Autumn– is not only a golden time, the end of vacations and the beginning of studies, this is the season when hair loss intensifies. Up to two hundred hairs can be lost per day. But one should not panic; by winter the process should stop. If this continues, it makes sense to seek medical help. At the Bogoliuby MC, a dermatologist specializing in trichology consults on issues related to hair problems. And for a high-quality diagnosis, a trichogram is performed in the center.
Trichogram – is a procedure of the hair life cycle studying, which helps to assess the health of the patient and determine the main causes of possible alopecia. The trichogram itself is not difficult, but it requires compliance with certain procedural standards to increase the reliability of the results. For example, to avoid misinterpretation, the patient should not wash their hair a week before examination. Dyes should also be discarded for at least two weeks.
Hair life cycle
The trichogram is a fairly reliable test that allows you to identify any anomalies and changes in the normal life cycle. Let's recall that the hair cycle consists of three adjacent phases: anagen, catagen and telogen.
Anagen – is a growth phase, its duration is several months or even years. Anagen is a growth phase, its duration is several months or even years. Catagen - the phase of prolapse and atrophy of the hair papilla, lasts about two weeks. Telogen - the resting phase that precedes the catagen lasts about 100 days. All the hair that we observe on the comb and that fall out during the day is the hair of the telogen phase.
In a healthy person, 90% of the hair is in the anagen stage, 1-2% of the catagen, about 10% of the telogen. Numerous trichological studies have shown that with alopecia, the aforementioned ratio changes: the percentage of hair in catagen and anagen decreases and the amount of hair in the telogen phase significantly increases. For those who are not prone to alopecia, the new hairs are the same as the previous ones, in thickness and length. However, in balding patients, new hairs are characterized by a brief anagen phase, they become thinner and lighter. And, in the end, they degrade to colorless and fluffy.
Trichogram carefully examines the roots of the hair and calculates their amount present in various phases, followed by the calculation of relative percentages. These data, together with the medical history, are important data for making a correct diagnosis.
Types of baldness
In general, baldness is classified into two types: cicatricial and non-cicatricial. Non-cicatricial alopecia can still be reversible, but cicatricial is virtually incurable. Anagenic effluvium and telogen effluvium are of a non-scar type.
Anagen effluvium is characterized by hair loss in the amount of several hundred or even thousands of units in the growth phase. This condition usually occurs a few days after a particularly stressful event, a strict diet, poisoning, chemotherapy, exposure to ionizing radiation. Hair loss is self-limiting. If the provoking event does not recur, the hair grows back.
In telogen effluvium, two forms of hair loss are distinguished - acute and chronic.
The acute form is also caused by stressful short-term events. However, these events do not take place a few days, but about three months before baldness. Impressive hair loss can be the result of surgery, bleeding, and fever. This condition has a tendency to self-healing. In the chronic form of telogen effluvium, significant hair loss is permanent over a long period of time. This is more common in women. The main causes of the condition: frequent blood donation, mental illness, prolonged use of certain drugs (retinoids, interferon, heparin, some contraceptives).
Therapy for hair loss is usually long. If the diagnosis is determined correctly, and treatment is prescribed in accordance with the type of disease, then there is a significant chance of a positive result.
