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Hair Loss: 9 Reasons For Losing Your Hair

26.08.2008 in HAIR LOSS FACTS

Losing one’s hair can be tragic for anyone. If you are wondering why all of a sudden you notice more hair strands on your pillow than usual, your reason for hair loss might be any of these top causes.

Hormones

Hormonal changes is the top reason for hair loss in an individual. In most cases is the hormone DHT which damages the hair follicles. This is naturally present in men and those who go bald do so because of both the hormone and their genes. In women, hormonal fluctuations could lead to lower than normal estrogen levels. Estrogen is supposed to balance and regulate DHT. With less estrogen, DHT has a stronger effect.

Severe Illness

Infections and Thyroid Problems – A serious thyroid disorder could be your reason for hair loss. Aside form thyroid problems though, other severe illnesses such as high fever and infections could shock your system and cause your hair to temporarily fall out at a faster rate.

Nutrient Deficiency

Deficiencies in Vitamins – As some studies would show, being deficient in some vitamins and minerals could be the reason for hair loss. Individuals who have diets low in protein and some B-complex vitamins may experience temporary hair loss. The lack of iron or the inability of the body to completely absorb iron may also cause your hair to shed faster. The only logical solution to this problem would be to eat right and take supplementation.

Medications

Medications – We all know that certain cancer treatment can cause massive hair loss. There are however, other medication types that could be the reason for hair loss. Some steroids and blood thinners are examples of these medicines.

Major Operation

A major operation is both a physically and emotionally traumatic experience for some. A person could still continue losing hair even a month or more after the operation. Often though, a person will stop losing his hair as soon as he completely recuperates from the surgical procedure.

Stress

Some sources try to downplay stress as a reason for hair loss. Stressful situations however could lead to a condition called telogen effluvium. Constant and extreme bombardment of physical or emotional stress could push some of the hair strands in the growing phase prematurely into the resting phase. Eventually, these hair strands will begin to shed.

Infection

Ringworms could infest the scalp and cause hair loss. This unsightly and uncomfortable reason for hair loss is a form of scalp infection.

Hairstyles

As long as you moderately use hairstyling products, you’re safe from hair loss. It is generally agreed upon though that using too much of these hair products and rigorous hair blow drying could damage the hair severely. In some people the main reason for hair loss would be certain hairstyles. Tight braiding and pony tailing could uproot hair strands. In severe cases, the scalp injury could develop scar tissue in which case it would be difficult to re-grow hair.

Auto-Immune Disorder

Alopecia aratea is said to be fairly uncommon but it is still considered to be a possible major reason for hair loss in certain individuals. In this condition, the immune system mistakenly attacks the follicle cells. The attack damages the cells and causes hair loss.

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Baldness: Is it a Health Risk?

11.08.2008 in HAIR LOSS FACTS

Baldness, often a subject of jokes and also popularly considered by some women as a symbol of virility, appears to have a more serious implication, as far as health risks are concerned.

In a study on more than 22, 000 men ages 40 to 84, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the findings suggest that “men with male pattern baldness may be at increased risk for heart disease.”

“Compared to men with no hair loss, those with severe vertex baldness (balding at the crown of the head) had a 36% increased risk of heart disease; men with moderate crown balding had a 32% increased risk, while mild balding on the crown carried a 23% increased risk…. Men with frontal baldness had a 9% increased risk.”

The correlation was especially evident in men with vertex baldness whose cholesterol level or blood pressure was high. Baldness is a non-modifiable health risk, unlike smoking or eating high fat diet, so hair loss remedy, like Rogaine or Propecia, might improve the look but won’t reduce the risk to heart disease.

Another health risk related to baldness is the increased risk for cancer of the prostate, according to the US National Cancer Institute of the National Institute of Health Division of Cancer Epidemiology. Their study on 4,421 men with male pattern baldness (ages 25 to 75) without history of cancer of prostate, revealed that the risk for prostatic cancer was significantly elevated among these men, compared to their peers with abundant hair.

Physicians now use male pattern baldness as an early clinical marker or indicator of susceptibility to heart disease and prostatic cancer.

