What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider
- What is the cause of my hair loss?
- How many strands of hair am I losing per day?
- What type of hair loss do I have?
- Will my hair loss be permanent?
- Whats the best treatment for me?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Hair loss may cause you distress whether it happens because of genetics, a disease, or even stress. Know that there are some treatments you can try, and expert dermatologists are there to help you. Your hair loss may be able to be reversed. See your healthcare provider as soon as you notice something wrong because the sooner you start treatment, the better.
How To Prevent Hair Loss In Men
Hair loss in men is more common than in women. According to the American Hair Loss Association, about 85 percent of men have thinning hair by the time they reach 50. Hair loss in men is typically caused by genetic male pattern hair loss, androgenetic alopecia, aging, or low testosterone levels. If youre concerned about hair loss, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatments:
- Rogaine
to promote hair growth. By promoting circulation in the area of growth, your hair may grow more quickly if you gently massage your scalp every time you wash your hair.
What Is Common Baldness
Common baldness usually means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. The medical term for this is androgenetic alopecia. 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 hairline and baldness on the top of the head.
Women may develop female-pattern baldness. In this form of hair loss, the hair can become thin over the entire scalp.
You May Like: What Shampoo Is Good For Oily Thin Hair
> > > Best Hair Loss Solution Available
Another way to treat hair loss is to undergo a surgical procedure. This is a surgery that uses a small piece of scalp, which contains hair follicles. The procedure is expensive and is not covered by insurance. If the balding area is large, it may not be possible to find sufficient hair for transplant. This method requires two surgeries, so the cost can vary from person to person. The surgery can be covered by your insurance provider, but it is not cheap.
Surgical procedures to correct the underlying problem are available as well. In some cases, doctors may use birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, or antiandrogen medications to correct the hormonal imbalances. If the cause of your hair loss is a psychiatric disorder, you will need to consult with a doctor to determine the best treatment options for you. Sometimes, you may need to undergo more than one surgery, so it is best to seek help from a dermatologist.
The first step in treating hair loss is to see a doctor. Your physician will run a blood test to determine the cause of your hair loss. This will help you choose the most effective treatment. Your doctor may prescribe a medication to stop your hair growth. Patients with psychiatric problems may also require special consultations and treatments. A therapist will be able to help you deal with your underlying psychiatric condition.
Can The Bald Bible Help You Overcome Your Balding Issues
See Also:
The Bald Bible was written by The Bald Brothers themselves, and is an in depth guide for every man who is struggling to overcome baldness.
Many men believe that all is lost when they discover that they are balding, but the truth is you can actually turn this negative into a big positive.
The Bald Bible is all about turning a negative balding situation into a positive situation, and is packed with our experiences surrounding hair loss and balding.
We have gone down the classic, long road of baldness.
Over 10 years to be exact!
From trying to have our hair grow back by using fancy and expensive products and shampoos, styling our hair a certain way to hide our baldness, or by simply wearing caps.
We know the feeling.
But we also understand how much time and energy we wasted with this technique.
So once we finally decided to take the plunge and embrace our baldness, our lives got a whole lot easier.
Read Also: Will Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Hair Loss
The Psychological Effects Of Hair Loss
I dont want to sugarcoat anything. So Ill say this: Without question, balding causes a wide range of negative, psychological effects in both men and women.
A European survey of 1,717 men found that, men with greater hair loss appeared to be more worried, less self-confident and, in general, to have more negative effects specific to their hair loss than men who reported less hair loss. . That same study concluded that even men with a little or some to moderate hair loss showed significant negative effects of hair loss relative to men without hair loss.
They sure said hair loss a lot in that article, didnt they? Moving on
The point is this: you dont have to be a part of the relatively stressed and depressed majority of hair loss sufferers. You can beat your balding blues, and Im here to help you do it. So stay with me.
What Is The Relationship Between Hair Loss In Women And Menopause
During menopause, you might see one of two things happen with your hair. You might start growing hair where you didnt before. Or, you might see the hair you have start to thin. One cause may be changing levels of hormones during menopause. Estrogen and progesterone levels fall, meaning that the effects of the androgens, male hormones, are increased.
During and after menopause, hair might become finer because hair follicles shrink. Hair grows more slowly and falls out more easily in these cases.
Your healthcare provider will do a thorough examination and take a detailed history to help you deal with changes in hair growth. You may be directed to have your iron levels or thyroid hormone levels tested. Your medications might be changed if what you take is found to affect hair loss or growth.
Also Check: How To Fix Thinning Hair In Females
Losing Your Hair Over Pcos Heres My 5 Step Plan To Grow It Back
Has PCOS made your hair fall out? PCOS hair loss is one of the most distressing symptoms, and is something that many of my patients suffer from.
I met Lisa* last week. She was diagnosed with PCOS 5 years ago and has been battling her weight and some hirsutism since then. She could manage that though. Then it got personal: PCOS started taking her hair.
Her once luscious ponytail was now merely a few strands and she was starting to get bald patches on her temples. Every shower ended in heartbreak, with the tray lined with her long brown strands. Ive always been Lisa with great hair, and now Im going bald. I could deal with the weight and the few chin hairs because my hair made me feel feminine. And now I dont even have that.
