowth.

This treatment protocol combines 5 technologies into each session to treat various types of hair loss.

Add in IYAC’s meticulous attention to care, & you get to relax into a 45-minute treatment that feels more like a sophisticated scalp massage.

No needles, no pain, no downtime.

This multi-step protocol, 6 sessions with 3-week intervals, was developed by Italian hair doctors & boasts the following 5 technologies:

This series of treatments is helpful for various hair loss conditions, including:

• Male & female pattern hair loss
• Stress-related
• Post-pregnancy
• Perimenopausal
• Hair shedding after illnesses 
   

For those who want to prevent hair loss, Hair CPR is a comfortable, proactive measure to maintain healthy hair.  Repeat a round of 6 sessions annually.

Find out more on our Hair CPR for hair loss here.

2. Autologous Micrograft Technology (AMT)

As they say, Nature knows best. Harnessing our body’s healing power, there is REGENERATIVE therapy.

AMT is effective and well-tolerated in treating pattern hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia. 

The procedure involves taking small samples from the back of the head to generate a “super hair serum” that is then injected into thinning areas.

3 small skin samples were extracted, well hidden behind the ear.

Image taken the day after the procedure.

The “super serum” containing progenitor cells, human exosomes, extracellular matrix & hair-specific growth factors – very natural, all from our body, exerts its effect deep down at the hair roots to:

• Reverse miniaturisation in pattern hair loss
• Push hair follicles to enter the growth phase

Clinically proven to:

3. Medications

The following two medications are US FDA-approved for treating androgenetic alopecia. They stop the progression of hair loss & induce hair regrowth.  

Clinical improvement is better appreciated after 1 to 2 years of treatment, & to maintain results, the meds should be continued consistently over time. Pattern hair loss will resume its course a few months after stopping meds.

• Finasteride: Available by prescription only, finasteride works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT. It is effective for men & is sometimes used off-label in treating post-menopausal pattern hair loss. Finasteride at 1mg is generally well-tolerated by most. Side effects, usually bedroom-related, such as libido, are uncommon & reversible.
• Minoxidil: Minoxidil prolongs the hair’s growth phase by improving blood flow & the local availability of growth factors. The issue with topical minoxidil is often compliance (it’s bothersome to apply daily) & scalp irritations.  There is a growing momentum for low-dose oral minoxidil (< 5mg daily) prescriptions as an effective & inexpensive alternative. Read more: Is Minoxidil Really Good for Hair Growth?

 

4. Oral Hair Supplements

Oral hair supplements, also known as nutraceuticals, can complement hair growth, especially when we are often overfed (on carbs & processed foods) & undernourished in our modern society.

For vitamins & minerals, iron, vitamin D & zinc are essential for hair. Have your blood levels checked at the doctor’s office to guide appropriate and targeted supplementation.

Proteoglycans are special complex proteins needed for structural support & regulation of growth factors in the hair follicles.  A decline in these special hair proteins due to ageing & inflammation contributes to hair loss.  Proteoglycans can be replaced through specific supplementation (such as Nourkrin) to restore hair follicle support.
 

If You Have Come Across These Terms & Want to Know More

Growth Factors

Think of growth factors as tiny protein messengers in the body. These proteins instruct cells what to do, like “wake up & grow” (shifts hair follicles from the resting (telogen) to the active growth (anagen) phase), “repair” (to create a healthier environment) or “make new blood vessels” (to deliver more oxygen & nutrients).   In the context of hair, growth factors are crucial for keeping the hair follicles healthy & active.  

Growth factors are found naturally in the blood.  They can be extracted as part of an autologous micrograft transplant procedure or synthesised in the lab & are often found in medical-grade growth serums.
 

Microneedling

Microneedling uses a microneedle-tipped device with ~ 1mm long needles that create numerous tiny punctures on the scalp, activating the scalp’s wound-healing response and resulting in the release of the body’s natural growth factors, which kickstart hair growth pathways. The microneedling process also enhances the efficacy of topically applied serums & medications, allowing these compounds to reach the hair follicles.

Low-level Laser Light Therapy

Low-level laser light therapy is a well-tolerated treatment for pattern hair loss in both men & women.  Studies have indicated that 650nm red light is one of the more effective & practical low-level lasers that promote hair regrowth, with anti-inflammatory benefits. Home-based devices, such as hair helmets and combs, can be helpful, but consistency is the key to their effectiveness.
 

DHT

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone derived from testosterone, is the primary driver of pattern hair loss in individuals with a genetic predisposition. DHT shrinks and weakens hair follicles, resulting in fewer, shorter, and thinner hairs, in a process known as miniaturisation. These hairs also tend to fall out earlier than usual. Over time, affected follicles may cease to produce hair altogether.

 

Conclusion

The key takeaway? You have options, including treatments that have no pain & no downtime. Early action increases your chances for successful hair regrowth. If you’ve noticed changes, don’t wait.

Contact IYAC to schedule your consultation & discover your personalised path to fuller, healthier hair.

Take control of your hair health journey today.

 

References:

1. Tosti A. Hair Facts. International Academy of Trichology
2. Aless&rini AM, Bruni F, Piraccini BM, Starace M. The Effectiveness & Tolerability of Preformed Growth Factors Vehiculated Through Iontophoresis on Patients with Androgenetic Alopecia & Telogen Effluvium: A Clinical Study. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2021 May 20;11(3)
3. Gentile P, Scioli MG, Cervelli V, Orl&i A, Garcovich S. Autologous Micrografts from Scalp Tissue: Trichoscopic & Long-Term Clinical Evaluation in Male & Female Androgenetic Alopecia. Biomed Res Int. 2020 Jan 27;2020:7397162