Teen Health Issues

Hair loss or baldness is no more a problem in adults only. Even teenagers can be worried suffering from hair fall and is often a sign of some problem in the body. Sickness or diet problems are some of the obvious causes of hair loss in teens. Wearing different kinds of hairstyles that pulls on the hair can also cause hair fall. Braids is a common example of such a case. Teens may get stressful about their appearance but more often it is seen that if any sickness has caused hair fall, then hair may grow back after the symptoms are corrected.

What Do You Know About Hairs ?

Hairs are made of Keratin, a protein. A single complete hair has 3 parts; a hair shaft, a root and a hair follicle. The part that shows is the hair shaft. The root is located below the skin surface. Hair root grows from the hair follicle. Melanin is the color pigment present at the lower end of the follicle. This is called the hair bulb. Loosing about 50-100 hairs a day is normal as they can grow back in the same follicle. So there is no need to worry much. But losing hairs more than this can be little worrisome.

How To Take Care Of Hairs ?

• Diet is the basis of a healthy life. A healthy body is not only reflected with disorders and medical conditions; but our skin, face and hairs also speak about our health. A balanced and nourished diet is very essential to benefit our hairs and body.
• Baby shampoo is the best product to reduce hair fall occurring due to improper care. Use shampoo in alternate days forming gentle lather and rinsing with warm water.
• Avoid rubbing vigorously with hand and also with towel.
• Avoid shampooing very often (more than once a day).
• Do not use blow dryer for wet hairs. Air drying is the best option for your hair. If you catch cold, then perform drying at the lowest heat setting with a blow dryer.
• Go for styles only when your hairs are dry or damp. Styling on wet hairs is not advisable as it can cause stretching and breakage of the hairs.
• Do not encourage hair teasing as it can also cause hair loss in teens.
• Restrict frequent use of chemicals on hairs.

What Can Doctors Do ?

A doctor will ask several questions regarding your medical history, family history and perform examination of the scalp. Hair samples may be taken to test for presence of any medical complications.

• If the physician finds medication as the cause, then he may suggest you to discontinue the drug or replace your medicine with a safer one.
• Hair loss occurring due to endocrine condition requires proper treatment and medical control over the symptoms.
• Physician may suggest some hair growth products like minoxidil to speed up the hair production.
• Corticosteroids may be recommended to treat Alopecia areata.
• A dietitian or a nutritionist may be consulted if nutritional deficiencies causes the hair loss in teens.
• Catastrophic Hair Loss – Loss of hairs can be an outward sign to sickness. It can be scary too. Employing chemotherapy to treat cancers can cause severe damage to hairs. People prefer cutting their hairs short or completely shaving their heads before their hair starts falling following a session of chemotherapy. Wig is an effective alternative to boost your self-esteem. Other options like hats, hair wraps or baseball caps are also good.