Posts Tagged ‘Medical Term’
“Yeeee gads! My hair is falling out!” This is a cry that can affect your whole family for long, awkward moments. What is it with your hair? Is it gone forever?
Let’s clear up some confusion and try to notch down some panic about this kind of a look in the mirror.
About Hair
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Healthy hair simply looks good. The healthier your scalp and hair follicles, the better your hair will look. If you’re starting to experience some hair loss and a general decline in the overall health of your hair and scalp, it has probably been deteriorating for a while, and you’re only now seeing the effects.
Hair grows in a cycle of three phases. Each individual hair is in a growth phase (anagen phase) for 2-6 years, before it enters a transition phase (catagen phase) for 1-2 weeks, and then a resting phase (telogen phase) for 5-6 weeks. After that, the hair dies and falls out. Then the follicle returns to the growth phase, and a new hair begins to grow.
In normal, healthy adults, the approximate percentages of hairs in these three different phases are:
• 84% in the growth (anagen) phase
• 0-1% in the transition (catagen) phase
• 14-15% in the resting (telogen) phase
Returning your hair follicles to the anagen growth cycle is the objective of any plan to regrow healthier hair.
DHT Effects On the Hair Follicle
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The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. This is defined as a state where 20% or more of a person’s hairs are in the telogen (resting) phase.
In cases of alopecia, the hair growth cycle has been altered so that the anagen (growth) phase is shortened. This results in an increased percentage of hairs in the catagen and telogen phases.
The enzyme conversion of testosterone creates a compound called Di-Hydro Testosterone (DHT). The effect of DHT on the hair follicles and oil glands of the scalp can be detrimental to the anagen phase that you want to lengthen.
In areas of hair thinning or loss, the follicles have more sites to which DHT can attach, and more DHT at those sites. This buildup of DHT near the follicles can shorten their growth phase and increase the numbers of hairs in the transition and resting phases. A continuation in this buildup of DHT will actually shrink the hair follicles, which causes their hairs to become thinner, weaker, and look less healthy.
Reality Check: No product known today will grow a hair without a viable hair follicle. Only a healthy hair follicle can grow a hair.
A healthy hair follicle can resist the negative effects of DHT buildup and continue in a normal growth cycle longer than an unhealthy one can. Hair care products that seek to lessen DHT work by binding to the same sites on the hair follicle to which DHT attaches. This blocks the abnormal response of the follicle to DHT, so it blocks the harm that is causing the weakening and loss of the hair.
The nutritional supplements recommended by a naturopathic physician work by helping the body to normalize its hormone levels, while increasing the circulation of nutrients and elimination of waste products from the hair follicle. This increases the strength of the follicle and protects it from further damage.
The amounts of the conversion enzymes that create DHT from testosterone, as well as the amounts of testosterone or cortisol, are thought to be genetically determined. This is why some people tend to have less of a problem with DHT than others.
The good news is that a person’s genetic expression (i.e., how their body is now) can be changed by what that person does in the upcoming weeks, months, and years, as well as how they do it. With advances in the scientific understandings of these physical events, you can arm yourself with the right information and learn to make the changes necessary to stop a hair loss problem. We’ll next explain how.
Hair Loss
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A variety of health conditions and environmental factors can cause hair loss. Likewise, many different approaches can be taken to stop hair loss and even grow hair back.
Certainly, having great hair is important to us, but the body has many other important things to do on a continuous basis. Some are higher priorities than maintaining lustrous hair — things like breathing, eliminating waste, absorbing food, protecting itself from infections, fleeing from danger, and so forth. If the body has a limited budget of energy, nutrients, and strength, it starts to redirect its resources to the tasks it deems most important. This is fortunate for us.
If stressful events occur to lower that ‘budget,’ the body may find it necessary to prioritize other functions more highly than hair growth.
For example, if a person undergoes a series of radiation treatments to kill cancer, the treatments incur a major stress on the body. The body’s first priority then becomes to live and breathe to grow nice hair another day. As a result, hair loss is often the consequence of radiation treatments. Hair regrowth after this type of trauma is possible, however, depending on the state of the hair follicles and the person’s overall capacity to return to health. Naturopathic doctors call this their “vital force.”
