Medical Conditions And Genetics
Ill preface this by saying the number of medical reasons that could contribute to hair loss are vastand the only way to get a definitive answer is to see your doctor or a trichologist . If you eat a balanced diet, live relatively stress-free, and havent had any major hormonal changes or pregnancies, yet youre still noticing hair loss, the next step is to make an appointment with your doc.
Medical conditions aside, early-onset hair loss can also be hereditary. Burg says its more of a myth that hair loss can be passed down from either your mother or fatherif youve got a grandmother or aunt on either side of your family with thinning hair, theres a chance you can have it too. Love you, fam!
How Do I Tell If My Hair Is Shedding Or Thinning
Its the question I ask myself most mornings: How exactly do you figure out if your hair is actually thinning or if youre just shedding a little more than usual? You lose about 50 to 100 hairs every day, which is about 0.001 percent of your hair, says Burg. Now, when you notice that amount doubling or tripling, thats an indication that your hair cycle is too short. Reminder: If your hair cycle speeds up, it goes through its resting and falling stages too quickly, which can lead to less hair on your pretty little head.
Other than monitoring the amount of hair you lose in the shower or on your hair brush, youll want to check your ponytail , your part , and your scalp . If you are noticing any of the above, dont freak, heres what you can do next:
More Options For Managing Hair Loss
Were all about taking action when it comes to dealing with hair loss. By that, we mean dont just throw up your hands and say, Theres nothing I can do about my hair loss! Its like when you have a cavity in a tooth you dont sit back and live with it, but you go to the dentist, change your brushing and flossing routine, and so on.
Taking action when experiencing balding and hair loss means finding a hairstyle that works with thinning hair. It also means integrating products into your life such as Rogaine that slow down hair loss and may even generate new hair growth. It also means making due with what you have in terms of your specific kind of hair loss.
But taking action doesnt mean shaving your head at the first sign of balding. Dont do it. Theres nothing wrong with shaving your head if youve experienced significant thinning or balding, but theres no need to when you first notice hair loss. So, be part of hair thinning men who are proactive.
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How Is Hair Loss In Women Treated What Medicines Or Supplements May Help
Treatment depends on the cause of your hair loss.
- In cases where the loss is due to stress or hormone changes like pregnancy, there might be no treatment needed. The hair loss will stop after a period of time.
- In cases of hair loss being due to hair styling practices, like tight braids or ponytails or certain chemicals, treatment means not doing the things that caused the damage.
- In cases due to nutritional deficiencies, you might be told to take supplements. For instance, you might be told to take a multivitamin and three to five milligrams of biotin daily.
- Minoxidil is approved for treating FPHL. The 2% or 5% solution can be purchased in stores. However, you have to follow directions exactly and use the product indefinitely. Dont use this product if youre pregnant, if you plan to get pregnant, or if youre breastfeeding.
- The HairMax Lasercomb® low light laser is approved by the US FDA to treat FPHL. Another FDA-approved laser product is the Theradome LH80 PRO® helmet and low light laser helmets and caps.
Other medications that have been studied, but not approved, for hair loss in women include:
- Spironolactone and other anti-androgens.
- Steroids.
- Other light treatments.
It is important to note that premenopausal women should not take medications for hair loss treatment without using contraception. Many drugs, including minoxidil and finasteride, are not safe for pregnant women or women who want to get pregnant.
How To Apply Conditioner
Hair must be damp when applying conditioner, so before that, squeeze out the water. If you dont do so, the excess water stops the conditioner from staying on, hydrating it less, and making it prone to break when you comb it. Leave the conditioner on for up to 5 minutes while you wash your body, then rinse thoroughly with warm luke water.
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Secondary Factors In Hair Loss
Yeah, its true that MPB is primarily driven by genetics and the other three-headed monster, DHT. But there are other things that potentially figure into the mix, too.
Age Weve kind of touched on this one already, but the bottom line is that the rate of hair growth slows as you get older. An elderly guy with a full head of hair is worthy of our praise because he has somehow defied the odds of aging and genetics. Bravo, kind sir!
Smoking You know that smoking is bad for you, but were not here to lecture. Among smokings many negative health effects, heavy smokers are more likely to experience hair loss than non-smokers. By heavy smoker, we mean someone who smokes 20 cigarettes a day, or more. Why? Because smoking messes with your blood circulation and that means less blood flow to your hair follicles.
Alcohol Many men enjoy a cocktail or two at the end of a long day of a work or a long week, and theres absolutely nothing wrong with that. But unrestrained alcohol consumption may contribute to hair loss because alcohol raises estrogen levels while Zinc levels are reduced. And Zinc is an essential mineral for growing hair.
Poor Diet Maintaining a healthy diet is excellent for a lot of reasons, including that its good for hair health. For instance, protein is essential for prolonging your hairs growing phase, so making sure that your diet includes a sufficient amount of protein is important. A diet that doesnt include enough iron can lead to hair loss, as well.
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.
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What Are The Cycles Of Hair Growth
Hair goes through three cycles:
- The anagen phase can last from two years to eight years. This phase generally refers to about 85% to 90% of the hair on your head.
- The catagen phase is the time that hair follicles shrink and takes about two to three weeks.
- The telogen phase takes about two to four months. At the end of this phase, the hair falls out.
Your shorter hairs like eyelashes, arm and leg hair and eyebrows have a short anagen phase about one month. Your scalp hair can last up to six years or even longer.
What Can I Do About Traction Alopecia
To protect your hair from traction alopecia and prevent further damage:
- Ask your stylist to create looser braids or dreadlocks.
- If you have braids, remove them after three months.
