Wednesday, October 15, 2008

What Happened To My Hair?!


Hair loss is among the main reasons why people, more particularly men, feel insecure. The even more pressing thing about hair loss is that there are no signs and no specific age it will begin to hit. One day you are all confident and full of hair, the next day, you wake up with fallen strands on your pillows and thinning hair.

Perhaps the most painful bout a person could feel about hair loss is that you never really thought it would happen to you. It never really crossed your mind until you started experiencing it. All those preventive stuff you have always seen lined up in the groceries or drug stores, but never bothered to stop and pick up would make you say the ever-depressing phrases, “what if” and “it could have been”.

Before you go out and about on your search for treatments for hair loss, it would be smart to learn first its causes. As our Science experiments in high school taught us, the first step to problem solving is to identify the problem.

Hair loss is said to have varying causes. Below are some of the reported reasons why people suffer from hair loss:

1- Food – Just as there are natural treatments for hair loss, there are also natural causes. Check your daily diet and ask yourself if you are eating the right kinds of food. Lack of certain minerals in your diet can cause hair loss. Some of those minerals are magnesium, biotin, zinc and iron. Eating foods that are rich with these minerals can definitely prevent your hair to thin and, some say, these minerals can even trigger hair growth.


2- DHT – DHT is the abbreviation of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone. Scientists discovered that this DHT hormone is the primary contributing factor in male-pattern baldness. What this hormone basically does is it binds your hair cells, preventing them to grow out.

3- Toxic Substances and Severe Radiation – The chemicals in the shampoos and other hair products that we use can also cause hair loss. They slowly damage your hair, causing some strands to fall out and stop growing. Exposure to severe radiation has similar effects.

4- Illness and Therapy – There are certain illnesses, even as simple as a fever, that can cause hair loss. Those who are subject to radiation therapy or other intense medication procedures are also expected to lose hair. In these cases, however, no treatment is necessary as the hair will grow back when the illness has ended and/or the therapy is finished.

5- Genes – It is one of the most common conclusions everyone usually offers when trying to explain or find a reason for hair loss. There are a lot of studies that say hair loss is hereditary. Although you might find one or two people in your lineage who have suffered or are currently suffering from hair loss, you should not stop finding the specific cause or reason why you are losing hair. And, more importantly, it should not give you the reason to just let it be.

Hair loss can be treated. If you are suffering from hair loss, find out the cause and the treatment that is right for you. It is never to late to grow your mane back!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

How to Choose the Best Hair Loss Treatment

Choosing the best form of treatment for hair loss can be quite tricky. For one to be truly able to choose the best treatment, one must be able to correctly determine the kind of problem and severity of the problem.

To date there are a number of Hair loss (Alopecia) definitions each on its own is unique in treatment and effects:
  • Alopecia areata monolocularis describes baldness in only one spot. It may occur anywhere on the head.
  • Alopecia areata multilocularis refers to multiple areas of hair loss.
  • If the patient loses all the hair on his/her scalp, the disease is then called Alopecia areata totalis.
  • If all body hair, including pubic hair, is lost, the diagnosis then becomes Alopecia areata universalis.
  • The disease may also be limited only to the beard (Alopecia areata barbae)
Being able to correctly identify the causes and severity of the problem will lead to better chances of recovery from Hair loss.

Nowadays there are lots of known chemical treatments and solutions being used by majority of people who experience hair loss. Such products like Minoxidil & Finasteride are being widely used despite their side effects.

A list of side-effects from Minoxidil are as follows:
  • Acne on the area where it is being used as a topical solution
  • Headaches and/or lightheadedness
  • Very low blood pressure
  • Irregular or fast heart beat
  • Blurred vision
  • Chest pain
A list of side-effects from Finasteride are as follows:
  • Finasteride is known to cause birth defects in a developing male baby
  • Depression
'Until recently the need for an alternative form of treatment has been well sought after. And a more amiable method of treatment is found among herbal medicines. The aim is to lessen any undesirable side effects for the patient.

Possible Treatments
Caffeine is considered a stimulator in human hair growth. It has also been added to shampoo formulas and has been effective in stimulating hair follicles in the scalp.

Hair Transplant means transplanting resistant hair follicles from the sides and the back of the head to a person’s bald areas. The transplanted hair follicles will specially grow hair for a lifetime because they are genetically resistant to going bald.

Hair multiplication or hair cloning is another revolutionary approach in treating baldness Stem cells have been discovered in hair follicles and researchers predict that these follicular cells may lead to success in treating baldness.

Scalp massage on the other hand helps stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles. It helps activate hair cells and prevents hair loss. Studies have shown that this approach is very effective in treating hair loss.

Still it is best to go to the nearest specialist before undergoing any treatment from the list above before any further complications arise or else loose anything that's left of your hair.