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.
How Does Hair Grow
Your scalp is home to about 100,000 hairs. Each one has its own life cycle. A follicle produces a single hair that grows at a rate of half an inch per month. It hangs in there for 2 to 6 years, then stops for about a month. When the next cycle starts up, that hair falls out. At any given time, most of your locks are in the growth phase.
What Are The Signs Of Balding
There are several different signs that you might be starting to experience hair loss .
From thinning hair all over your head to a receding hairline, male pattern baldness comes in many forms.
Recognizing the signs of male pattern baldness is an important part of the treatment or prevention process.
Because male pattern baldness occurs in stages, it may be possible to recognize the signs early enough to reverse hair loss or prevent any further damage to your hairline.
Below, weve listed three warning signs that you should be aware of, as well as simple but effective ways that you can take action to prevent your hair loss from getting worse.
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Androgenetic Alopecia Or Reduced Hair Volume
‘This is one the most common types of hair loss in women and is a slow, gradual and progressive reduction in hair density whereby hair follicles miniaturise, and hairs become finer with each passing growth cycle,’ explains Kingsley.
‘The reason why hair follicles become smaller is down to genes. It occurs when follicles are genetically predisposed to be sensitive to normal levels of circulating androgens ,’ she clarifies.
‘Treatment for this does take time, and the improvement you can expect to see does depend on the degree of your follicle sensitivity and how severe the density loss is when you start treatment. This is why seeking help as soon as you notice changes is really important,’ says Kingsley.
Cover It Up With Extensions
Julia Venturin, hair extensions expert and affiliate marketing coordinator at Luxy Hair recommends extensions to mask thinning. Luxy Hair extensions are a great way for adding thickness to thin and fine hair, without causing any damage to your natural hair or hindering hair growth in the meantime. Our Seamless Collection is bound with silicone rather than fabric, which means that the base of the weft is 50% thinner than our Classic wefts. This ensures that the wefts lay totally flat against your head so that your thin hair can glide easily over and hide them, she explains.
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Female Hair Loss: Causes And Treatment
Far from being my crowning glory, my hair has been the bane of my life. But one question has always plagued me: is my problem on my head, or in my head? While I’ve suspected my hair has been thinning for decades, few people ever believed me and at times I even doubted it myself.
There were years when my hair seemed fuller, when I’d scrunch it into ringlets and delight at its apparent thickness. At other times, particularly in my 30s, I’d fret over the wispy strands at the front of my head or when I saw too much scalp in the mirror.
My friends always reassured me I had a good head of hair. Most of the GPs I saw reacted the same, despite my tears and protestations. I had no bald patches or visible gaps so they’d put it down to stress or would test my iron and thyroid levels, which appeared normal.
Some of my hair loss over the years is easily explained. I developed an eating disorder and recall gathering clumps of hair off my pink bedroom carpet when I was under-eating in my teens.
Weight loss, low iron levels, poor diet and stress, along with thyroid and hormonal imbalances, can all cause hair to fall, trichologists say. Hair needs a healthy diet and a well-functioning endocrine system to flourish.
“Genetic hair loss is the only hair loss in which the follicle gradually gets smaller and finer and producers smaller and finer hair until it stops altogether and then you get the thinning,” says Lyons.
Try Regular Scalp Massages
While some options might be expensive and require a professional, like hiring a dermatologist, there’s one approach to regrowth that can be done by yourself and won’t cost you a dime. Cervando says, “in most cases, frequent scalp massages can stimulate new hair growth.” Although the hair that grows back “won’t be super thick, scalp massages could help lightly fill in the area.” However, he does mention it won’t work in every case , but it’s worth trying. Friese agrees that “massaging the scalp at the hairline will increase circulation and encourage hair growth.”
When you massage your head, it’s important only to use the pads of your fingers don’t rake over this sensitive area with fingernails. Move fingers in a gentle, circular pattern for a few minutes every day. Try not to press down firmly on your hairline, as this can stunt growth.
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Find Your Extension Safe Zone
A very important step when clipping in your extensions is figuring out what your safe zone is. This is the area on your head where the clips will not be seen. Usually, for fine hair, the safe zone is anywhere below the line of your eyebrows. Draw an imaginary circle around your head from one eyebrow to another anywhere below that circle is where your wefts are going to be clipped in. Sometimes, you wont need to use all the wefts, and thats absolutely okay. If youre struggling to find space on your head for all the wefts, there is a good chance that you dont need to use all of them. Figure out which sequence works with what wefts, and only use those, Julia notes.
One of the best things about extensions is how they can immediately give you your confidence back. Once your extensions are clipped in, you will notice the difference right away in how much longer and thicker your hair feels. If you are dealing with hair thinning, you might have noticed that you have more hair at the bottom of your head rather than at the top, continues Julia. This is due to the thinness of your natural hair. To make the blend look more natural, its a great idea to lightly tease your hair at the crown to add some volume to match the rest of your hair. This will give an overall harmonious, voluminous look.
