Hair Loss Causes and Solutions

If you are one of the unlucky fellows who is becoming "follicly challenged" over time, you don't 

have to sit back and helplessly watch your hair fall out. There are treatments available that will stop your follicles from failing you. Losing your hair can take its toll on your self-esteem and sex appeal, but there are ways to remedy or reverse the damage.

Causes of hair loss

A normal person will lose between 50 to 100 hairs daily, because 90% of hair is in growth phase and 10% is in shedding phase at any given time. However, any significant change that alters the normal growth cycle of hair, or permanently damages the roots of the hair (the follicles), can result in excessive hair loss of over 100 hairs a day, which may be temporary or permanent.

Common causes of hair loss include:

Genetics: About 95% of hair loss from the scalp comes from heredity. If your grandma, grandpa, mom, or dad has lost their hair, you may inherit the genetic tendency to lose yours as well. Balding can skip generations, and its incidence is random in terms of siblings. For instance, one brother could go bald in his 30s and another may keep a full head of hair his entire life.

Stress: Surgery, illness and a variety of mental stressors can cause excessive hair loss. Those with the rare anxiety disorder trichotillomania, often pull their hair out in clumps to the point of baldness.

Age: The aging process causes the breakdown in many of the skin's functions, including hair follicles. Many people over 50 have thinning hair because their hair follicles are less effective and therefore hair grows more slowly. Also, mature hair changes in texture and tends to break more easily.

Trauma to the hair: Although this may not apply to the majority of men, botched bleach jobs, abuse of permanents and over-the-counter hair dyes or straightening products, forceful brushing, styling or combing, and tight hairstyles like corn rows, can break and damage hair, and cause hair loss. On rare occasions, due to friction or hair breakage, wearing a ponytail that is too tight can literally pluck or exfoliate the hairs off your head. However, in this instance, the hair loss will not be as widespread as male pattern baldness and will resolve itself after cessation of ponytail wearing.

Certain drugs or diseases: Lupus, certain autoimmune diseases, and radiation therapy or chemotherapy, all contribute to temporary or permanent hair loss.

Men who notice their hair shedding in large quantities should consult a doctor or a dermatologist. Sometimes hair loss indicates an underlying medical condition for which treatment is necessary. If hair loss is sudden and in concert with other worrisome symptoms, see your doctor immediately.

male pattern baldness

The most common hair loss problem that plagues men of all races from their mid-20s onwards is genetically-triggered male pattern hair loss, medically termed as "androgenetic alopecia." Genes affect the age at which a man begins to lose his hair and the extent, rate, shape, and pattern of hair loss. In most men, male pattern hair loss typically begins at the temples and the crown.

Here's why you're losing it, and what you can do to get it back...

why you're losing it

In genetically predisposed individuals, sensitivity to a class of hormones called androgens, in particular the hormone dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, causes hair follicles to shrink. The scalp begins to sprout hairs that are thinner than normal and fail to grow to normal length.

Eventually the follicles wither away and no hair grows at all. In this scenario, thinning hair eventually progresses to chrome dome stage when the follicles cease to function. But it doesn't have to be that way.

stop the hair loss

Men who suffer from male pattern hair loss have several options. They can either choose to chemically treat hair loss, get artificial wigs or weaves if drug treatment is ineffective or impossible, or invest in a permanent solution; hair transplant surgery.

Drugs
The only FDA approved drugs available to medically treat hair loss are Propecia (Finasteride) and Rogaine (Minoxidil). Both products slow further thinning of hair and increase coverage of the scalp. Propecia inhibits the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that shrinks hair follicles, whereas Rogaine stimulates hair follicles.

Neither medication will produce full regrowth of hair and the length or texture may be slightly altered in areas of regrowth. Also, the effectiveness of medications depends on the cause of hair loss, the extent of the loss and individual response rates; both products work best if hair loss is recent (within five years) and occurs on the top of the head rather than near the forehead.

Usually the drugs take at least a couple of months to produce a noticeable effect. However, these medications need to be taken continuously. If the medications are stopped, any hair that has grown in will gradually be lost, and within six to 12 months, the scalp will look the way it did prior to treatment.

Wigs & weaves
If a man has medical conditions or allergies that may interfere with the use of pharmaceutical solutions for hair loss, or chooses not to undergo hair replacement surgery, he may opt for a wig, toupee or weave. Specialty wig shops can offer realistic looking pieces made from human hair or realistic looking synthetic materials. However, as many a man who has shamefully lost his toupee to a strong gust of wind, hairpieces are artificial, may look unnatural, and may simply fall off at the worst of times.

Hair restoration 

Hair transplantation is a permanent form of hair replacement. Anyone who has suffered permanent hair loss may be a candidate for hair transplantation. For instance, Bosley is one of the world's most experienced hair restoration practices, with many consultation and treatment centers located across the United States.

The surgical transplanting of hair follicles is a remarkably simple outpatient procedure. According to Bosley.com, the procedure of hair transplantation involves moving some hair from hair-bearing portions (donor sites) of the head (usually the horseshoe-shaped area at the very back of the head), to bald or thinning portions (recipient sites) and/or removing bald skin.

Because the procedure involves time, patience, surgery, and at least two repeat procedures, as well as the considerable investment of money (between $4,000 and $10,000 US), transplantation should only be done by a qualified, board-certified and experienced surgeon.

a full head of hair

With proper techniques and solutions, hair loss can be minimized. If you suffer from hair loss, invest the time and research treatment options and weigh the benefits of replacing lost or thinning hair. After all, a full head of hair not only influences the way others perceive you professionally and personally, but can influence the way you view yourself.

Read also
Causes and symptoms of thyroid

Resources:
www.bosley.com
http://my.webmd.com
www.aad.org
www.mayoclinic.com

This article is brought to you in part by Bosley.com