Will I Need Lifetime or Temporary Treatment for Hair Loss? by Will I Need Lifetime or Temporary Treatment for Hair Loss?Hair loss is a disorder that is caused by a halt in the body’s cycle of hair production and most commonly occurs on the scalp. The scalp has an average of 100,000 hairs that cycle through periods of growing, resting, falling out, and regenerating.The cycle of hair growth goes through three different phases including the anagen phase, catagen phase and telogen phase. During the anagen phase, the hair is actively growing and can last for many years. During the catagen phase, the hair stops growing and becomes detached from the base of the follicle. In the telogen phase, the hair follicle is completely at rest and begins falling out. Another anagen phase starts again as a new hair grows in the same follicle. If something happens to affect the telogen phase in a negative way, such as trauma or stress, you may experience a condition called telogen effluvium, which can lead to hair falling out at a faster rate than it is regenerated.Telogen effluvium vs. androgenic alopecia Both telogen effluvium and androgenic alopecia can cause you to lose hair or see thinning. However, telogen effluvium typically consists of more temporary hair loss, while androgenic alopecia is permanent and typically develops as a receding hairline or bald patch.Good news, both of these forms of hair loss are treatable! Although losing hair from androgenic alopecia or telogen effluvium can be a real bummer, it doesn’t have to be permanent. Currently, the FDA has approved two medications as hair loss treatments: the powerful prescription hair loss blocker, dutasteride and the over-the-counter topical medication minoxidil. Musely provides treatment for both forms of hair loss, also known as The Hair Solution and The Hair Pill, which contain dutasteride, minoxidil and spironolactone.Can I stop treatment once I start seeing results?The first step is to determine which type of hair loss you are experiencing and what could be the cause of it. While some types of hair loss may call for perpetual treatment, others may not. For Telogen effluvium, it is possible to taper off your Rx hair treatments once you achieve your desired result. This is because TE is caused by a stressful life event and is typically not permanent. For alopecia areata, treatment is administered until hair grows back and then it is stopped. For scarring hair loss conditions, treatment is given until the disease becomes quiet, then treatments are slowly reduced. In some patients, medicines can be stopped without the disease "reactivating." For telogen effluvium (hair shedding problems), treatment is given until the shedding pattern returns to normal.For those with genetic hair loss or androgenic hair loss, treatments must be used forever. If treatments are stopped, any benefits that a patient achieved will be lost and hair growth will stop.Whether you are experiencing temporary or permanent hair loss, Musely can help you treat it with The Hair Solution. In order to get a better idea of how long you may need to continue treatment, our dermatologists can help provide you with plenty of helpful information to guide you along your journey and maximize your hair growth results!During our Office Hours Live Q&A Session, a patient described her experience using The Hair Solution, saying that it has helped her hair grow significantly, but she is wondering if she needs to continue using it after getting the results had hoped for. Musely Medical Director, Dr. Ubriani, noted when it comes to hair loss or thinning, there are often a variety of factors that could be causing it. This is why it is helpful to address underlying concerns before beginning treatment to help you better understand which form of hair loss is present and how to properly treat it. Some patients may need to use treatment forever to ensure consistency, while others may only need to use it temporarily until they get their desired results. An important part of maintaining and maximizing your results is making sure you renew your prescription. Staying on Auto-refill for your Musely treatment can provide benefits such as being able to maintain consistency throughout treatment which can help ensure that you receive the best possible results and avoid more hair loss. But, the primary key to understanding how to treat your hair loss is proper communication with your dermatologist. Here are some helpful tips to getting in touch with your dermatologist and utilizing the eNurse app to the fullest. What causes hair loss?There are many different causes of hair loss. Loss of hair could be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging and anyone can lose hair on their head. Knowing what is causing your hair loss can help you determine whether you need lifetime or temporary solutions to treat your hair loss.Causes of hair lossHereditary hair loss:Hereditary hair loss, also known as androgenic alopecia, is the most common cause of hair loss in the world and can be experienced by both men and women as male and female pattern hair loss. This type of hair loss is genetic meaning that you’ve inherited genes that cause your hair follicles to get smaller and stop producing hair. A hair loss treatment, such as The Hair Solution, can help stop or reduce the speed at which the hair falls out. The earlier you start treatment the better and without treatment, the hair will just continue to fall out.Age:Getting older is known for being a cause of hair loss because as we get older, our hair follicles eventually stop growing hair. This causes the hair on our scalp to become thinner and start losing pigment. Treatment is possible if caught early!Alopecia areata:Alopecia areata is a disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles and can result in hair loss all over your body. Treatment can help stimulate regrowth.Cancer treatment:If you receive chemotherapy or have radiation treatment to your head or neck, you may lose most of your hair fairly soon after beginning treatment. After finishing chemo or radiation, the hair can typically start to regrow within a couple of months. Dermatologists can also offer medication to help speed up the hair growth process. Here’s how to maximize your results by getting in touch with your assigned dermatologist!Childbirth, illness, or other stressors:Hair loss can be triggered by stressful events in your life such as childbirth, illness, divorce or the death of a loved one, etc. Once the stress is relieved, the body will go back to normal and the excessive hair loss will stop. Most people start to see their hair regain its normal fullness within 6 to 9 months.Hair care:Coloring, perming, or relaxing your hair, can lead to severe hair damage. Over time, this damage can lead to permanent hair loss where treatment is not possible to help regrow the hair. Hormonal imbalance:A common cause of this imbalance is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which leads to a variety of  symptoms including hair loss. Stopping some types of birth control pills can cause a temporary hormonal imbalance. Women who develop a hormonal imbalance can experience hair loss on their scalp. Treatment can help!Scalp infections and scalp psoriasis:Having a scalp infection or scalp psoriasis can cause certain areas on your scalp to become inflamed and hurt and can cause bald spots. Once the infections clear, hair tends to regrow, but it takes time. Following tips from a dermatologist can help you prevent hair loss. The Hair Solution!Various studies show that 70% of men and 50% of women experience androgenic alopecia throughout their lives. If you’ve noticed that your hair is thinning or that you are losing significant amounts of it, there could be several underlying causes that could be distinguished from a visit with one of our dermatologists. At Musely, our dermatologists will determine which of our hair loss treatments are the best solution for your hair by determining a variety of factors including what the direct cause may be and what type of hair loss you are experiencing. No matter if your hair loss is temporary or permanent, Musely can help treat it with The Hair Solution.