Q: I am 30 years old man suffering from severe hair fall. I have hard water supply. Could this be the reason for the hair fall? Could you please suggest some medicines or home remedies?

A:Hard water does aggravate the rate of hair fall and also damage its texture, but should not cause permanent hair loss. Usually, any individual loses 20 to 100 strands of hair daily, and new hair grow. Any hair in the scalp has a life of 2 to 4 years, after which it falls, the roots remain and take rest for 2-3 months, and then new hair grow from the same follicle. Shampooing also does not aggravate her hair loss, and as presumed by you. However, if you are using hard water, use a shampoo with a conditioner. The commonest cause of hair loss is due to hereditary factors, and genes inherited from up to 3 generations above you from either parent side can cause hair loss. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of medicines which can slow down hair loss, and even promote new hair growth, but these medicines have limitations as they are effective in 60 to 70 % of patients, and hair that are benefited by the medicines are dependant on the drugs. This means that the moment you stop the medicines, the hair will fall again. Minoxidil (2 % for women) is the most useful medication. The only permanent treatment for lost hair is by hair transplantation. The hair, which are transplanted in the bald area are permanent, do not fall, grow like normal hair and subsequently need haircuts. You can apply oil or shampoo to them and comb them to your desired style. The operation is done on an out patient basis and the patient goes home immediately after the operation. It takes 4 hours for one session where approximately 500 grafts (i.e. 2000 hair) are transplanted. There are no side effects of hair transplantation.