How common is baldness?

Baldness affects approximately 40 million men and 20 million women in the United States. We could not find statistics for the Philippines. Male-pattern baldness is recession of the hairline from the forehead upwards and back, thinning or fallout from the crown of the head, leaving a horseshoe-shaped hair mass around the sides and back of the head. Female-pattern baldness is a diffuse hair loss throughout the scalp. Even Julius Caesar, according to legend, used the ceremonial wreath of laurel leaves as a crown to hide his baldness.

What causes baldness?

About 95 % of hair loss is caused by a hereditary condition called androgenetic alopecia. DHT is dihydrotestosterone comes from a male hormone called androgen, which circulates in the bloodstream. Androgen is converted to DHT by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. Those with more reductase activity have more DHT binding to the hair follicle receptors, which adversely affects hair follicles, until the follicles wither away.

How does one know if he/she will have baldness?

All men have to do is to look at their father’s hair, and the women, at their mother’s hair, since baldness or thinning hair is strongly hereditary. Of course, there are some other medical conditions that could affect the future of one’s hair besides genetics.

What is the normal rate of hair loss?

Normally, we lose about 100 hairs a day, and they regenerate, unless a person has a tendency to baldness or has an illness that affects hair growth.

What is alopecia areata?

This is a condition due to autoimmune disease of unknown cause, where inflammatory cells attack the bulbs of the hair follicles under the scalp, resulting in hairless patches or areas of baldness, hence “areata.” While baldness only hurts one’s psyche, some of the causes of hair loss may signal a health problem, like alopecia areata. This is why consulting with one’s physician is essential.

Could hair fall out from the entire head at once?

Yes, in more serious cases, which luckily is not very common, hair may actually fall out of the entire head, eyebrows and beard included, and hair from the rest of the body. In many cases, though, hair spontaneously regrows.

What medical conditions can cause hair loss?

Severe malnutrition, childbirth, thyroid problems, a form of lupus, and, more popularly see (even on TV shows), following chemotherapy for cancer.

Can mental stress lead to hair loss?

Psychological stress has been reported to have caused hair loss but only at times of extreme emotional trauma. The medical community doubts the role of emotional stress as a significant factor in the causation of baldness. Sudden appearance of spots or areas of premature gray hair in some people who were under severe personal stress is not uncommon.

Do herbal potions, other creams or lotions help prevent hair loss?

No, there is no known cream or ointment, lotion or potion, mousses, gel, volumizers, or shampoo that can prevent hair loss or baldness, much less cure them. The US Food and Drug Administration has banned all these over-the-counter salves in 1989. The only two things that will surely grow when you use these costly preparations are your expenses and the bank accounts of the manufacturers and dealers.

What can be done then?

Rogaine (minoxidil-based), Nioxin shampoo and conditioner, and other aids are available in the market. The response is individual, but it provides real hope. Hair (micro or mini-graft) transplantation and the use of hairpieces (toupees and wigs) are the two other options. State-of-the-art hair transplant centers have had great successes with most natural looking hair growths. Synthetic hair transplant has been legally banned by the FDA because of the attendant complications and dangers. In today’s society, baldness is well-accepted and so with the use of hair pieces or hair transplants.

How about the related health risks mentioned above?

The prudent way is to minimize all modifiable health risks, like cigarette smoking, excess alcohol intake, high-cholesterol, high-fat diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and unmanaged stress. This strategy for a healthier lifestyle will also help counter the increased risk for heart disease and prostate cancer among all individuals, including those men with male pattern baldness.

Health@Heart
Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS

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INGRID TARRANT: The stress of divorce cost me my teeth, HAIR and two stone (but never my sanity)

04.08.2008 in FEMALE HAIR LOSS, HAIR LOSS FACTS

“My hair was falling out; I’d retrieve great handfuls from the plughole. It was extremely distressing, particularly as the same was also happening to both my daughters.”

For the full article by Ingrid Tarrant click on to:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1040923/INGRID-TARRANT-The-stress-divorce-cost-teeth-hair-stone-sanity.html

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Hair Loss: What Really Works? Is There A Cure?

