A Brief History
In 2019, alopecia is one of the most widespread diseases all over the world. And although it is not a danger for human health, it affects the life of millions of people in many ways. It is estimated that almost 150 million people worldwide develop a serious form of alopecia throughout their lives: most of them are male individuals, but the number of women affected by the same condition is increasing dramatically year after year. The causes of this upsurge are many: air and water pollution, a more and more stressful lifestyle, an unhealthy and/or unbalanced diet.
Digging Deeper
Hair loss can affect people who suffer from it in many ways. Its effects may be noticed in particular into the social and psychological area: in fact, people affected by hair loss are often subject to relational issues, lack of self-esteem and a tendency to isolation. The results of it can be various.
- Circle of friends’ shrinking. The individual who suffer from alopecia can be pushed to isolate himself from his nearest and dearest. In general terms, having a hair loss problem pushes many individuals to not trying to cultivate old friendships and/or seek for new ones.
- Problems on the relationship with the opposite sex. People suffering from alopecia have more problems in getting in touch with the opposite sex, getting engaged and finally getting married. It is basically a matter of self-esteem, but also a social acceptance issue, since bald people are usually not considered handsome or pleasant.
- Troubles at work. Low self-esteem can also provoke a decrease of confidence, and this could affect the individual when he’s seeking for a qualified job. The most competitive workplaces are often out of reach, not for their physical appearance, but because the people suffering from alopecia do not look at themselves as a competitive option.
In order to avoid these troubles (and many others), the only solution is represented by a trichological treatment. In this sense we are lucky enough to live in an era where the most up to date techniques are available at more affordable costs than before. The most important things, for those who decide to undergo a hair loss treatment, are basically two.
- Being able to realize that a therapy for hair recovery means automatically a surgery. And a surgery means a post-operative course that could be of variable duration.
- Being aware to focus on what are the best techniques currently available on the market. Being able to discover the differences, and finally taking the right decision.
Currently there are two families of methodologies of hair loss surgical treatment: implant and transplant. Basically, they are both based on a filling of the scalp’s portion affected by alopecia. The hair transplant techniques use the patient’s hair, literally picked up from the most populated area of the scalp, to fill the affected area. While the hair implant uses a biocompatible material to replace the hair lost throughout the years. Both techniques are reliable, but the second one ensures a more rapid postoperative recovery.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Richard, Robert. The TRUTH about Hair Loss: What You Need to Know about Your Hair, Treatment, and Prevention. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by Welshsk of alopecia, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
