How Can I Stop My Hair From Thinning

Excessive Hair Loss After Showering Or Brushing

Its normal to lose hair when you shower, brush or comb.

On average, people lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, meaning that the four to five hairs you notice in your hands after shampooing your hair aren’t anything to be concerned about.

However, if you start to notice an excessive amount of hair falling out throughout the day, theres a risk that it could be the result of male pattern baldness.

Before you panic, its important to know that temporary hair loss can happen and that shedding a lot of hair for a day or two isnt necessarily a cause for alarm.

Less alarming yet common causes of hair loss range from high fevers to psychological stress to side effects of medication.

This type of hair loss is usually temporary, meaning youll notice a larger number of hairs in your hands and on your brush for anywhere from one to six months .

You might also notice loose hairs on your pillow in the morning.

If you notice a large amount of hair loss every day for a long time, you should seek medical advice.

After all, it may not take as long as youd think for a modest amount of daily hair loss from a full head of hair to turn into a receding hairline or a visible bald spot on your crown.

Can Bald Men Regrow Hair

It’s a common question – can bald men regrow hair? The answer isn’t necessarily a straightforward yes or no. While there are treatments available that can promote hair growth, the success of these treatments varies from person to person.

However, it’s important to realize that there are several factors that will affect how successful hair regrowth will be. These include the cause of hair loss, the age of the individual, and the overall health of the scalp.

The final factor is the overall health of the scalp. A healthy scalp will have a better chance of supporting hair regrowth than an unhealthy one.

This means that individuals who are experiencing hair loss due to a medical condition or medication should focus on treating the underlying problem to improve the chances of regrowth.

Potential Causes For Hair Thinning

From daily habits to genetics, theres a myriad of reasons why we suddenly lose hair. This is why prioritizing your hair and scalp health is so important, as hair loss can affect virtually anyone. However, there are four main types of hair loss:

• Androgenetic Alopecia: the most common form of hair loss in women, androgenetic alopecia is characterized by thinning on the scalp. As its name would suggest, this type of hair loss is genetic and can be passed on from mother or father.
• Telogen Effluvium: this kind of hair loss happens during periods of great stress. Youll see handfuls of hair on brush, bathroom floor, or pillowcase.
• Traction Alopecia: youll see slight balding or a receding hairline where hair is normally pulled, twisted, or excessively styled.
• Alopecia Areata: characterized by hair loss on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. This is caused by an autoimmune skin disease.

If youre still unsure about why youre suddenly experiencing hair loss, here are some other reasons:

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Can Men Regrow Hair Naturally

While hair loss is a natural part of the aging process for many men, it can be a source of great anxiety and insecurity. If you’re starting to see thinning hair or a receding hairline, you may wonder if there’s any way to cling to your luscious locks.

The good news is that there are many ways to regain your hair’s former glory, and most of them are as simple as following a few simple tips.

So fellas, if you’re starting to freak out about your hair and want to learn how to regrow hair naturally, take a deep breath and read on. Let’s dive into it, shall we?

Why Is My Curly Hair Thinning

Hair loss and thinning can be caused by multiple things including hormones, stress, illness, and trauma.

Your hair naturally goes through three different cycles when it comes to hair growth. Anagen, the active phase of the hair. Catagen, a transitioning phase, and telogen, the dormant phase.

These phases can be disrupted by many different factors which can cause your hair to shed more than normal causing hair loss.

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The Thyroid Disease Connection

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that rests in the front base of the neck. It secretes thyroid hormones that are used by every cell in the body. There’s a connection between hair loss in women and thyroid disease. Imbalances in thyroid hormone levels are a common reason for hair loss in women. Too much thyroid hormone and too little thyroid hormone may both trigger hair loss. Other symptoms of hyperthyroidism include weight loss, rapid heart rate, inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, and anxiety. In addition to hair loss, hypothyroidism may be associated with weight gain, fatigue, feeling cold, slow heart rate, and constipation. Luckily, thyroid hormone imbalances are easily detectable with blood tests. Treatment helps alleviate symptoms, including hair loss.

Myths Associated With Stress Hair Loss

Misunderstanding your hair problems can be dangerous, so lets dispel the most common myths about stress hair loss.

• It appears immediately. Stress hair loss takes anywhere from 6-12 weeks to appear, based on hair growth cycles. Your hair goes into a resting stage to protect itself when under stressful situations, as most studies suggest. Once your hair cycle returns to normal, it pushes the hair out to grow new strands. It is possible for hair loss to appear up to three months after that stressful event.
• Minor stress can cause hair loss. A stressful event can be physical like surgery or trauma. It can be emotional, like a divorce or loss of a job. Stress can also be hormonal, like switching birth control or recently having a baby. Anxiety hair loss doesnt usually happen because you are stressed about your morning commute.
• Any hair loss is stress-related. Stress does not equate balding. Just because you see your hairbrush covered in day-old hair or you are sweeping up more hair than usual these days does not mean it is stress-related. It may be damaged hair breaking off. Make sure you are not damaging your hair if you want to maintain thickness.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

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Treatments For Hair Loss

When it comes to treating hair loss, theres really no “one size fits all treatment, but you do have some options.

Treatments vary depending on cause but can include OTC Rogaine, intralesional steroid injections for certain types of inflammatory or autoimmune conditions, oral medications and treating underlying diseases, Parks said.

For androgenetic alopecia, in particular, treatments include minoxidil, platelet-rich plasma and low-level laser therapy. Telogen effluvium, Shah said, has a whole different set of treatments.