31.07.2008 in HAIR LOSS FACTS

There are many pharmaceutical prescription drugs available to treat all kinds of ailments and that includes HAIR LOSS. However, some people who experience hair loss and scalp disorders don’t want to take drugs for their problems. They just don’t want to risk the side effects; it’s simply not worth it. They don’t trust the ingredients the drugs are comprised of and they would rather stick to other treatments that don’t involve the use of drug therapy.

These drug free hair loss treatments include everything from laser treatments that stimulate hair follicles to grow to specialty topical plant based treatments that use special ingredients to stimulate hair follicles. These drug free hair loss treatments (plant based treatments which are tried and clinically tested) work when correctly prescribed for many people so give them a try to cure your hair loss.

Before starting any treatments make sure that you see one of our Westminster Trichologists for a correct diagnosis.

Our Assessment is FREE and it will save you wasting time and money on an irrelevant internet purchase that sounds authentic but will do nothing to solve your hair loss or thinning problem.

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STRESS, BLOOD SUGAR PROBLEMS & HAIR LOSS

15.07.2008 in HAIR LOSS FACTS

Diffuse hair loss — excessive hair loss from the entire scalp — is associated with blood sugar level imbalances. (It is also associated with many other imbalances). Diabetes mellitus is characterised by high blood sugar levels. Hypoglycaemia is characterised by low blood sugar levels. Stress brings about blood sugar imbalances (the definition of stress here being anything that interferes with the normal functioning of your body. e.g. wars, drugs, disease, terror, accidents, worry, and so on.

THE LEVEL OF BLOOD GLUCOSE (SUGAR) depends on three factors:
1.  The uptake and release of glucose by the liver.
2.  The absorption of glucose from the gastrointestinal tract, and
3.  The utilisation of glucose by the tissues (cells).
The liver plays a key role in the regulation of blood sugar levels. It is important to explain three of them.

A.  GLYCOGENESIS
This is the formation of glycogen from glucose. Glycogen is the form in which carbohydrates that we eat are stored in the liver and muscles. When energy is required Glycogen is converted back to glucose and glucose is then used to provide energy.

B.  GLYCOGENOLYSIS
This is the process of converting glycogen to glucose, which is then added to the blood
stream.

C.  GLYCONEOGENESIS
This refers to the formation of glucose from proteins or fats (not from carbohydrates) Hormones (chemical substances produced by endocrine glands which circulate in the blood and help regulate body activities) very much influence blood sugar levels, and in fact the level of blood sugar is regulated by six hormones:

1.  Insulin decreases blood glucose levels
2.  Glucagon increases blood sugar levels
3.  Growth Hormone induces high blood sugar.
4.  Glucocorticoids induce hyperglycaemia, high blood sugar.
5.  Thyroxine reduces the organisms sensitivity to insulin and accelerates insulin degradation. The result will be an increase in blood sugar levels.
6.  Adrenaline increases glycogenolysis both in the liver and muscles. Liver genolysis will
increase blood sugar levels.

To summarise, an increase in insulin will lower blood sugar levels, whilst an increase in Glucagon or growth hormone or glucocorticoids or thyroxine or adrenaline will increase blood sugar levels. Under normal circumstances, all these hormones work in harmony to maintain a stable blood sugar level. –  And you can see that liver activities are very much influenced by many of these hormones. Abnormal production of one or more of the relevant hormones or improper functioning of the liver can lead to sugar imbalances — Although you can be sure the body will try to compensate for the imbalance.

THE EFFECTS OF SHORT TERM STRESS ON BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS

1.  Increase the production of growth hormone.
2.  Increase the production of glucocorticoids.
3.  Increase the production of adrenaline.
4.  Increase the production of glycogen.
5.  Increase the production of thyroxine.
6.  Increase glycogenolysis directly via the sympathetic nervous system, and finally
7.  Decrease the production of insulin directly via the sympathetic nervous system.

In every case the result will be an increase in blood sugar levels so that a diabetic state will temporarily exist. No wonder that people under short-term stress become thirsty and also suffer diffuse hair loss two to three months after the initiation of the stress.

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