Get Enough Vitamins And Minerals
There are a lot of vitamin and nutritional supplements on the market that claim to regrow hair or make it thicker or shinier, but theres little hard evidence that most vitamins and supplements can help with hair losswith two notable exceptions .
If you are deficient in vitamin D or iron, dietary supplements may improve your thinning hair. This is especially true if you have specific types of hair loss, like male pattern baldness, alopecia areata , and telogen effluvium .
- Vitamin D is naturally produced by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. We also get it in foods like milk and eggs. But many of us dont get enough vitamin D. If you have thinning hair, you might want to get your vitamin D level checked by a healthcare provider.
- Iron is a mineral that people get from their diets, especially from foods like red meat or spinach. Iron deficiency is also commoneven more so in women. Being deficient in iron can make you anemic . Your healthcare provider can also check your iron levels.
How Should I Take Finasteride
- Take finasteride exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.
- You may take finasteride with or without food.
- If you forget to take finasteride, do not take an extra tablet. Just take the next tablet as usual.
- Finasteride will not work faster or better if you take it more than once a day.
Important Safety Information For Finasteride
Finasteride is for use by MEN ONLY and should NOT be used by women or children.
Read this Patient Information before you start taking finasteride and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment.
What is finasteride? Finasteride is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of male pattern hair loss . It is not known if finasteride works for a receding hairline on either side of and above your forehead . Finasteride is not for use by women and children.
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Restore Your Hair: Restore Your Confidence
Many men wonder whether they need to pursue treatment to reverse the effects or if they can grow the hair back on their own. Although hair re-growth may be possible, you should also know when to seek professional help.
If the reason for thinning hair is genetics, it will not grow back on its own. To grow back a healthy, full head of hair, you’ll need to take action, and that involves reviewing different hair loss options.
We recommend seeking out proven, FDA-approved treatments to remedy the situation, instead of looking at shortcuts. Propecia, which is a prescription medication that restores hair follicles to their former glory, is a popular option.
At the Helendale Hair Center, we offer a line of topical solutions that can regrow hair with continuous use for a less invasive approach to hair revival. We also offer treatment options such as light therapy, prescription medication, injections, and follicle transplants.
Other options include light therapy that stimulates hair thickening, platelet-rich plasma treatments that promote hair regrowth, and in advanced cases hair transplants that will restore your hair. 75 percent of men in the United States suffer from hair loss to some extent. You can reverse the effects by scheduling a consultation at The Hair Center at Helendale.
Your Options For Restoring Lost Hair
If youre bothered by the appearance of large bald spots or severe hair loss, a hair transplant may be your best option to regain hair youve lost. Dr. Mikell has experience in a range of hair transplantation procedures, and he can help you determine if a hair transplant is right for you.
A hair transplant involves taking small grafts of scalp and hair from elsewhere on your head and moving them to areas without hair. Typically, Dr. Mikell uses hair from the back of your head and transplants the grafts to the crown and front.
Hair transplants are considered surgical procedures, and it could take up to two years before you see the full results of your transplant treatments.
Dont let alopecia hinder your confidence. Partner with Dr. Mikell and our team to find a hair loss treatment that fits your needs. To learn more, book an appointment over the phone with Dermatology Associates of the Lowcountry today.
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Noticeable Hair Loss In Women Can Be Deeply Distressing Here Are Some Medical Treatments That May Help
About one-third of women experience hair loss at some time in their lives among postmenopausal women, as many as two-thirds suffer hair thinning or bald spots. Hair loss in women often has a greater impact than hair loss does on men w, because it’s less socially acceptable for them. Alopecia can severely affect a woman’s emotional well-being and quality of life.
The main type of hair loss in women is the same as it is men. It’s called androgenetic alopecia, or female pattern hair loss. In men, hair loss usually begins above the temples, and the receding hairline eventually forms a characteristic “M” shape hair at the top of the head also thins, often progressing to baldness. In women, androgenetic alopecia begins with gradual thinning at the part line, followed by increasing diffuse hair loss radiating from the top of the head. A woman’s hairline rarely recedes, and women rarely become bald.
There are many potential causes of hair loss in women , including medical conditions, medications, and physical or emotional stress. If you notice unusual hair loss of any kind, it’s important to see your primary care provider or a dermatologist, to determine the cause and appropriate treatment. You may also want to ask your clinician for a referral to a therapist or support group to address emotional difficulties. Hair loss in women can be frustrating, but recent years have seen an increase in resources for coping with the problem.
