If you have itching of the scalp, look carefully for lice : You might be surprised, but this pest has no respect for your social status. Apart from affecting the scalp, lice can reside on the body and on the clothes as well.
The lice suck blood from the skin and may cause infection. The main problem, however, is itching. The thing to look for, to confirm the presence of lice, are the eggs laid by lice; these are attached to the hair and are the size of a pinhead, so you really have to search carefully for them. Once the diagnosis is made the problem is easily treated with malathion or gamma benzene hexachloride; both have to be applied once a week for two weeks.
What causes greying of hair?
The colour of the hair depends on the presence of pigment granules in the cortex of the hair. With age, there is a gradual dilution of pigment in the hair, so that in different hair the full range of colours from normal to white can be found. The age of onset of this greying process is largely determined by your genes. The first evidence of grey hair usually appears in the third decade. Generally by the age of 50, 50% of the population have at least 50% grey hair.
Grey hair can sometimes appear earlier too. Premature greying of hair runs in certain families. Rapid greying of hair may occur after severe emotional stress. In certain internal diseases, hair might grey early. This is especially true of diseases of the thyroid gland and certain types of anemias. Localised patches of grey hair can appear on areas of leucoderma.
What can be done?
The usual and the most effective way of dealing with greying of hair is dyeing it. There are several types of dyes available. The oxidative dyes are the most versatile and the most frequently used, despite the fact that they can cause reactions. Henna is also used because apart from its safety, it is a superb conditioner.
Several patients of premature greying of hair have responded to calcium pantothenate in the dose of 200 mg daily. So this form of treatment could be tried in children and in young adults.
Hirsutism and its causes
Most, if not all, adult males have visible hair growing on their faces and body. Women, on the other hand, have only very fine downy, inconspicuous hair on the face and body. If this hair becomes darker, thicker and visible, then the woman is suffering from hirsutism. This problem may cause intense misery and make the woman feel less feminine. They might even feel a bit of a freak. But, it must be remembered that unwanted hair especially on the legs, is actually present in as many as 6 out of 10 women.
The basic problem in hirsutism is the excessive action of the male sex hormones—the androgens. Increased amounts of androgens may be produced; for instance, tumours of the ovaries may be responsible for this. The blood levels of the androgens are then raised above normal. In most women with hirsutism, however, the androgen production is not increased. In them, because the normal downy hair are very sensitive to the low levels of androgens they get converted into thicker and longer hair.
Heredity and ethnic origin have a lot to do with the amount of hairiness of the skin. Mental tension and some medicines can also cause hairy problems. Women with hirsutism are often over-weight and infertile. They often develop severe acne on the face and frequently have sparse scalp hair. Rarely frank baldness, quite like that seen in men, develops. Infrequently, they develop frank masculinisation. So hirsutism may well be more than a cosmetic problem. So, if you are having hair problems, do consult your doctor.
Mild hirsutism may be a normal growing up process—a few abnormal hair may appear at puberty or at menopause. However, a rapidly progressive problem or an association with infertility, definitely requires specialised types of investigations and treatment—in these patients just removal of the hair would be a totally inadequate solution, because the hair would rapidly grow back.
Can medicines help reduce hairness?
Treatment of hirsutism depends on the cause as well as on its severity. The cause needs to be determined by examination and investigations like X-rays and ultrasonograms are sufficient. However, some times specialised investigations like estimations of blood levels of androgens, specialised X-rays and even a leproscopy (visualisation of abdomen using a tube) may be required.
After the cause is established, it needs to be treated—a tumor will need surgical treatments. If the androgen levels are raised and sometimes even with normal levels of androgen, anti-androgens have been found effective. Anti-androgens are a new group of drugs which counter the effect of androgens. Three drugs have found useful—Cyproterone acetate, Spironolactone and Cimetidine. They are most effective when used along with cosmetic treatment of hirsutism—the hair regrowth is reduced and the hair which reappears is much finer, and finally over continued treatment, the hair becomes inconspicuous, but this all should be in strict supervision of a therapist.
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