Disability Resource Directory

Research into Hair Loss

Seeing hair loss in patients is demoralizing for the medical profession.  Feeling relatively helpless with limited treatment options, it is usually simply a case of reassuring patients their symptoms are not serious, and will subside within a few months as hair regrowth takes its course.  Having said that, there is a great deal known about the causes of hair loss, allowing for particularly effective diagnosis of the varying degrees and types of the condition, which is opening the doorway to new treatments for patients suffering from these symptoms.

For conditions like folliculitis which cause hair damage and hair loss, there is a great deal of progress being made on the medicinal front, with new treatments under investigation to sooth and curb the scalp irritation and sores which cause the hair loss.  Furthermore, research is underway into further underlying causes of the condition, and the impact of personal stress and trauma and a potential link between the two.  The same can be said for Alopecia Areata, for which researchers are focusing efforts into finding more effective treatments for the root causes, rather than just treating the symptoms. 

Likewise, research funds are being ploughed into areas such as the chemical causes of hair loss, and the logic behind TE(Telogen Effluvium), whereby hair is forced into an early resting phase as a result of some form of stress or great discomfort.  It is also of interest to see the progress of hair during this resting phase, and to learn more about the natural hair growth cycle and how certain hair loss symptoms interact with that.

Also under scrutiny is the potential for reversing the TE phase, to retain hair, which is a phenomenon often caused by hormonal imbalances in pregnant women,  Although this raw link is obviously problematic, research is being conducted into potential ways to help patients with these symptoms through similar hormones responsible for retaining hair.

In the mean time, patients can take comfort knowing that wig technology is advancing at an ever increasing rate.  Wigs, which were before uncomfortable and of poor quality, are now becoming more and more effective and user-friendly, with synthetic fibrous technologies working to ensure a more realistic appearance.  They are also now significantly less irritating to the scalp, which until recently was a problem for many.  It is reassuring to think of the realism in five or ten years, by which time there will hopefully be some form of more effective treatment for the underlying causes of these symptoms.

If you are at all curious about hair loss, or the various conditions from which you may be suffering, a good starting point would be the internet.  There are vast amounts of information present surrounding conditions, their treatments and current research which should serve to further inform you about developments with your condition.  Alternatively, your doctor will be able to give you advice on suitable treatments, and provide information on potentially new treatments for these symptoms, and the conditions which ultimately cause their appearance.

Hair loss news on the Web