How Can Hair Loss In Women Be Prevented
Preventing hair loss is not possible when it is due to disease, aging, heredity or physical stressors like injuries. You can prevent hair loss caused by caustic chemicals or tight hairstyles by avoiding them. You might be able to prevent some hair loss by eating a healthy diet that provides necessary nutrients in terms of vitamins, minerals and protein. You can stop smoking.
Minoxidil Should Be The Last Thing You Add To Your Hair Loss Protocol
I wouldn’t advise Minoxidil off the bat because it’s not actually protecting your hair.
Most of the reported side effects of Minoxidil are cardiovascular related, which is the main thing I’d be concerned about as opposed to androgen deficiencies or hormonal imbalances that can be manually corrected with greater ease.
Not to mention that any hair grown with Minoxidil is Minoxidil dependent, meaning you will likely experience a substantial shed should you discontinue its use, regardless of what else you’re using for protection.
This shed can be mentally taxing, and traps a lot of men into staying on Minoxidil even when they want to come off, as they don’t want to induce severe telogen effluvium.
This is another big factor to keep in mind before you start Minoxidil, as you will likely be on it for life once you start, unless you are able to persevere through the shedding phases.
Obviously, everyone has their own individual response to everything.
There’s always going to be a few people who respond poorly to drugs.
There are a lot of people who will have no issues with topical Minoxidil too.
This is just where I stand on its risk to reward ratio.
The foundation of your hair loss protection regimen should be based upon protecting yourself from androgens induced miniaturization.
Once you’re protected from further miniaturization or have minimized it, then focus on regrowth and improving the density of your hair with growth agonists if necessary.
How Long Will It Take To See Results
Minoxidil is proven to work, but noticeable results require patience. Many people start to see less hair loss and some new growth in 4 to 6 months. For best results, this medication must be applied twice daily. Since discontinuing Minoxidil will stop the progress of the treatment, it is most effective when used as part of a daily routine.
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Will Minoxidil Work If Im Totally Bald
Minoxidil is also unlikely to regrow hair on a completely bald scalp. Once male-pattern baldness has progressed to the point of complete baldness, that suggests that your hair follicles are no longer functional and hair regrowth is not likely. Remember, minoxidil works by encouraging your hair follicle to growif the follicle is not functional anymore, there is not much for minoxidil to work with .
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.
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The Only 4 Things That Can Actually Prevent Hair Loss
Some products talk a big game, but when it comes down to it, they cannot back it up. In fact, according to hair restoration specialist Dr. William Yates of Dr. Yates Hair Science, there are only four real ways to slow down or prevent hair loss .
Propecia, or Finasteride: A prescription pill that can prevent hair loss by blocking the balding hormone.
Rogaine, or Minoxidil: A topical application of liquid or a foam that’s used to thicken the hair and slow its shedding.
Laser light treatment: A red light is used to stimulate growth in the hair follicle, reducing inflammation and keeping it healthy.
PRP injections: Take a bit of your blood, which is then enriched with platelets, and re-injected into you at the scalp. According to Dr. Yates, “that goes to the hair follicle to keep it from shedding and stimulates growth.”
“If you turn on the TV or look in a magazine, there are a bazillion products out there that will supposedly grow your hair,” Dr. Yates told Business Insider. “But the fact remains those are probably the only four things that I know of that have some scientific basis.”
He also advises not to put much faith in vitamin supplements like Biotin that purport to solve that hair loss cause.
“If you live in the United States, there’s hardly anyone that’s really vitamin deficient enough to lose hair,” Dr. Yates told us. “Will they help you? Probably not. Will they hurt you? Probably not, so it’s a wash.”
“I don’t put too much faith in those things.”
Studies Show That As Many As Two
Hair loss and receding hairlines , are much more common than you think. If you are starting to worry about thinning hair or a receding hairline dont stress!
Youre not alone and there are things you can do today to stop your hair loss from progressing.
There are tons of questionable and unproven miracle cures for hair loss advertised online. Only two treatments have been scientifically proven and medically approved for hair loss. These are minoxidil and finasteride.
Minoxidil works in a different way to Finasteride and the combination of the two can be an effective solution for hair loss. In this article, we will cover the basics of minoxidil.
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What Happens When You Stop Taking Propecia Or Rogaine
As of 2017, finasteride and minoxidil are the two FDA approved hair loss treatments. Money, side effects, and efficacy are all concerns for users. You also have to commit to using both options for the rest of your life if you want to keep reaping the rewards. If you stop using these medications, sooner rather than later your hair loss will return!
What is DHT and how does it impact hair loss? If youve experienced male or female pattern baldness then you likely know the answer to this question because DHT is the culprit behind your falling follicles. DHT is dihydrotestosterone, which is what you get when the male sex hormone testosterone is exposed to the enzyme Type II 5-alpha reductase. When this occurs in the scalps of people who have a genetic predisposition toward baldness, then hair loss is the inevitable outcome. If, like many, you thought, If only there was a way to get DHT out of your hair, then congratulations: thats the idea behind finasteride!
Treatment For Hair Loss
Most hair loss does not need treatment and is either:
- temporary and it’ll grow back
- a normal part of getting older
Hair loss caused by a medical condition usually stops or grows back once you’ve recovered.
