Hair loss is a troubling and seemingly unavoidable problem that affects many men and women. Bald jokes are common and hair loss can damage the confidence and mental health of many of the people affected by it. Hair loss is incredibly common, with male and female pattern baldness affecting the majority of those losing hair.
There are also several other reasons for hair loss. While hair loss often can’t be stopped, there are at least some steps that can be taken to try to delay the process or make it less severe. It’s important to know the truth, since there are so many different products out there promising hair loss miracles that just aren’t real!
Causes of Hair Loss
People assume that hair loss means more hair loss is occuring. In reality, standard hair loss occurs because new hair is growing to replace it. Once the new hair stops growing in to fill the gaps, pattern baldness will occur. Pattern baldness tends to be hereditary and pass down throughout a family. For men, the hairline recedes and a bald spot forms. Women will find their hair thins out. It occurs over time, rather than all at once.
Many treatments for various medical situations can result in hair loss. Medications and supplements for serious conditions like depression, cancer, gout, arthritis and high blood pressure can cause hair loss as a side effect. Radiation therapy for cancer is also a very well known cause of hair loss.
Sometimes changes to a person’s hormonal balance can alter the chemistry in the body and cause hair to fall out. There’s also medical conditions like alopecia or ringworm that can remove hair from the body. Finally, severe stress and emotional shock can cause temporary hair loss.
Hair Loss for Women
Women suffer from hair loss far more often than people may realize. Hair loss for women isn’t as noticeable as the trademark crow’s peaks and bald spots that men often deal with. Women suffer from hair loss as the hair slowly thins out and becomes less plentiful. Hair loss becomes more likely for women once they pass the age of 50. However, it can begin at any time. The telltale sign for women that they may be suffering from hair loss occurs when they wake up in the morning. It’s likely that a large number of hairs may have fallen out in the night and are resting on the pillow. It’s also likely that combing without obstructions may pull out a surprising number of hairs.
Potential Treatments
Prevention is the number one way to work on hair loss. If you treat your hair well, then you can help avoid some of the methods of hair loss. Tight hairstyles can pull on the follicles and over time increases the chance of hair loss. Harsh treatment of the hair like curling irons and hot oil treatments are to be avoided. People should try to keep from twisting, pulling or rubbing their hair and adding stress to it. Protection from ultraviolet light helps too. People who smoke should give it up and medications known to cause hair loss need to be avoided.
In some cases, hair loss can actually be slowed or reversed. There’s two many methods to do this. The first is medication. There’s several which can promote hair growth. Some medication is applied in a liquid form directly to the scalp, while others are taken in pill form. Surgery looks at hair transplants where follicle rich areas donate hair to those which are not growing hair.