Posts Tagged ‘Scalp Hair’
Going bald is a fact of life for millions of men. Adults lose about 10,000 scalp hairs each and every day. Hair normally lives for around five years. With male pattern baldness these hairs do not always get replaced and gradually bald areas appear. This process can however take a long time and the age at which you start to lose hair does not necessarily provide any clues as to how long it will be until you define yourself as bald. There are a number of reasons why men start to go bald, but if you are a man between the ages of about 20 to 45 and you start to lose scalp hair, then the chances are 95 per cent certain that you are experiencing male pattern baldness. As the term suggests, male pattern baldness follows a typical sequence or pattern.
The normal cycle of hair growth and loss
The normal cycle of hair growth lasts for 2 to 6 years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter (less than half an inch) per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time. About 10 percent of the hair on your scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.
It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive (more than normal) hair loss. Hair loss of this type can affect men, women and children.
Excessive Hair Loss Reasons
A number of things can cause excessive hair loss. For example, about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is temporary.
Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out.
Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children.
Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes.
The common baldness
The term “common baldness” usually means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hair line and baldness on the top of the head.
Male Pattern Baldness
The male pattern baldness form of androgenetic alopecia accounts for more than 95% of hair loss in men. By age 35, two-thirds of UK and EU men will have some degree of appreciable hair loss and by age 50 approximately 85% of men have significantly thinning hair. About 25% of men who suffer from male pattern baldness begin the painful process before they reach 21.
Most men who suffer from male pattern baldness are extremely unhappy with their situation and would do anything to change it. Hair loss affects every aspect of their life. It affects interpersonal relationships as well as their professional life. It is not uncommon for men to change their career paths because of hair loss.
The Causes of Male Pattern Baldness
Most men are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness. It is the effect of hormones on the hair follicle that produces male pattern baldness. Testosterone, a hormone that is present in high levels in males after puberty, is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. DHT has an adverse affect on the hair follicles. Acting on a hormone receptor on the hair follicle it slows down hair production and produces weak, shorter hair, sometimes it stops hair growth from the follicle completely. This process gradually depletes your stock of hair and is normal hair loss.
Know about DHT
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a derivative or by-product of testosterone. Testosterone converts to DHT with the aid of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. While the entire genetic process of male pattern baldness is not completely understood, scientists do know that DHT shrinks hair follicles, and that when DHT is suppressed, hair follicles continue to thrive. Today, with proper treatment, this process can be slowed or even stopped if caught early enough.
Treatments for hair loss Online
Depending on your type of hair loss, treatments are available. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine. Recognizing and treating an infection may help stop the hair loss. Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss.
Medicines may also help slow or prevent the development of common baldness. One medicine, finasteride (brand name: Propecia) is available with a prescription, it is a FDA-approved products have been clinically proven to stop or prevent hair loss. It comes in pills and is only for men. You can buy it online from the site propeciafinasteride.co.uk .
Propecia Hair Loss Treatment Pills
Finasteride is the generic name for the brand name drugs Propecia. Finasteride was originally developed by the pharmaceutical company Merck as a drug to treat enlarged prostate glands.
During the trials on men with prostate problems, researchers noted an intriguing side effect: hair growth. Since finasteride had already been approved by the FDA to treat enlarged prostates in men, Merck decided to pursue the possibility of developing finasteride as the first pill to treat male pattern baldness.
In December 1997, the FDA approved a 1mg dose of finasteride for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) in men. Propecia is the first drug in history to effectively treat male pattern baldness in the majority of men who use it.
Hair loss in men is caused by heredity, hormones, and age. One of the main reason is the over production of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes them to shrink. This “shrinkage” results in overall thinning with time. This causes thinning and baldness in men.
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You’re not alone if you’re experiencing breakage, increased hair shedding or significant hair loss.
Hair loss in women is most often very gradual and is more easily affected by hormonal changes, medical conditions, and external factors. Hair loss in women is no less distressing than in men. More often women s hair loss is limited to the thinning of the hair especially around the crown area. A receding hair line is rare in women. It usually starts with the hair follicle becoming thinner, revealing more skin.
Hair loss or hair shedding is consistent within the hair growth cycle and it is normal to lose some scalp hair each day. The average human scalp has roughly 100,000 to 150,000 individual hairs and the normal hair growth cycle results in the loosening or shedding of about 100 to 150 hairs on a daily basis. New hair growth then emerges from these same previous dormant hair follicles, growing at the average rate of about half an inch per month.
Baldness or Alopecia happens when the normal pattern of hair growth is disrupted. The normal pattern of human hair growth is growing, resting, shedding and growing again. For a woman, thick, vibrant hair is our crowning glory, our vanity visible. Our culture strongly identifies femininity with a thick, silky head of hair. Society unfairly identifies dry, lack luster and thinning hair with old age, sickness and poverty.
Reasons for hair loss include physical, emotional, and genetic conditions. Hair loss can occur from many common causes that most women do not even think of. The number of women who suffer from stress and hair loss is growing. Stress leads to various health conditions which cause hair loss.
A woman’s hair is at its thickest by age 20. Once we pass 20, however, our hair gradually begins to thin, shedding more than the normal 100-150 hairs a day. For even the elderly woman, significant hair loss can threaten self image.
Female pattern baldness or Androgen tic Alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in women and is genetic in nature. The result is a shorter hair growth cycle, finer hair and excessive hair loss from shedding and breakage.
Coming off birth control pills and pregnancy can cause hair loss. Women may experience hair loss 2 3 months after having a baby.
Progesterone is another hormone that precisely targets the hair during menopause. It compensates by producing extra androstenedione, which prevents hair growth. Usually hair will return to its original thickness following menopause.
A healthy balanced diet, regular exercise, hydration and rest can go a long way towards preventing hair loss and maximizing the potential of your hair growth cycle.
Nutrition
Poor nutrition is often an underlying cause of hair loss as the hair is a reliable indicator of nutritional well being. Dull hair color or dry and brittle hair may be indicators of a deficiency in essential fats in the diet, oily hair may be a sign of a B vitamin deficiency.
Low-fat foods that rank high in protein, low in carbohydrates, can play a vital role in sustaining healthy hair growth and aid in preventing hair loss. Harsh chemicals may strip the natural oils from your hair and lead to breakage and poor hair growth. Dye, hair straightening and permanent solutions are highly destructive to the hair shaft and follicle as well as the delicate sebum balance of the scalp.
Be gentle with your hair. Allow hair to dry naturally rather than using a hair dryer. Wet hair is weak hair so handle with care.
Try not to constantly run your fingers through your hair, tug at the hair and avoid hair clips or rubber bands that pull at and break off the hair. Minimize the usage of mousse, gels and hair sprays. These products dry and weigh down the hair shaft and dull the natural luster of your hair.
Harsh hair treatment such as pulling with brushes, tight braiding and styling with irons and strengtheners can be a cause of female thinning hair.
Sun worshippers should make sure that hair care products have sunscreen properties to protect hair from the damaging affects of UV rays.
Hair loss is traumatic; however our hair is only part of who we are. Remember, that for some hair grows back as mysteriously as it disappeared
Finding what has caused your hair loss will greatly increase your chances of finding the right treatments to help re grow your hair.
You’re not alone if you’re experiencing breakage, increased hair shedding or significant hair loss. More often women’s hair loss is limited to the thinning of the hair especially around the crown area. A receding hair line is rare in women. Hair loss or hair shedding is consistent within the hair growth cycle and it is normal to lose some scalp hair each day. Reasons for hair loss include physical, emotional, and genetic conditions. Stress leads to various health conditions which cause hair loss.
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Hair Loss Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com