Since hair is a very important part of a woman's body image, women are more likely to go through fear and anxiety compared to their male counterparts, who regard hair loss as part of aging. "Women really look at their hair, some even cry in frustration when they see clumps of hair falling out."
Hair loss is seen to begin at a much younger age today than it did before, and affects both men and women in equal measure. If present trends are any indication, it is likely that 50 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women would suffer from thinning/loss of hair before they turn 50. The condition is particularly prominent in women as they grow older and reach menopause.
Factors contributing to hair loss are many and varied, ranging from hereditary factors to the increasing number of environmental pollutants. Erratic and faulty eating habits, eating nutritionally deficient food, illnesses, anaemia, poor blood flow to the scalp region, skin pathology, hormonal imbalances and excessive dandruff are major factors.
Mesotherapy for the hair or Mesoscalp, a revolutionary treatment developed in France that promises to aid hair re-growth in women experiencing specific type of hair loss and delay male pattern baldness in men. Originally a medical technique devised in 1952 by Frenchman Dr. Michel Pistor to treat such conditions as infectious and vascular diseases, Mesotherapy has subsequently been extremely successful in the treatment of fat reduction and the elimination of cellulite. Now, it has been discovered that Mesotherapy can be used as a prolonged treament for men and women experiencing excessive hair loss.
Mesoscalp replaces the vitamins and minerals that the body loses as with age. Vitamins such as Biotin in Mesoscalp treatments cause an increase in blood circulation to the scalp area and stimulate the hair follicles. Unlike Biotin hair supplements or other commercial preparations on the market, Mesoscalp claims positive results in just a few weeks, because the medicines are injected directly into the scalp. Hair vitamins or topical medicines can be ineffective in some cases because they are not properly absorbed by the body. Mesoscalp solves this by problem by targeting the medicine directly at the roots. Mesoscalp works by injecting small amounts of specially formulated vitamins under the skin, very close to the hair follicles, using micro-needles. This solution stimulates blood circulation and stimulates re-growth of hair.
Hair destruction and hair fall are continuous processes accompanying advancing age. Mesotherapy cannot do anything for those who are completely bald. It is neither a cure for hair loss nor can it stop natural hair fall associated with ageing. But what it does is to strengthen weakened hair follicles and help them grow into thicker hair. But mesotherapy alone is not sufficient to ensure maintenance of healthy hair state.
It has to be complemented with other healthy habits, including eating nutritious food, avoiding junk food, drinking plenty of water, tackling stressful lifestyles and nourishing the scalp with appropriate hair-care agents.
Persons seeking the treatment are checked for medical history to see if they are fit to undergo the process. They are advised not to use sauna or any other hair treatment, including application of cream or oil, for a whole day prior to the treatment. They are, however, asked to rinse the hair with shampoo.
The duration of each mesotherapy session depends on the hair condition and the person's pain threshold, but usually lasts 10 - 15 minutes. The injections do not penetrate deep into the skin, but as nearly a hundred pricks may be required at a single time, the scalp tends to become sore. A typical treatment schedule involves therapy once a week for four weeks, followed by once a fortnight for one month and finally tapered down to once a month for four months. On completion, maintenance therapy may be undertaken once every three months.
Dr Prabdeep Sohi is the Chief Cosmetic surgeon at Cosmotique, Cosmo hospital, Mohali. Cosmotique is a state of the art cosmetic surgery facility in Chandigarh and Punjab area in India. For more information log on to http://www.indiaestheticsurgery.com