Why Is My Hair Falling Out
Wonder why your hair is falling out? The answers may surprise you. Many women suffer with sudden hair loss, and most loss of hair has a reason whether genetic, stress, diet, medication, or certain health conditions.
The most common type of hair loss is the kind that you inherit, called androgenetic alopecia. With genetic hair loss, you lose your hair gradually, and hair loss increases with age. But in some cases, other factors may lead to your hair falling out. It is especially likely that a nongenetic factor may be causing your loss of hair if your once thick, healthy hair suddenly and noticeably begins falling out.
Most of us normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. This loss of hair generally does not cause thinning of hair because at the same time new hair is growing on your scalp. But sudden hair loss is something to take seriously. According to the Mayo Clinic, this loss of hair occurs when the cycle of hair growth and shedding is disrupted or when the hair follicle is destroyed and replaced with scar tissue.
Hair disorders such as androgenetic alopecia are the most common cause of hair loss, affecting about 80 million people in the United States, including both men and women. Women with hereditary hair loss most commonly notice a widening part in the front and center of the scalp with generalized thinning, while men see bald patches on the head.
But other than genetic reasons, there are many factors that can result in hair loss, including:
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Loss Of Hair At Childbirth Is Temporary
“Why is my hair falling out?” is a common question new moms ask their doctors. During pregnancy, most women have shiny, healthy hair that may appear thicker because older hair doesn’t fall out at normal levels. When estrogen levels fall after childbirth, most women experience loss of hair their body was “holding onto” during pregnancy. This excessive loss of hair occurs about three months after childbirth, and is generally temporary. Once estrogen levels balance out, hair shedding will return to normal rates.
Are There Other Causes Of Hair Loss Besides Genetics
Male and female pattern hair loss are the only types of genetically induced alopecia. However, other types of alopecia exist and treatment plans are designed to treat the type of alopecia you are experiencing. Examples of other types of alopecia include:
- Temporary Alopecia Occurs due to sudden illness, stress, or shock and usually reverses itself without treatment
- Autoimmune Alopecia People experience flares and periods of remission
- Trauma-induced Alopecia Alopecia results from hairstyles that pull on the hair follicles or when people pull out their hair as a stress response)
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Is There A Genetic Test That Can Predict Hair Loss
Nowadays, theres a genetic test for just about everything. Even to determine our dogs lineage. Just one quick saliva sample or blood test and, within days, you can find out if youre destined for cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. Theres even a DNA test to determine whether youre likely to experience anxiety.
Suppose a genetic test can give you accurate information to guide your health care plan and prevent future disease. Can it also accurately predict whether youre predisposed to losing your hair? If a genetic test shows that you are likely to inherit your Great Uncle Bernie or Aunt Bonnies hairline, is there a way to ensure that you dont follow in their footsteps? Are genetic hair tests reliable? Do dermatologists use DNA tests to help make diagnoses? Before you click Buy Now to order a genetic test kit, keep reading. Were here to answer your questions about genetic testing for male and female pattern baldness.
What Can You Do To Treat Hair Loss Caused By Genetics
Treatment for male or female pattern baldness is designed to meet two goals. The first is to stop the progression of your hair loss. The second is to promote new hair growth. The best way to accomplish those two goals is by using a combination of medications simultaneously. Here are medications often included in treatment plans for androgenetic alopecia:
- Minoxidil topical foam A vasodilator that enlarges the hair follicles
- Finasteride, Dutasteride, or Spironolactone Prevents testosterone from converting to DHT that attacks the hair follicles and causes hair loss
- Topical or oral cortisone Treats any redness or irritation
Some men are concerned about experiencing sexual side effects with oral Finasteride. If this is the case, topcial Finasteride has been proven to be just as effective without the side effects. Even better, topical solutions which mix Finasteride with Minoxidil, Cortisone and Retinol offer an even more effective all-in-one solution. The retinol improves absorption of the other three medications.
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Dht Miniaturisation And The Hair Cycle
The progress of hereditary hair loss depends on the hair cycle itself, as well as a hormone called dihydrotestosterone . DHT is a male sex hormone which is a distant cousin of testosterone. If youre genetically predisposed to hair loss, youll likely be sensitive to this hormone. DHT shortens the hair cycle so that it spends less time in the active growing phase before it falls out.
The hair that replaces the fallen strands is finer and shorter, until eventually the follicle shuts down entirely. The texture of the remaining hair may always start to change, from full and thick to lifeless and dull, with less colour pigment. You may not even notice significant shedding. This process is called miniaturisation.
