The causes that determine hair loss in men and women
Hair loss: androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata
Finding a cure for baldness, preventing hair loss, or finding the solution to thinning hair in a crystal ball has long been a major challenge for researchers and doctors. Surgery has provided the possibility of using the transplant and implanting the hair or of using advanced surgical methods but it is still an operation with a high risk of failure and possible post-surgical side effects associated with very high costs not within everyone’s reach.
Androgenetic alopecia, also known as baldness, is a type of hair loss due to a susceptibility of the hair follicle to miniaturization due to genetic causes.
It affects 50% of men and 20% of women at some stage in their lives. Men typically experience a receding temple hairline and vertex hair loss, while women typically experience widespread thinning throughout the crown. Both genetics and environmental factors play a significant role, however the underlying cause remains unknown. Androgenic hair loss in men begins above the temples and in the center of the skull, also called calvaria . As it progresses, a streak of hair at the sides and back of the head is retained. This condition is referred to as the “Hippocratic crown,” and rarely progresses to complete baldness. Androgenic alopecia in women is colloquially referred to as ‘female pattern baldness’, although its characteristics can also occur in men. It usually causes widespread thinning without hairline recession, and like its male counterpart rarely leads to hair loss.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease of the hair bulbs (abnormal reaction of the immune system which recognizes the hair bulbs as foreign and affects them), sometimes associated with other autoimmune diseases (thyroid, gastritis, vitiligo).
Alopecia areata, formerly called area celsi , is a condition in which the sudden loss of hair or other body hair typically occurs in hairless patches or areas, hence the name. Usually the first patches appear on the scalp and, in most cases, resolve spontaneously, without showing signs of scarring. In about 1% of cases, the pathology can extend to the entire scalp (alopecia totalis, at ) or to the whole body (alopecia universalis, au ) with the total loss of all body hair. This pathology was already known in the times of the ancient Egyptians.
The etiology and pathogenesis of this manifestation are not clear, there are various hypotheses that are being studied in the medical literature:
- According to the most accredited theory, an anomalous immune reaction would be produced capable of transiently and locally damaging the hair follicles.
- It would also be linked to genetics, in fact this condition seems to affect people who have a genetic predisposition, and the most modern clinical trials are moving in this direction.
- Psychological stress is never the cause but at most it is seen as an element that worsens the pathology, few studies have been done to understand what the exact correlation is. Conversely, alopecia can certainly be the cause of psychological stress.
Plasma treatment (PRGF®) against baldness and alopecia
Since blood plasma treatment has proved so effective in numerous branches of medicine such as dentistry, dermatology, orthopedics and ophthalmology, studies were conducted on its application on the scalp a few years ago. These studies have shown that treatment with plasma rich in platelet growth factors works against male and female alopecia as well as simple baldness, even when it is a genetic condition. In the treatment with prgf ®, i.e. using the plasma obtained with a simple venipuncture from the arm of the patient to be treated, the restoration of the blood vessels and the hair itself is stimulated, thanks to the concentration of growth factors, injected into the scalp. The method is the same used to rejuvenate the skin and has proved to be very effective in the treatment of baldness and thinning hair.
Plasma with platelet concentrates
the safe and effective solution against baldness
For all these reasons, patients are looking for a simple, risk-free treatment that does not cause post-surgical or systemic side effects and that is exactly what plasma treatment rich in platelet growth factors offers.
The patient’s blood is centrifuged, in order to separate the platelet-rich plasma, it is then injected into the scalp, where the platelets release the growth factors which, as we know, stimulate the revascularization of the treated area and prolong the recovery phase. hair growth. After the treatment the hair appears thicker, fuller and of better quality: numerous scientific studies have shown that this technique increases the quantity of follicular units and this is the true proof of the effectiveness of the treatment. For men, the treatment is best suited in the initial stage of hair loss, for women it is suitable at all stages. It is necessary to carry out 3 plasma treatments with an interval of 3/4 weeks, to obtain the best results.