In the majority of cases, telogen effluvium resolves spontaneously, so treatment may not be necessary unless a treatable underlying cause is identified, such as thyroid disease or nutritional deficiency, then that would of course be treated, she said. Autoimmune or immune-mediated alopecias usually require treatments that can mediate the immune response.

It’s not always easy to find a legitimate solution for hair loss, but you can definitely arm yourself against false claims.

“It’s first important to identify the type of hair loss and then choose treatments that are FDA-approved, FDA-cleared or have supporting data behind them,” Shah said. “As we are still discovering new things about hair loss, there are some lesser-studied therapeutic options that may help some people. Generally, if a treatment promises overnight results or seems too good to be true, it’s probably not legit.”

How Can I Stop My Hair From Falling Out

First things first, assess your daily haircare routine and switch your shampoo for a sulphate-free formula.

Because while that ordinary shampoo may be a total bargain, it’s most likely drying out your strands and increasing your risk of hair loss. Even more so if you’re washing it daily.

Sulphate-free shampoos are much more hydrating for delicate hair and don’t have to be expensive.

If you’ve already developed bald patches, then investing in hair lotion containing minoxidil has been medically proven to help slow down balding.

Although a bit messy, massaging egg into your scalp or rinsing your hair with green tea has also been said to promote growth.

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Different Types Of Hair Loss

There are lots of different types of hair loss. It can take the form of “thinning” or involve a total loss of hair. It can be gradual or sudden it can affect the old and the young.

Hair loss can be genetic, or as a result of extreme stress, a medical condition or treatment.

Hair loss is a well-known side effect of chemotherapy. It’s also common for women to lose more hair than usual up to 3 months after they’ve given birth.

What Are The Side Effects Of Taking Finasteride

In rare cases finasteride may cause a skin rash, erectile dysfunction, less desire for sex or tenderness in the nipple area. If you do experience these side effects, they may well disappear quickly as your body gets used to finasteride. If you are at all concerned about the side effects you should stop taking the treatment and consult a doctor.

For more information on solutions for hair loss, visit our blog article on hair growth treatment.

References

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Medication For Hair Loss

Minoxidil, or Rogaine, is a topical medication that is used to treat female pattern hair loss and male-pattern baldness. It was initially developed as a blood pressure medication and was used off-label to treat hair loss until it became FDA-approved for that purpose. Minoxidil can slow the progression of hair loss. Most women who use the medication experience regrowth of hair. The medication needs to be used continuously to maintain results. Other types of treatment work for different kinds of hair loss. Corticosteroids help suppress the immune response that damages hair follicles in people who have alopecia areata. Once the follicles recover, hair can grow back. If nutritional deficiencies underlie hair loss, eating a healthy diet with adequate and protein and nutrients can help you regrow hair. Certain medical problems may trigger hair loss. Adequately treating these conditions may help restore hair growth.

Can Hair Loss Be Reversed

Yes and no. It depends on what type of hair loss youre experiencing.

Some types, like cicatricial alopecia, are permanent, while others that may be caused by stress or a medical condition are temporary. Once the cause has been identified and eliminated, your hair should start growing back.

Generally speaking, if the trigger goes away or whatever caused the injury to the hair follicle, then the hair will recover over a period of four to six months to a year, says Dr. Bergfeld.

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Is Baldness Preventable

Losing your hair isn’t the end of the world, but for most people it certainly isn’t ideal. You may be wondering what you can do to prevent hair loss from happening to you. According to NYU Langone Health, as many as 80 percent of men and 50 percent of women will experience some form of hair loss in their lifetime. But are there things you can do to prevent baldness from happening altogether?

There are certain factors to take into consideration. âAs people age, their rate of hair growth slows. Some people, however, due to genetic makeup or underlying medical conditions develop alopecia, which is also known as hair loss or baldness,â Ricardo Castrellon, MD, a plastic surgeon at Mercy in Miami Hospital tells WebMD Connect to Care.

In most cases, hair loss actually can be prevented, but taking early action is important. âBaldness is preventable, but early intervention is key. If a person starts to notice thinning and shedding or hair loss of any kind, it is important to get on a regimen as soon as possible. Hair loss is a progressive condition and only gets worse with time, and there is a point where it is not treatable,â Jared Reynolds, BIOCHEM, founder of Zenagen Hair Care says.

What Not To Look For

The three signs above are good indicators that you should think about taking action to stop your hair loss.

However, there are also commonly repeated “signs” of baldness that arent as reliable for identifying hair loss. These include:

• An itchy scalp, which may have one or more causes, such as dandruff, but which generally does not indicate long-term hair loss.

• Thin-looking hair after you swim or shower, which is more often a result of your hair clumping together and revealing your scalp than real hair loss. To accurately check for hair loss, its always best to compare photos of your hair when its dry and unstyled.

• A widows peak, which is a dominant genetic trait and may be an indicator of hair loss or susceptibility to hair loss.

• A few hairs on your pillow or bar of soap, which are completely normal and not a reliable indicator that youre losing an abnormal amount of hair.

• A depigmented bulb on hair that falls out naturally. This just indicates that the hair was in the telogen phase when it fell out, and doesnt mean that it wont grow back as normal.

• A bald grandfather on a certain side of your family. Scientists still dont know exactly how male pattern baldness is inherited, and a bald father or grandfather is no guarantee that you will also go bald.

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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.

Spray With Rice Water

Hair is made up of protein, and rice water contains amino acids that are building blocks of protein. Thus, this topical remedy gets absorbed into the scalp and supplies some much-needed building material to the hair follicles to produce healthy, strong hair. This leads to minimal hair loss and fast, dense hair growth.

How to use:

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