Health and Medicine Blog

Most men with premature hair loss are genetically predisposed to androgenetic alopecia – a condition that is commonly known as male pattern baldness. Male pattern baldness occurs because of the effects of testosterone-the primary male sex hormone- on your hair follicles. This hormone is present in high amounts in your body after puberty, and is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) because of the action of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. DHT works on he hormone receptors present in your hair follicles and slows the production of scalp hair. This results into hair which is shorter and weaker than normal, and sometimes your hair will stop growing completely. This gradual process will eventually results into total or partial baldness.

Stages of male patten hair loss

The onset of androgenetic alopecia usually begins at the end of puberty and is usually determined by your genetic inheritance. Most men start experiencing hair loss during their late 20s or early 30s. Hair loss initially occurs as a receding hairline and gradually progresses to thinning hair at the top of the head. Finally both areas will converge to form a U shape around the sides and back of the head. The remaining hair, if any, becomes finer in texture and the growth rate slows down. Moderate hair loss that occurs due to hormonal causes affects most men by age 50. This hormonal condition can be hereditary in nature.

What is Propecia?

Propecia (active ingredient finasteride) is a popular prescription pill used in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. This clinically tested medication has been proven to prevent further hair loss and to promote hair growth in about 80% cases. Propecia is quite suitable for long term treatment in most cases of androgenetic alopecia. Finasteride, the active ingredient present in Propecia, helps in the reduction of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in the scalps of genetically predisposed men.

How does Propecia work?

As testosterone is converted to DHT because of the action of 5-alpha reductase, finasteride blocks the action of this enzyme and lowers DHT levels in the scalp. This reduces the negative effect of DHT on the hair follicles and prevents or even reverses hair loss. Finasteride has been reported to reduce DHT levels by about 60%. Treatment with Propecia must be continued for about 3-6 months for optimum benefits.

Possible side effects of Propecia

Like other drugs, Propecia too can produce side effects your body, which might include sexual problems such as temporary impotence and low libido. But most of these side effects are temporary in nature and usually disappear without treatment. Pregnant women, in particular, need to avoid any kind of contact with finasteride, as it is known to cause birth defects in an the male foetus. It is advisable to follow your doctor’s instructions while taking this hair loss medication. Propecia has been specifically formulated to treat the symptoms of pattern baldness in men. It cannot be taken by women with female pattern baldness, nor can it be prescribed for men who experience hair loss because of cancer or chemotherapy.

Hair loss occurs due to the sensitiveness of the sex hormones, referred to as androgen, in some sections of the scalp and it is also genetic. It is genetic in the sense that it runs through your family. This implies that if your great grand father had it, you are more likely to have it as well. It impacts over a million people all over the globe. For a few persons, the problem of losing their hair leaves them looking for methods to halt it. Below is one of the best hair loss treatment system which you can use for the treatment of your hair loss problem.

The use of Topical treatments

You can try out topical treatments for hair loss. Consult your personal doctor to decide if the kind of hair loss treatment you are about to try out is good for you. Ensure that you drop some few questions you have concerning the hair loss treatment and get the answers you need prior to continuing with the treatment options.

The first option is to make use of topical treatments. A few of the topical treatments available are rogaine, profillica etc. They are of different types, you can find the one in liquid and foam form. It has to be used on the hair two times per day for it to work. If you forget an application, it is not necessary to catch up with the missed treatment. You should rather chill till the subsequent application period and carry on as usual.

You should clean your hand properly using water and soap after application to take away any of the product on your skin. Allow the application to dry fully. After that, style your hair as normal together with the use of styling products like gel.

Female hair loss can be an extremely distressing complaint. Though technically no more embarrassing or “serious” than male balding, there’s such a weight of ideals of femininity and female beauty tied up with hair that most women find the prospect of hair loss incredibly upsetting. Historically, there has been very little that can be done to address the complaint, barring old style hair transplant operations that were both painful and only successful to a limited degree; or the wearing of wigs, which generally need to be very expensive before they look like real hair.

Modern understanding of female hair loss, though, is proving to be a great boon in the battle against it. There are great swathes of female balding complaints that are now known to be caused by reversible bodily processes – excessive hormone production; the re-routing of vital energy for essential body maintenance in times of extreme stress; and the loss of vital nutrients that can be a side effect of some diets.

In all of the above cases, it is of course important to have the cause of the female hair loss incident properly diagnosed. It’s only after proper diagnosis that effective treatment can be prescribed – and, of course, without a good diagnosis a woman is laid open to the risks of booking and paying for surgery that turns out to be unnecessary. The majority of female balding complaints are treatable with a simple combination of diet, rest and time – so to have one incorrectly diagnosed and go for an operation would be to embark on an expensive, uncomfortable and ultimately pointless side track.

Diet related female hair loss, which is most often associated with an adherence to some kind of fad or franchise diet that has not been prescribed by a doctor, is caused by the loss of essential vitamins and minerals as a result of restricted food intake. This kind of hair loss is treated very simply – by reinstating the foods that have been denied. That said, feminine hair loss that presents as a result of dieting can be indicative of more serious damage done to the body by the diet (it is, essentially, a sign of malnutrition, which of course eventually can be fatal) – this may slow down the re-growth of hair.

Female hair loss caused as a result of hormonal changes can be treated in a number of ways, depending on the cause of the hormone surge. Some natural hormonal changes, for example, simply have to be “ridden out” – once they settle down, the hair will grow back. This can take up to six months – which seems like a long time but really isn’t.

Hair loss caused by physical stress is also usually reversible through natural causes – though again patients may find that it takes their bodies six months to stabilise and start promoting new growth. Physical stress requires that the body divert its energy towards repairing and maintaining vital structures (like organs) – so the body just stops growing hair until it is satisfied that its vital processes will be stable.

In all instances, then, it is vitally important that sufferers from female hair loss get an accurate diagnosis of the cause of their problem. Different causes are treated or observed in different ways – and for women, this could mean simply waiting to get better.

Hair loss is a major concern for most of the people. There is hardly anyone who do not worry at all about losing their beautiful mane. No doubt most of the causes of hair loss problems are due to genetic factors but there are also certain environmental factors that are responsible for causing hair loss.

Ask anyone who has been suffering from this condition and you will realize how frustrating heart rending it can be for some. But there are a great many things that can be done to help yourself from losing hair. Following are some of the ways through which you can prevent hair loss:

1) Use warm water and a deep conditioner whenever you wash your hair. As far as possible avoid using strong shampoos and conditioners to your hair.

2) A well balanced diet is a must. Eating disorders, nutritional deficiency and excessive amounts of certain vitamins may cause hair loss.

3) High fever and infections may also lead to hair loss so it is equally important to take care of your health.

4) Avoid using hair colors. Permanent hair colors and perms can cause severe damages to your hair.

5) Avoid hairstyles that may lead your hair to pull or stretch.

If you hair loss problem is of major concern then make sure to consult a hair expert of a dermatologist regarding it. Do not resort to using any chemical based solutions that promises to promote hair growth without consulting your physician. It is important to take proper care of your health in order to avoid hair loss that my sometimes lead to balding. Curling iron can also damage the texture.