There are things you can try if your hair loss is causing you distress. But most treatments are not available on the NHS, so you’ll have to pay for them.
No treatment is 100% effective.
Recommended Reading: How To Prevent Hair Loss At A Young Age
Whats Hair Loss In Women
Hair loss in women is just that when a woman experiences unexpected, heavy loss of hair. Generally, humans shed between 50 and 100 single hairs per day. Hair shedding is part of a natural balance some hairs fall out while others grow in. When the balance is interrupted when hair falls out and less hair grows in hair loss happens. Hair loss is different than hair shedding. The medical term for hair loss is alopecia.
Hair grows on almost all of your skin surfaces not the palms of your hands, soles of your feet, lips or eyelids. Light, fine, short hair is called vellus hair. Terminal/androgenic hair is thicker, darker and longer.
Pharmacology Of Topical Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a piperidino-pyrimidine derivative, with the following chemical structure: 2,6-diamino-4-piperidinopyrimidine-1-oxide . Minoxidil solution contains inactive ingredients, including water, as well as ethanol and propylene glycol , which are used as vehicles to enhance the solubility of minoxidil. PG facilitates efficient drug delivery into the hair follicles however, its frequent induction of local irritation led to the development of a PG-free minoxidil foam . The non-medical ingredients in the foam formulation include cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and butylated hydroxytoluene.
Chemical structure of minoxidil.
Compared to MS, MF allows for increased delivery of the active ingredient to the target site and easy penetration of the drug with less irritation hence, the US Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for 5% MF for the treatment of AGA. MF is also more convenient to use, because it dries quicker and spreads less to the peripheral region.
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Why Minoxidil Does Not Prevent Hair Loss
The first thing you need to know before you start using Minoxidil is that Minoxidil does not prevent hair loss.
Typically, when a man starts noticing male pattern baldness, he may go to his doctor and say, I’m losing my hair, what do I do?
More often than not, a doctors’ first recommendation will be Rogaine .
What you need to understand about Minoxidil is that it does absolutely nothing to prevent hair loss, despite it being FDA approved for hair loss prevention.
You need to understand the mechanism of how it works first before you start slapping this stuff on your head.
There is some data that implies it may have an anti-androgen like effect, but the majority of Minoxidil’s efficacy stems from its ability to increase circulation to hair follicles.
Minoxidil is a vasodilator.
It increases oxygen and blood flow to the scalp where you apply it.
Why is that good?
Well, when you start losing your hair, it is because of a mechanism of action commonly referred to as miniaturization.
Androgens trigger a cascade of events that miniaturize hair follicles and prevent them from growing to maturity.
When blood flow and oxygen gets cut off to hair follicles, they slowly miniaturize more and more until they are so weak that they are no longer visible to the naked eye.
This is the process of androgenic alopecia.
Minoxidil increases blood flow and oxygen to the hair follicles, thus encouraging growth. .
What Causes Minoxidil Shedding
The short answer is that when you use minoxidil, the treatment accelerates the process in which your thinning hair falls out. Why? So it can make way for your new, healthier hair. All that increased hair loss is just your bad hair making way for your good hair.
Want a more in-depth answer? The four stages of hair growth is a good place to start.
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Who Should Use Rogaine
Rogaine is more effective in women with general hair thinning on the top of the scalp or for individuals with a hereditary type of hair loss at the vertex of their scalp. However, if youre suffering from receding hairline or balding at the front of the scalp, then Rogaine is not for you.
Rogaine has been proven to work best in people below 40 years and for people that start applying it at the first instance of hair loss. But it wont help those who have already gone totally bald.
That said, dont use Rogaine if the following does not apply to you:
- Youre below the age of 18
- Your hair loss happens suddenly and falls out in patches
- You dont have any family history of hair loss
- Your hair loss is as a result of chemicals, hair products, or hair grooming methods such as cornrowing
- Your scalp is itchy, red, or very painful to touch.
- Your hair loss is caused by another condition such as alopecia areata, thyroid disease, scarring of the scalp, nutritional deficiencies, or medications like chemotherapy
Most importantly, if you have heart disease, consult with your doctor before using Rogaine.
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.
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How Do You Know Youre Dealing With Perimenopause Hair Loss
Emily took off her hat. Her blond shoulder-length hair was thinning, but she was hardly bald. But then again, her hair was wet and stringy from sweat, which wasnt doing anything for her. I think I may have a diagnosis.
I knew it!
Remember how when you were pregnant, and your hair came in all thick and glossy? Thats because you had all kinds of estrogen. This is the opposite of that. Youre losing estrogen, and so youre losing a little hair.
What can I do?
I said I had a diagnosis. Not a cure.
Emily put her wool beanie back on. Some doctor you are.
I explained to Emily that The Iowa Writers Workshop wasnt really in the business of handing out medical degrees. But since my hair was also thinning, and since I was curious, and since I supposed we werent the only two women on the planet who wanted some answers, Id do some perimenopause hair loss research.
Here are nine ways you can handle hair loss during perimenopause.
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.
Read Also: What To Do About Male Hair Loss
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.