Q: My problem is that for the last few years I am losing hair and now it has become a major problem as it looks as if I am getting my head clean of any hair!. As I have lost 90% of the hair, that too on front side, wherever I go everyone looks at my hair and comments that I am almost bald. It started after my hysterectomy 6 years back and now I am 52. In these 6 years my hair fall has become worse. Initially I had gone to my surgeon who prescribed Oxyace caps which I used for three years with no improvement. Then I consulted a Dermatologist who gave me “Alamin Forte, Ebexid’ & Mintop Forte for external use, which I used for 6 months. But instead of improvement, the condition worsened, I gained 10kg in three months and my BP became 140/100 forcing me to stop the drugs. Now my BP is normal i.e. 120/80. I am feeling very depressed because of all this.

A:Almost total loss of scalp hair is seen in androgenic alopecia, alopecia totalis, during chemotherapy for cancer, etc. From your letter chemotherapy is out. You may require a skin biopsy to make a diagnosis if it is not evident clinically. Hormone analysis may be required if there is sufficient clinical indication for endocrinologic abnormality. The treatment will be determined by the final diagnosis.