Tips For Possible Complete Hair Loss
- Ask about a wig before you start treatment, so you can match the colour and texture of your real hair.
- If you are feeling adventurous, choose a wig for a whole new look why not try the colour and style you’ve always wanted!
- Think about having your hair gradually cut short before your treatment starts – this might help you get used to seeing yourself with less hair.
- Some people shave their hair off completely to avoid the distress of seeing their hair fall out.
- Wear a hair net at night so you won’t wake up with hair all over your pillow, which can be upsetting.
- Keep your head warm in cooler weather – some people wear a soft hat in bed.
- Rub in oil or moisturiser if your scalp feels dry and itchy, try unperfumed products such as Epaderm, Hydromol or Doublebase.
- Try a moisturising liquid instead of soap if your scalp is dry, for example aqueous cream, Oilatum or Diprobase.
- Protect your scalp by covering your head in the sun – your scalp is particularly sensitive to the sun.
Is It Possible To Regrow Hair
Hair follicles are responsible for new hair growth. The answer is yes if your hair follicles in bald spots are still alive and unclosed and do not have any diseases such as Scarring Alopecia which causes patchy hair loss. No, if they are dead or have scarring inflammatory diseases. In this case, hair transplantation is an option to restore the natural look after treating the disease.
Use Apple Cider Vinegar
Dry, unruly hair is difficult to manage and more prone to falling out or breaking. A lot of people use diluted apple cider vinegar to wash their frizzy hair to make it softer, shinier, and easier to detangle.
Moreover, a healthy scalp is a prerequisite for healthy hair, and ACV might help in that regard too. Dryness of hair and scalp is a sign of increased alkalinity, and this mild acid can help balance it out. Thus, ACV may help relieve itching and flaking of the scalp while stimulating the hair follicles for improved hair growth.
Bear in mind, however, that all these hair benefits attributed to ACV are purely anecdotal with little to no scientific support
Directions:
Note: Do not apply ACV for longer than the recommended period or in undiluted form as it can damage your hair and scalp.
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Surgical And Physical Treatments
Medications and supplements also boost your bodily functions to grow hair and should take some time to actually produce results.
And these results might vary, as they promise a certain amount of success, unlike some surgical and physical treatments.
So lets take a look at these direct treatments that most consider as last resort, but experts and dermatologists agree should be considered as effective primary solutions:
Hair Loss Cure: Myth Or Fiction
There is a common mistrust towards hair regrowth treatments, to an extend that hair transplantation and masking the problem are often seen as the only viable ways to deal with thinning. This is often due to the common misconceptions about how hair loss solutions work and when they can help or not.
One of the best ways to combat female hair loss is to invest in products designed exclusively for female pattern baldness that are backed by science or at least have much evidence from personal experience. Let us review them all.
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Where Hair Loss Might Appear
A drop in female sex hormones typically causes the hair to thin in the central area of the head, as well as near the hairline on the forehead. However, it can also occur on the back of the head and near the crown, as well as near the nape.
When excessive androgens are involved, hair loss occurs around the line where the hair is parted as well as the top of the head.
Does Menopause Cause Hair Loss
The hair follicle, a complex mini-organ with its own blood supply, requires a great deal of metabolic energy to reproduce itself, and its one of the most sensitive among all of the organs. That means it is easily affected by even subtle shifts in energy, which can lead to hair loss.
The long-standing belief is that the hormonal imbalances that occur during menopause when the body produces less estrogen and progesterone trigger the production of androgens , leading to hair loss. This is caused by an increased sensitivity to testosterone, the androgen, which turns into or DHT . Over time, the DHT causes the hair to miniaturize, until the hair is barely visible. This is known as post-menopausal hair loss.
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Before a woman has her last period, she may be estrogen dominant, meaning she has too much estrogen relative to her bodys progesterone production. This happens when the estrogen begins to overstimulate the body and the brain. Estrogen dominance may occur for 10-15 years, beginning as early as the age of 35, until menopause officially begins. All of these symptoms are exacerbated by stress of many kinds.
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Ways To Stop Hair Loss And Prevent Balding
Its important that you understand, your body doesnt intentionally push the hair out of your scalp.
Given the right genetics and the right lifestyle choices, it will do everything in its power to stop hair loss.
So, you can and should help your body protect your hair and battle balding.
Although there are a number of things you can do to help your body, there are also a few unhealthy habits you can remove from your daily life thatll both help your scalp and your overall health, which is what well start with:
What Is Androgenetic Alopecia
Almost every woman eventually develops some degree of female pattern hair loss. It can start any time after the onset of puberty, but women tend to first notice it around menopause, when hair loss typically increases. The risk rises with age, and it’s higher for women with a history of hair loss on either side of the family.