Ive had hair-loss, but not like Lisa did. No, mine was more of a particularly bad blonding experience, which ended in my hair self-layering. That was a case of shouldnt have been tempted by the cheap Groupon voucher alopecia. Entirely self inflicted. Lisa has Androgenic Alopecia.
What Causes Hair Loss In Men
Male hair loss is caused by the hormone testosterone being converted to DHT, which causes hair follicles to shrink. Hair growth subsequently slows down or even stops altogether.
Male hair loss is usually genetic, although it can also be caused by:
- Extreme stress
- Side effects to medical treatment
- A major life event
- Skin disorders
- Hormone imbalance.
Its worth noting here that there is no correlation between the level of normal testosterone and baldness.
Also Check: How To Treat Hypothyroidism Hair Loss
Female Pattern Hair Loss
Women with hereditary baldness rarely develop bald patches. Instead, you experience a general thinning of their hair, especially over the top of your head or crown, while maintaining a frontal hairline.
|
See your GP or seek medical advice if: |
|
Is All Hair Loss Preventable
According to Mayo Clinic, the majority of baldness is caused by genetics, usually known as male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness, and cannot be prevented. This type of hair loss is called androgenic alopecia, which is a genetic condition. While androgenic alopecia cannot be prevented, it can be treated and its progression can be slowed.
âAndrogenic alopecia can start at any age. Unfortunately, by the time hair loss is noticeable 50 percent of hairs have already fallen from the scalp. The earlier you begin treatment, the more effective non-surgical treatments can be,â Matthew Lopresti, MD, chief surgeon at Leonard Hair Transplant Associates says.
Alopecia areata is also a genetic disease and usually first appears during childhood. The good news is that when someone has alopecia areata, their hair can grow back even after it has fallen out. So while hair loss from alopecia areata cannot be prevented, it can be treated. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, your hair follicles remain alive even during active periods of alopecia areata and you can experience hair regrowth even if you have already lost more than 50 percent of your hair.
If your hair loss is not due to a genetic condition, itâs likely that it can be prevented. According to NYU Langone Health, hair loss from stress, menopause, pregnancy, smoking, or other lifestyle or medical conditions can be prevented and sometimes even reversed once it starts happening.
Don’t Miss: What To Take For Hair Loss During Menopause
What Are Causes And Risk Factors For Hair Loss
Because there are many types of hair loss, finding the cause can be challenging. This review will cover the most common causes of hair loss occurring on normal unscarred scalp skin. The medical term for hair loss is alopecia.
- Most hair loss is not associated with systemic or internal disease, nor is poor diet a frequent factor. Hair may simply thin as a result of predetermined genetic factors and the overall aging process.
- Many men and women may notice mild physiologic thinning of hair starting in their 30s and 40s.
- Life vicissitudes may cause hair loss, including
- illness,
- hormonal changes like those in pregnancy, puberty, and menopause.
What Is Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks its own hair follicles. Most patients, however, do not have systemic problems and need no medical tests. While people frequently blame alopecia areata on “stress,” in fact, it may be the other way around that is, having alopecia may cause stress.
- A common skin condition, alopecia areata usually starts as a single quarter-sized circle of perfectly smooth bald skin.
- These patches usually regrow in three to six months without treatment.
- Sometimes, white hair temporarily regrows and then becomes dark. The most extensive form is alopecia totalis, in which the entire scalp goes bald. It’s important to emphasize that patients who have localized hair loss generally don’t go on to lose hair all over the scalp.
- Alopecia areata can affect hair on other parts of the body, too .
Alopecia areata treatment
- Treatments for alopecia areata include injecting small amounts of steroids like triamcinolone into affected patches to stimulate hair growth.
- Although localized injections may not be practical for large areas, often this is a very effective treatment in helping the hairs return sooner.
Also Check: Can Hidradenitis Suppurativa Cause Hair Loss
How To Prevent Balding
One of the best things you can do to prevent hair loss is to take charge of stress. Exercising and finding time to relax can keep you healthy and help you prevent hair loss by lowering your stress levels. Especially if you are experiencing a major life event, such as the loss of a loved one or the end of a relationship, itâs important to find outlets to relieve your stress so that you do not experience stress-induced hair loss.
If you want to prevent hair loss, you can also prioritize a diet high in healthy proteins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and fresh fruits and vegetables. If youâre trying to prevent baldness, you can take vitamins such as iron, biotin, vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc. Itâs always a good idea to consult with your doctor before taking any new vitamins or supplements.
First Off Hair Loss Is A First
Seriously, you could be on the verge of starvation in a filthy, sewage-swamped wasteland somewhere. You have food, shelter, and presumably an internet connection, the three necessities for survival in the 21st century. Moreover, there are people around the world suffering from an array of atrocious maladies and hardships that you cant even begin to fathom.
Baldness doesnt crack the top 10,000 list of horrible physical afflictions and its not even an illness at all, so keep that in mind. One day youre going to die, and at your funeral, nobodys going to talk about the density of your hair. Theyll talk about your contributions to society, how you treated your friends and family, your wit, your interests, and so on. Feeling better? Good, lets move on to the next point
Recommended Reading: Does Hashimoto’s Cause Hair Loss