High life and hard work take toll on top

March 2006 - Calcutta

The city is fast growing bald, literally, and a combination of factors from faulty diet and late nights to long hours at work and the resultant stress is the culprit.

Sachin Sreevastav (name changed on request) is a software professional. At 24, he was on course for a high-flying career and family life. A year ago, he realised that his hair, which he often let loose, was getting weak in the roots.

Initially, Sachin did not bother. But he went to a doctor when he became almost bald in a matter of months.

Hair loss is becoming a nightmare for the young.

Doctors say one in five city males below the age of 25 faces the problem.

Although balding is primarily hereditary, they say, external factors are equally responsible for early hair loss. Late night parties, stress at work, junk food, pollution and hormonal imbalances have been identified as the main causes.

“Earlier, men used to have hair-related problems past their 30s. Now, an increasing number of patients below the age of 25 require hair transplants,” Manoj Khanna, a surgeon attached to Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, said.

“With hypertension, car- dio-vascular diseases, diabetes and arthritis, hair loss and greying are now common among the young,” Khanna said.

Another cosmetic surgeon, Sheila Rohatgi of BP Poddar Hospital, said: “Unscientific diet often results in lack of nutrition that causes hair fall.”

According to her, before anyone sets on a new diet, they must consult a doctor to ensure that it isn’t lacking in vitamins and essential minerals.

Vegetables, fruits and even multi-vitamin capsules can be useful for those suffering from hair loss, she said.

Addiction to junk food is disastrous for healthy hair, she added.

Khanna said: “With the pollution level rising, immunity is going down, causing hair loss.” Dandruff and other skin ailments, the roots of which often lie in pollution, are al- so responsible for premature hair loss.

Late nights — for the after-hour party or the night shift in office — are also taking their toll. If not directly, at least by altering food habits and the hormone balance.

“Stress at the workplace has increased manifold and so there is a need to relax at Hair Loss. Sitting in front of the computer through the night does not help,” Khanna said.

Hair transplantation is now growing popular in city hospitals. The follicular unit replacement technique, in which hair is arranged in groups with one to four strands in each unit, ensures that the new crop does not look artificial.

In most cases, Khanna said, a person starts losing hair from the front and the centre of the head.

Hair at the back is not genetically influenced and is permanent. In the new method, hair is taken from the rear of the head and transplanted. It grows like normal hair and needs haircuts.

“This method is safe and as the hair is transplanted to the scalp, the brain is not affected. Oil and shampoo can be applied on the new hair,” Khanna explained.

A patient can go Hair Loss immediately after the operation, which is carried out under general anaesthesia.

Other than a hair trans-plant, those losing hair can also try medication. There are medicines to sustain hair and delay hair loss.

However, a doctor said the effect is often partial. Also, these medicines must be used lifelong.