Major Causes of Hair Loss
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Hair loss might also be caused by various types of injury to the scalp, such as burns, radiation, acid spills, or scrapes. If the follicles are destroyed and replaced by smooth skin or scar tissue, a lotion or vitamin routine won’t very likely restore hair growth. At this point, it may be time for an implant, a weave, a wig, or a toupee. Or maybe it’s just time to accept the reality of a lack of hair. Bald can be beautiful, too.
Furthermore, various diseases, genetic tendencies, and auto-immune disorders can direct the body to neglect the health of the hair follicle, or even attack it directly. Some of these attacks might be triggered by environmental toxins, the side-effects of drugs, nutrient deficiencies, irregularities of hormone metabolism, or poor elimination of wastes. Here, we could discuss lifestyle choices and explanations of natural sciences such as nutrition, physiology, and biochemistry until your eyes glaze over.
If you have been taking anti-depressive medications like Zoloft or Paxil, you should be aware that the known side-effects of these types of drugs can include hair loss. The vicious cycle of compounding one’s depression by having to deal with hair loss makes these drugs a thing worth trying to avoid. Work with your doctor and be smart about your use of any medications, because many drugs have negative effects on hair growth.
If you are a “stress puppy,” and the slightest disruption in your plans tears you to pieces for hours or days at a time, your body’s response to those stress hormones can be yet another factor in hair loss and graying. Some training in stress management or anger resolution would be your best bet, while treating the resultant hair loss with physical medicines and lotions.
Sudden Hair Loss
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Sudden hair loss can occur after severe psycho-physical stresses like illness, childbirth, menopause, losing a job, or loss of a loved one. This type of hair loss appears within a few weeks or a month of the trauma, depending on its severity. It is often reversible with time, emotional healing, and the principles of physical support described here.
Hair Loss in Women
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Women seldom lose their hair for reasons of genetic predisposition. They do, however, experience hair loss from the other causes we’ve already mentioned. In addition, women are more commonly the consumers of hair treatments which are known to damage the hair and cause breakage and thinning. Rough handling, harsh commercial shampoos, perms, hair color, bleach, and cosmetics all can damage the hair follicles. Hormone fluctuations through life events of men or women also contribute to stress on the physical condition of the hair follicle.
Factors to Consider
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What does your body need to keep your hair looking good? Factors include good nutrition, effective elimination of wastes, exercise affecting the circulation, a good attitude, use of safe non-toxic products, and sensible protections from injury. These contribute to healthy glandular functions, especially of the thyroid, adrenals, gonads, and liver. If the links in this chain of hormone functions are weak or broken, your hair will probably be the least of your problems. It might just be the most visible one in your mirror, though.
Before you spend significant amounts of money on lotions or supplements to treat hair loss, try to figure out what is causing your hair to fall out, and change what you can about that underlying situation.
Enlist the help of your doctor to figure out any internal causes. Have your hormone levels tested for thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, and functions of the ovaries or testes. Make sure your nutritional intake and digestive functions are up to par. Again, this is a complex issue. It may take some study about the lotions and natural medicines available to find a plan that works for you, but the benefits to your health and appearance will be worth the effort.
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There are many causes of hair loss. Both men and women can obtain it. It can be because of nutritional deficiency, hormone imbalance, stress, and diseases. But generally the most common cause of it is called adrogenetic alopecia. It is the medical term for hair loss or baldness. Adrogenetic refers to the influence of androgens (male hormones), and genetic predisposition to balding can be the reason of such a hair loss. Genetic is not that simple, and also the hair loss case. Just the presence of someone in your family of balding is not enough to predict that you will also become bald. It is really hard to predict who will go bald and how fast will it be. That is why planning for hair restoration will be very important for those people who gets alarmed about it. Normal men and women produce androgenic hormones. Dihydrotestosterone, androsteinedione, testosterone (DHT) is the most common. For men testicles and adrenals are the one to produce it.