Key Points About Normal Hair Loss
Image credit: Canva
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First A Bit About Hair
Hairs are tiny shafts of a protein called keratin. They are anchored in a group of specialised cells called hair follicles, which supply oxygen and nutrients to the root of the hair, and lubricate the hair with an oily substance called sebum.
The human body is completely covered with hair follicles, except on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and the lips. Mostly, hair follicles are tiny, and the hairs they produce don’t grow long enough to protrude from the pore.
The areas where hairs do protrude include the armpits, face, around the genitals, the front of the chest, the back, and most profusely, on the scalp of the head. A scalp typically contains about 100,000 hair follicles.
Hair is in a constant cycle of growth, rest, and renewal. Hairs grow and then are shed, but because they grow at different rates they don’t all shed at once.
It takes about three years for hair follicles to produce a hair that grows, rests, falls out and then regrows, which means the scalp loses between 50 and 200 hairs a day.
New Promising Solutions For Pattern Hair Loss
Currently, the two most common and effective medications to combat pattern hair loss are Minoxidil and Finasteride . Neither of these drugs represents a complete hair loss cure, of course, but theyve been shown to stop hair loss in its tracks and even regrow hair in some cases. Additionally, finasteride is only meant to treat male pattern baldness, not female pattern baldness. Both drugs are only effective for as long theyre used, and results may not be visible for several months or more.
Minoxidil is a topical liquid thats either sprayed or dropped and then gently rubbed onto the areas of the scalp where the hair is thinning. This medication originated as a high blood pressure treatment, but doctors discovered that as a side effect it could also promote hair growth wherever applied. While generally safe to use, Minoxidil can irritate ones skin, alter hair color and texture, and lead to hair growth in unwanted places.
Finasteride comes in the form of an oral pill or a topical ointment. This medication lowers the amount of DHT, a natural hormone, which in turn increases hair growth and slows down hair loss. While finasteride can regrow hair where it has receded or thinned, this drug can yield side effects such as loss in sex drive or performance.
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How To Stop Thinning Hair: Hair Loss Treatment For Women
Medications are the most common treatment for hair loss in women. They include the following:
Minoxidil . This drug was initially introduced as a treatment for high blood pressure, but people who took it noticed that they were growing hair in places where they had lost it. Research studies confirmed that minoxidil applied directly to the scalp could stimulate hair growth. As a result of the studies, the FDA originally approved over-the-counter 2% minoxidil to treat hair loss in women. Since then a 5% solution has also become available when a stronger solution is need for a woman’s hair loss.
Clearly, minoxidil is not a miracle drug. While it can produce some new growth of fine hair in some not all women, it can’t restore the full density of the lost hair. It’s not a quick fix, either for hair loss in women . You won’t see results until you use the drug for at least two months. The effect often peaks at around four months, but it could take longer, so plan on a trial of six to 12 months. If minoxidil works for you, you’ll need to keep using it to maintain those results. If you stop, you’ll start to lose hair again.
Some women find that the minoxidil solution leaves a deposit that dries and irritates their scalp. This irritation, called contact dermatitis, is probably caused not by the minoxidil itself, but rather by the alcohol that is included to facilitate drying.
Treatment For Hair Loss
Although there is no cure for hair loss, a number of treatments can slow or reduce hair loss, stimulate partial regrowth or replace damaged hair. Surgical hair transplantation can help some men who have advanced balding.Despite advances in our understanding of hair loss, there are limits to current treatment. In particular, age-related hair loss and inherited forms of hair loss are difficult to reverse, although treatment may prevent further loss and produce partial regrowth. Non-surgical treatments include lotions and tablets. These generally need to be used continuously for the benefits to be maintained. If you stop treatment, regrowth will cease and hair loss will resume.Cosmetic options include wigs and hairpieces.A number of other treatments have been suggested for hair loss, including massage, vitamin supplements, herbal remedies , zinc, amino acids, hair lotions and tonics. None of these have been shown to promote hair growth or prevent hair loss. There is also no scientific evidence that the use of lasers is effective.If you are unsure, consult with your doctor before starting treatment.
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Male Pattern Hair Loss
In men, hair loss can begin any time after puberty and progress over the course of years or decades. It starts above the temples and continues around the perimeter and the top of the head, often leaving a ring of hair along the bottom of the scalp. Many men with male pattern hair loss eventually become bald.
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