Rinse With Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is popular as a hair rinse as it makes the hair soft and less prone to breakage. It contains pH-balancing properties that help maintain hair and scalp health and anti-fungal properties that work by reducing dandruff and flakiness.
How to use:
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Keep Your Hair Away From Heat
Heat is dangerous for your hairs, especially at the ends. With excessive heat, your hairs start to damage and thinning. All the hairstyle equipment like a blow dryer, hair straightener or curling irons use to produce heat. Avoid them all if you really love your hairs.
Let your hairs dry naturally and if its too much necessary for you to use hairstyle equipment, then dont use them more than once a week if you really love your hairs. And one thing, before giving heat to your hairs, never forget to apply a protectant spray on your hairs.
Treatments For Hair Thinning That May Actually Work
Want to do something about your thinning hair? The first thing you should do is talk to a dermatologist or trichologist. They can figure out whatâs causing your hair loss, and they can recommend treatments that might be right for you. They may suggest options including:
1. Minoxidil . This medication is a foam or a liquid that you put on your scalp. You can buy it over the counter without a prescription. You may have to use it for several months before your hair starts to thicken. If you do regrow hair, youâll lose it again if you stop taking minoxidil.
2. Finasteride . This prescription medication is a pill you take by mouth. You may have to take finasteride for months before you see results, and youâll lose new hair if you stop taking it.
3. Microneedling. A device with hundreds of tiny needles that you use on your scalp may help hair grow, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The site says research suggests that microneedling may work better if you use it along with another hair loss treatment. You can buy one of these devices without a prescription, but talk to a dermatologist first. They can let you know if itâs safe for you, and they can recommend a specific microneedling device.
5. Low-level laser therapy. The American Academy of Dermatology says research suggests that this scalp treatment may help the following conditions:
- Male-pattern hair loss
- Hair loss from chemotherapy
- Healing and hair growth following a hair transplant
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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.
Hair Loss Trigger: Cancer Treatment
Chemo and radiation therapy, two of the most widely used therapies, can take a toll on your hair. In their quest to kill cancer cells, both can harm hair follicles and trigger dramatic hair loss. But the damage is almost always short-lived. Once your treatment is finished, hair usually grows back.
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Change Your Protective Styles Frequently
We all have a tried-and-true hairstyle we love. But wearing your hair in one style too often can cause stress on the same hair strands continuously. This increases the chances of thinning edges. The solution is to change up your styles frequently enough to avoid stress in one area for too long.
For best results, alternate sleek, pulled-back styles with styles that allow you to wear your edges out. This will give the hair follicles time to repair so the edges may regrow naturally.
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If you are suffering from edges thinning and hair loss, you are not alone. The good news is that this common problem has many solutions. To keep your natural hair healthy and ensure your edges grow, consider making the above tips part of your regular hair care routine.
Hair Loss In Black Women: Tips From An Expert
Almost half of black women experience some form of hair loss. However, few doctors are familiar with black hairstyling practices, leaving many women to sort through unhelpful or even harmful advice on their own.
Dermatologist Crystal Aguh, one of just a small group of dermatologists across the country specializing in hair loss, offers these tips to help women protect their hair and recognize common warning signs of hair loss.
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Why Hair Falls Out
Hair grows and eventually falls out as part of its normal cycle. It can build up on hair brushes, pillows, or shower drains.
Most people will not notice the natural hair loss that occurs daily. Hair thickness and the hairline usually remain the same.
People are more likely to notice excessive hair loss. This is a good time to take action as it may be due to an underlying condition. Symptoms of excessive hair loss include:
- sudden loss of hair
- noticeable thinning
There are several possible reasons for excessive hair loss.
One of the most common causes is due to genetics. According to a 2019 review, pattern baldness affects up to 50% of men and women.
Commercial products could help to slow and treat this type of balding. One example of these products is Rogaine.
Pattern baldness occurs slowly with aging. Some more immediate causes of hair loss include:
Noticeable Thinning Of Your Hair
Not all people go bald from their hairline. Some men experience whats called diffuse thinning a type of hair loss that either affects the entire scalp or specific areas like the top of the head resulting in baldness that starts from the back or top, rather than from the hairline.
Just like a receding hairline, the easiest way to spot diffuse thinning is to compare photos from different time periods.
If you notice that your hair looks thinner now than it does in photos taken several years ago, theres a chance that its the result of male pattern baldness.
Since you dont normally take photos from behind you, the easiest way to compare the level of thickness in your hair over time is to take photos every two to three months in your bathroom mirror.
If you notice the hair around your crown thinning every year, its worth taking action to prevent any further loss.
Worried about hair thinning? Here are the signs of hair thinning to look for.
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Does A Thinning Crown Mean Baldness
People can go bald for many different reasons and an unusual patch of hair could also be due to a cowlick. Realistically speaking, though, if youre a male with family history of baldness, are healthy and are not suffering from trauma, then it could be the start of MPB.
Using the Norwood scale, noticeable hair thinning at the back of your head or the crown is at stage three of male pattern baldness. This system is the leading classification in the stages of MPB.