For women ovaries and adrenal glands are the one to produce.These hormones are important for both sexes. But have different concentrations, and this is more predominant for males than females. This in part, differentiates the genders. Exposure of hair follicles to DHT, in a susceptible person, in a period of time leads to male and female pattern to baldness or the so-called adrogenetic alopecia. There is no exact age for balding occurrence. Balding is a process, simple yet this fact is often ignored. This process can be slow or rapid. It usually starts at late teens. Illnesses and medical conditions is one of the causes of hair loss. For example, thyroid disease and diabetes, can cause hair loss. Those people with liver and kidney diseases and lupus can also have baldness. Adult women and teen girls can have hair loss due to hormone imbalance in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Medications such as acne medicines cause hair loss. Amphetamines in diet pills can also cause hair loss. And the very known medication that causes hair loss is chemotherapy. Alopecia areata is a skin disease than causes hair loss on the scalp and sometimes on the body. It is an autoimmune disease. The own immune system is the one to damage the hair follicles. Alopecia areata starts as small bald patches and can progress to total baldness. Trichotillomania is a psychological disorder in which a person pulls his/her own hair that can also lead to hair loss.
Hair treatments and styling the hair gives tension to scalp and hair becomes damaged and leads to hair loss. Nutrition is also one factor of baldness because of lack of protein, vitamins and minerals that sustains the hair. Disruption of hair cycle growth is also a problem. Like delivering a baby, getting anesthesia, or having surgery.
Hair Loss in Men
Hair loss and thinning hair have been sensitive issues for men throughout time. Recently, medical science has finally identified the main cause of hair loss. Now, it is a known medical fact that hair loss stems from both genetic and hormonal causes. Androgenetic Alopecia or “male pattern hair loss” is implicated in 95% of hair loss cases. The key is a hormonal byproduct called DHT (dihydrotestostrone). The more DHT that gets put into your body, the more your hair follicles become thinner and finer until the hair is permanently lost.
DHT – The hormones responsible for hair loss
DHT is one of many male hormones in the body. DHT is developmentally important early in a man’s life; however, it appears to be a cause of hair loss as men get older. Male pattern hair loss is caused by a hormone called as dihydrotestostrone (DHT). It is produced from the hormone testosterone with the help of an enzyme- 5-alpha reductase. DHT, once formed, binds to the hair follicles, retarding their growth and cutting off their blood supply. The hair starts to thin down and eventually falls. Thus, the more levels of DHT in the body, more the hair follicles shrink causing male pattern baldness.
The effect of DHT on the hair cycle
Hair in our scalp are regularly grown and replaced by constant hair cycling of activity and rest. A typical hair undergoes three phases- the growth phase-anagen lasts for two to six years producing well pigmented-thick hair. At any given time, 90% of the scalp hairs are in the growth phase. The second phase, catagen is a transient phase lasting for few weeks. The hair starts becoming thinner and the follicle starts shrinking. The last phase, telogen is for two to four months, where the thinned hair falls off making way for new hair. DHT has been shown to shorten the growth phase causing untimely hair loss. It also causes shrinkage of hair follicles so that regrowth may not occur.
Provillus Blocks DHT Naturally
Provillus blocks DHT (dihydrotestostrone) from getting to your body, which is one of the major causes of hair loss. The Breakthrough formula of Provillus was designed to block DHT and supply the proper nutrients to your body specifically tailored to prevent hair loss and to help you regrow hair naturally. Strong, healthy hair begins with the proper nutritional building blocks. You don’t have to wait until there’s a problem to prevent it! Provillus supplements your body’s natural supply of these nutrients and lets the tiny follicles beneath your scalp receive exactly what they need to create beautiful, full-bodied hair.
Provillus has an excellent blend of nourishing nutrients that also block the DHT in the body. The formula prevents hair loss and promotes regrowth of hair follicles. It supplies nutrients for growth of healthy thick hair. Strong, healthy hair begins with the proper nutritional building blocks. You don’t have to wait until there’s a problem to prevent it! Provillus supplements your body’s natural supply of these nutrients and lets the tiny follicles beneath your scalp receive exactly what they need to create beautiful, full-bodied hair. It is an all natural hair loss treatment.
There are many causes of hair loss. Both men and women can obtain it. It can be because of nutritional deficiency, hormone imbalance, stress, and diseases. But generally the most common cause of it is called adrogenetic alopecia. It is the medical term for hair loss or baldness. Adrogenetic refers to the influence of androgens (male hormones), and genetic predisposition to balding can be the reason of such a hair loss. Genetic is not that simple, and also the hair loss case. Just the presence of someone in your family of balding is not enough to predict that you will also become bald. It is really hard to predict who will go bald and how fast will it be.
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