Dr. Swetha T

1. PULL OUT A GREY AND 2 MORE WILL GROW ?

MYTH!
a single follicular unit may consist of 1 to 3 hairs or even more. Repeated pulling out of hair from the same follicle will induce trauma to the entire unit damaging and scarring the follicular unit as a whole - losing its ability to produce hair.
However, pulling out a grey in no way has the ability to convert an otherwise normal dark hair into a grey one unless there is ‘m a g I c’ involved


2. STRESS CANNOT INDUCES HAIR FALL ?

MYTH!
“Well if stress burned calories , all of us would be supermodels” -isn’t it?

Stress is blamed for many skin and hair problems and hair loss is generally one of them. But understand that
- Unless you were bedridden from high fever or infections
- You just delivered a baby
- You had a major surgery
It is not considered stress – ENOUGH to induce hair fall!! And there is absolutely nothing to worry as the excessive and sudden hair fall induced by stress called “Telogen effluvium” is reversible- YAY!! with the right supplements and support therapies off course.


3.ALL PATIENTS NEED TO BE TESTED FOR HORMONAL IMBALANCE?

MYTH!
)Hormone levels are usually tested on suspicion of hyperandrogenism which is seen in approximately 30-40% of female patients with receding hair line or widening of central partition(female pattern hair loss).

Only if you have other symptoms of androgen(testosterone) excess like excess hair growth on face, disturbed menstural cycles, recurring acne and thick hyperpigmented skin on your neck and axilla, hormonal testing is adviced.

Off course there are other hormones like thyroid which when disturbed can also contribute to hair fall or hair thinning.

4. May be its shaving! The more I shave , the more it grows?

NONSENSE!

5. TREAT YOUR HAIR WELL AND HAIR WILL NOT FALL ?

​Myth!

Oil well, massage well, use mild shampoos, go paraben free, deep condition your hair….WOWWWW imagine doing all of that…so much luxury!

But does that stop your hair fall?
Noooooo , even if you did all those things hair will still fall because hair is constantly in a cycle of growth(anagen), rest(catagen), dormant(telogen) and fall off(exogen).

FACTS:

* As much as we love for our hair to be in the anagen phase, it has to fall off for the newer follicle to kick in.

*The telogen phase usually lasts for 4-6 weeks after the growth has begun and at any given time, we find 10% -15% of the hair in our head in this stage.

*There are normally about 100,000 hair follicles in our scalp going through this cycle replacing all the hair on our scalp every 3-6 years . yessss!

When there is a disruption to this hair growth cycle in terms of “telogen effluvium” or damage done due to altered water, pollution, excess sun (uv damage), aggressive combing, vitamin deficiencies, more hair will enter the telogen phase resulting in a greater and significant hair loss (>150 hairs/day).

So what do you do???

“ Stay calm & Treat on”

just invest your time and money in the “right” and “essential” products for your hair and do what you do with oiling and massaging etc..


​​​​​​ DR. SWETHA .T
​​​ CONSULTANT DERMATOLOGIST AND
COSMETOLOGIST

Hello lybrate-user, I understand itching can be quite frustrating. However understand steroids are like alcohol. Once your skin is used to them, it becomes difficult to wean off. Before we start you will need to answer few questions like - is it just itching or along with rashes. Are you any other medications or treatments for other conditions. At an older age, itching could be due to many conditions and any system may be involved to cause itching. However primarily, consider it dryness due to age related factors where hyaluronic acid (water for your skin) along with ceramides and others are lost. Moisturise moisturise and moisturise - at least 3-5 times in a day and pls use a soap free cleanser. Thanks for your query.

Hello lybrate-user, hope you are well. I understand your concern. Yes diode laser is the standard treatmentfor hair removal laser. However there are other lasers like Nd YAG and IPL which works well as well. Usually a combination of 2 lasers are given to achieve the desired effect based on the type of hair and rate of hair growth. It is however not necessary to continue medication for the same. Also understand you will need a few sessions for the laser to target maximum hair follicles in the growing phase. Thank you.

Hi lybrate-user if you are so specific about the duration and severity of hair loss kindly consider identifying the trigger- any stressful event like viral infection or any disturbed physical health or even an emotional stress could be the cause. You will have to use medicated serums to reverse the condition and regain your hair. Thank you.

Hello lybrate-user you are taking the right oral medication but please refrain from using quadriderm topical cream- it will not help. Also the medications need to be taken for a longer term. Kindly consult with your Derm to adjust the dosage and change the topical cream to a plain anti fungal cream. Thank you and have an itch free day!

Hi lybrate-user, sudden hair loss usually indicates a history of stress either in the form of physical health issue/ mental health issue secondary to any infections or fever. Kindly take note of this. Usually the hair loss will resolve on its own when the stress is gradually relieved. You can take hair vitamins supplements as in addition to peptide serums to help prevent excess loss. Hope this helps.

Hi lybrate-user, kindly use creams containing salicylic acid and or benzoyl peroxide on your pimple. They would fade without any pigmentation issue as well.

Hello lybrate-user, kindly keep a check on your weight if you feel the tags are increasing in number as more weight more, hormonal changes, more pigmentation problems and skin tags/ it probably runs in your family. The only way to get rid of the already existing ones easily is by electrocautery.

Hi lybrate-user, its good to know you swim daily - tats the best fitness exercise. Some tips: 1.always wet your body and scalp before you enter the pool to soak up the water first rather than the chlorinated water. Always make sure to rinse post swim also. Now about the tan, make sure to wear waterproof sunscreen before and after swimming as well. You can also make sure to use a higher spf for the same. Make sure to give yourself a good oil and/or curd massage twice a week to further reduce from tanning. Take care.

Hello lybrate-user I understand oily skin can be quite a stress especially during summer. Please make sure to use cleansers which are labelled non- comedogenic and look for components such as AHA/BHA. To control your sebum/ oil production. Jajoba oil is good because by applying on your face you trick your skin into thinking there is adequate oil and so the glands refrain from producing more. Black spots on your face need medical treatment for which you will have to see your dermatologist/ book for an online consultation with your photo. Chemical peels are a good bet for both oiliness and pigmentation. T.c.