Gone before time: Stress, pollution make young lose hair

LUDHIANA: Hair loss among youths is growing more marked in Ludhiana. A large number of patients having problems related to hair loss are visiting the city hospitals. While earlier, hair loss was common among people over 40 years of age, now, it is quite common among youths too. There are several factors responsible for this trend. These include high pollution, weakness, erratic eating habits, colouring and rebonding of the hair.
Talking to TOI, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) head of skin department Alka Dogra said nearly 15 patients including males and females approach her every day to seek treatment for problems linked to hair loss. She added there are several types of hair loss. She further said the major causes of various types of hair loss problems were hormonal problems, pollution, stress and consumption of junk food.
Dogra said hormonal hair loss, defused hair loss, frontal recession and alopecia aerated are some of the types of the types of hair loss that are common among youth. She added that earlier, people would start suffering from hair loss-related problems at the age of 40 while now, even 18-year-old boys and girls were reporting the problem. One of the major reasons for early surfacing of the problem is use of chemicals on hair and consumption of junk food.
She said they prefer to recommend medicines, lotions and oils for growth of hair as hair transplanting was a long-drawn procedure. Skin specialist at Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) Bimal said the major reasons for spread of the problem were physical and mental problems including stress. He elaborated that genetic and hormonal reasons besides weakness, stress and pollution were behind the high incidence of premature hair loss.
Twenty-year-old Pallavi Sinha, a graduation student, who has to travel a lot, said she is suffering from hair loss. She said she had consulted a doctor in this connection. He had advised her to wear caps while driving and to stop using pressing machine for hair pressing as it leads to breakage of hair.
What might help to control hair loss
Use shampoo instead of soap
Use conditioners as they guard against hair breakage
Avoid straightening and colouring
Increase consumption of high-protein food
Wear cap while driving in polluted areas