As the name suggests, androgenetic alopecia involves the action of the hormones called androgens, which are essential for normal male sexual development and have other important functions in both sexes, including sex drive and regulation of hair growth. The condition may be inherited and involve several different genes. It can also result from an underlying endocrine condition, such as overproduction of androgen or an androgen-secreting tumor on the ovary, pituitary, or adrenal gland. In either case, the alopecia is likely related to increased androgen activity. But unlike androgenetic alopecia in men, in women the precise role of androgens is harder to determine. On the chance that an androgen-secreting tumor is involved, it’s important to measure androgen levels in women with clear female pattern hair loss.
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When To See A Doctor For Thinning Hair
Although its common to lose hair throughout the day, its a good idea to speak with your doctor if youre losing more than 100 hairs per day.
You should also talk with your doctor if youre worried about persistent hair loss or a receding hairline, or if you notice sudden patchy hair loss. Patches of hair loss could signify an underlying medical condition.
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.
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How Common Is Hair Loss In Women
Many people think that hair loss only affects men. However, it is estimated that more than 50% of women will experience noticeable hair loss. The most significant cause of hair loss in women is female-pattern hair loss , which affects about one-third of susceptible women, which equals out to some 30 million women in the United States.
What Causes Menopausal Hair Loss
During menopause, levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone go down. Because these hormones play a role in hair growth, hair loss can occur as they begin to drop. It can also lead to hair thinning and hair that doesnt grow as quickly as it normally would.
A decrease in progesterone and estrogen also sparks an increase in androgens, which are male hormones that are found in women in smaller amounts than in men. Androgens can cause the hair follicles on the head to shrink, resulting in hair loss.
Other causes can include high levels of stress as well as nutrient deficiencies.
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Treatment For Other Causes Of Hair Loss
If a disease, medicine, or stress is the cause of hair loss, then treating the disease, changing medicines, or managing stress may stop the hair loss. And your hair is likely to grow back. For example, if an underactive thyroid is causing the problem, taking thyroid medicine may help. And most hair lost during chemotherapy will grow back after the treatment ends.
If alopecia areata is the cause of hair loss, medicines such as corticosteroids can be used to treat it. But because hair often grows back within a year, you may decide not to have treatment. Understanding the come-and-go nature of hair loss with this condition can help you make the best treatment decision. Children and teens may need counseling to help them adjust to the hair loss.
Ways To Care For Your Hair When It Grows Back
- Be gentle. When your hair starts to grow back, you will want to be gentle with it. Avoid too much brushing, curling, and blow-drying. You may not want to wash your hair as frequently.
- After chemotherapy. Hair often grows back in 2 to 3 months after treatment has ended. Your hair will be very fine when it starts to grow back. Sometimes your new hair can be curlier or straighteror even a different color. In time, it may go back to how it was before treatment.
- After radiation therapy. Hair often grows back in 3 to 6 months after treatment has ended. If you received a very high dose of radiation your hair may grow back thinner or not at all on the part of your body that received radiation.
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What Are The Myths About Hair Loss
Myths about hair loss are widespread. Nothing in the following list is true:
- Youre losing hair because you shampoo it too much, or because youve colored it or gotten a perm.
- Dandruff causes permanent hair loss in women.
- Stress causes permanent hair loss in women.
- If you shave your head, your hair will grow back twice as thick.
- If you stand on your head youll increase circulation, stimulating hair growth.
- If you brush your hair 100 strokes a day that will make your hair healthier.
- Hats and wigs cause hair loss in women.
- Hair loss only affects intellectual women.
What Is Not Considered Hair Loss
According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, it is normal to lose 100 strands of hair per day.
Shedding some of your hair is part of your hair growth cycle. And since there are more than 100,000 hair follicles, it does not make any difference in appearance.
However, each person is unique and should be personally examined to find out whether their hair loss is normal or not.
Better safe than sorry, right?
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Talking With Your Health Care Team About Hair Loss
Prepare for your visit by making a list of questions to ask. Consider adding these questions to your list:
- Is treatment likely to cause my hair to fall out?
- How should I protect and care for my head? Are there products that you recommend? Ones I should avoid?
- Where can I get a wig or hairpiece?
- What support groups could I meet with that might help?
- When will my hair grow back?
Natural Remedies For Hair Loss And Thinning
Hair loss can affect your self-esteem, appearance, and confidence. You may feel powerless over your own body, but the truth is thereâs a lot you can do to slow or even reverse your hair loss.
The right natural remedies for hair loss may depend on the actual reason why your hair is thinning, so itâs important to talk to a doctor to get an accurate diagnosis.
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When To Call A Doctor
- Your hair loss is sudden, rather than gradual.
- You notice hair shedding in large amounts after combing or brushing, or if your hair becomes thinner or falls out.
- You are concerned that a medicine may be causing your hair loss.
- Your skin is scaly or has a rash, or you have any change on your skin or scalp with hair loss.
- Your hair is gradually thinning and balding, and you want to discuss treatment options with your doctor.