- If you wear a weave or hair extensions, remove them after eight weeks.
- If you have relaxed or dyed hair, make sure these treatments are applied by a professional. If you still notice breakage or hair shedding, avoid chemical treatments completely.
- Minimize heat styling, including hair dryers, flat irons and curling irons. These wear out the hair and can lead to major hair loss.
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You Dont Need To Wash Your Hair Every Day
Probably the most important, dont over wash your hair! Most experts recommend washing your hair 3 to 4 times per week. When you wash your hair daily, the natural oil from your scalp doesnt reach your ends, which dries out your hair, making it more brittle and reducing its shine.
Do you have any tips for washing, shampooing, and conditioning youd like to share? Leave a comment below.
Reasons Whyyour Hair Skin And Nails Are Suffering
- Erika Geisheimer, Blog Coordinator
- Communications, Good n’ Natural Health Food Store
Irritated or aging skin? Thinning or dry hair? Brittle or unhealthy nails? While using topical products is a valid method of treatment, it also helps to consider that more often than not, external symptoms are a manifestation of some internal dysfunction or imbalance, whether it is too much of something or not enough of another. Consider the following potential underlying causes that are triggering your beauty blunders!
1. Nutrient Deficiencies
Protein The amino acids in protein are building blocks for thick, shiny hair and strong nails. Deficiency symptoms include dry, shedding hair and weak nails. As a general rule, aim to consume at least half of your body weight in grams of protein per day! Specifically, collagen is the main structural protein found in skin and other connective tissues. When levels fall hair thins, skin sags & wrinkles and nails become brittle. Elastin fibers form a matrix with collagen in hyaluronic acid. Together these ingredients function to lock in moisture and make skin, hair and nails smooth, elastic and firm. With age, menopause and damage from toxins, our natural renewal rate of these nutrients slows down. Important collagen building blocks include Silica and Biotin, as well as Sulfur, Zinc and Vitamin C.
2. Sluggish Liver
3. Stressed Lifestyle
4. Hormone Imbalances
5. Oxidative Stress
6. Poor Gut Health & Inflammation
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Autoimmune Diseases That Affect Hair
Alopecia areata is often associated with an autoimmune disease, so it’s thought that some forms of hair loss can be caused by one of these medical conditions or is at least somehow related to it. Diabetes and lupus are two autoimmune diseases that can result in hair loss. This type of hair loss may not always be reversible it may sometimes be permanent. But medications and hair restoration surgeries may help compensate for any hair loss.
How To Treat Thinning Hair
This article was medically reviewed by Courtney Foster. Courtney Foster is a Licensed Cosmetologist, Certified Hair Loss Practitioner, and Cosmetology Educator based out of New York City. Courtney runs Courtney Foster Beauty, LLC and her work has been featured on The Wendy Williams Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and in East/West Magazine. She received her Cosmetology License from the State of New York after training at the Empire Beauty School – Manhattan.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 16 testimonials and 100% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,552,878 times.
Thinning hair can be caused by a variety of factors, including stress or hormonal issues. If your hair is thinning, do not fret. There are a number of things you can do to treat thinning hair, such as changing your hairstyle, using gentle hair products, and eating more protein and omega-3s.
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Hair Loss Trigger: Thyroid Problems
This butterfly-shaped gland at the front of your neck pumps out chemicals that keep your body humming along. If it makes too much or too little thyroid hormone, your hair growth cycle might take a hit. But thinner locks are rarely the only sign of a thyroid problem. You might lose or gain weight, become sensitive to cold or heat, or notice changes in your heart rate.
Why Does Hair Turn Grey
Your hair color is produced by cells at the base of each hair follicle. These cells make melanin pigments and feed these through to the hair root.
The pigment color you produce is genetically determined. Red melanin makes your natural hair color a gold, auburn, or red. Black melanin produces hair that is brown or black. Pale melanin, which is concentrated in the spongy core of the hair shaft, rather than the outer cortex, causes your natural color to be more honeyed or blonde.
Hair turns grey due to an age-related decrease in the activity of an enzyme called tyrosinase. This enzyme produces melanin from an amino acid called tyrosine.
The age at which your hair loses color is genetically determined and a few lucky people may retain their hair shade throughout life.
If your hair is grey, then some pigment is still present within the hair. If your hair is totally devoid of pigment, it becomes transparent and reflects light to appear snow white.
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How Can I Stop Losing My Hair In My 20s
First things first: Turn back the clock about three months and see if anything major happened in your life. If youve experienced a huge amount of stress or had a significant change in diet, theres a good chance itll line up with your hair loss. The good news? Diet and stress-related hair loss are both relatively easy to correct if you catch them early enough.
That aside, Burg recommends seeing a professional who can help identify next steps. Usually, patients are prescribed topical solutions and medications , although theyre known to have side effects and should always be used under medical supervision.
Just keep in mind that those viral hair-growth vitamins youre seeing all over your Insta feed are not a solution to hair loss. Dont buy into the hype of these miracle pills that promise a change overnight, says Burg. Hair growth takes timethink: half an inch a month. Even hair-loss treatments that work take time, so you usually wont see results for three to four months.
Can Hair Turn Grey Overnight
Stress can cause the life cycles of different hair follicles to synchronize and enter their shedding phase together. This results in hundreds of older, more pigmented hairs falling out at the same time, to produce a rapid, noticeable thinning.
What remains are the finer, less pigmented hairs in the earlier stages of their current life cycle which suddenly become more noticeable.
This phenomenon, known as telogen effluvium, can cause someone to look noticeably greyer within a short period of time the source of tales about someone turning grey from shock overnight.
Here are 10 tips for improving your thinning or graying hair.
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