As a female, if you are facing thinning and losing hair, you are probably pretty stressed by it. However, you will not be worrying and causing more hair to drop once you understand some facts about female hair loss. You see, in many cases, female hair loss is just a temporary occurrence and hence, finding a hair loss solution to it is
relatively easy.
Androgenetic alopecia is the hereditary form of baldness that affects 50 percent of men, and some women after 40. Female hair loss usually starts after menopause although it can begin earlier. The main reason for this is that estrogen levels decline. Hormonal changes cause hair to thin.
It is comforting to note that other than androgenetic alopecia,the most common cause of hair loss in women, is a result of metabolic and hormonal changes. Thus, the hair loss is usually temporary. Also, unlike men, women rarely become totally bald. However, what females generally experience is the thinning of their hair.
For example, in the case of pregnancy, hair loss is temporary and should stop about 6 months after birth. When a woman is pregnant, a large amount of oestrogen is produced causing the hair follicles to go into their growth phase.
Once the baby is born, the woman’s hormonal balance is restored. The reverse now happens with the hair follicles going into a hair loss phase.
While nothing much can be done to prevent hair loss during this period, applying hair tonic to hasten hair re-growth can be a helpful solution.
Crash diets leading to rapid weight loss over a short period of time prompts excessive hair loss.
Physical and emotional stress can cause hair loss but this usually only occurs after a prolonged period of time and in extreme cases. Once stress levels are restored to normal levels, hair loss should stop. Thus, a good hair loss solution is to find ways to reduce stress!
Certain drugs can also cause hair to shed. The most common medical treatment that causes hair loss is chemotherapy. The drug medication attacks the hair cells, causing hair loss from the scalp. Certain prescription drugs (for thyroid hormone deficiency, diabetes and lupus) and dieting supplements are also causes of hair loss. Once these drug medications are stopped, the hair loss problem should disappear.
Other stresses to the hair may include frequent dyeing and chemicals eg. perming solutions applied to the hair. Generally, healthy hair can undergo these treatments without showing signs of stress, if they are not done too often. But if hair is not allowed a chance to recover from the constant application of hair chemicals, then it becomes brittle and starts to break off. Hair loss treatment products to help strengthen the follicles should help when applied to the scalp.
Once you understand what is happening to your hair, then seek out the right hair loss solution. In most cases, if the cause is temporary, then you can be assured that your problem will pass with the right remedy actions. However, for the more serious cases, do seek the professional help of a licensed dermatologist for a complete diagnosis and treatment plan.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Finding A Hair Loss Solution
Natural Hair Loss Remedies
There is again no sure-fire way to prevent all hair loss; however, there are some methods that have been used that work on some people.
Massage and aromatherapy have been used with some success. In minor cases of temporary hair loss, hair growth can be stimulated by massage, since blood and oxygen flow to the scalp must be healthy in order for hair to grow.
A blend of six drops each of lavender and bay essential oils in a base of four ounces of either almond, soybean or sesame oil massaged into the scalp and allowed to sit for 20 minutes has been used by aromatherapists to stimulate the scalp.
Once the mixture is in the scalp for 20 minutes, wash your hair and scalp with your normal shampoo mixed with three drops of bay essential oil. Massaging the scalp in general for a couple of minutes a day can stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles and in mild cases stimulate some hair growth.
Studies have shown Saw Palmetto extract is an effective anti-androgen and therefore there is promise for its effectiveness as an effective treatment for hair loss prevention. Women who take Saw Palmetto should cease doing so when taking oral contraceptives or hormone therapy.
Nettles are rich in vitamins A and C, several key minerals and lipids that can be beneficial to the hair. Nettle Root Extract has been used successfully in Europe as an inhibitor of 5-alpha reductase in treating BPH. As mentioned earlier, 5-alpha reductase is a key component in turning testosterone into DHT, the substance that causes the atrophy of hair follicles. Therefore there is great promise in its use as a component in natural hair loss treatments. Nettle Root Extract is available at health food stores over the counter, and has few side effects.
Rosemary and sage are two herbs that have shown benefit traditionally when used externally. It is suggested that to promote a clean scalp, stimulation of the hair root, and thickening hair one should boil together in water --rosemary, sage, peach leaf, nettle and burdock. Then strain the loose herbs from the liquid and use the liquid to wash the hair daily.
Aloe Vera has been used by Native Americans, Indians and many in the Caribbean to promote healthy hair and prevent hair loss. Aloe’s positive effects on the skin are well known, and likewise it can help the scalp by healing it and balancing the pH level of the scalp while cleansing the pores. A common preparation of Aloe Vera gel with a small amount of wheat germ oil and coconut milk is used as a shampoo and has traditionally shown great benefit.
Of course, if you do not want to go through the trouble of concocting your own formulas, similar products, or products containing these ingredients, may be found in the health food store if one does some searching.
More widespread than was once believed, it is estimated that over 25 million American women suffer the effects of female hair loss and the emotional distress it causes. For many individuals, hair loss is not just a rather mysterious biochemical process, but an integral part of a positive self image.
The most common causes of hair loss in women are not related to inherited genes, but to temporary metabolic problems associated with pregnancy, unusual stress, chemotherapy, crash diets/anorexia, thyroid hormone deficiency, major surgery, severe infection or high fever. Certain drugs can also take their toll on once lush and healthy tresses. However, these conditions are usually temporary, and once the “trauma” is alleviated, the hair shedding stops and healthy regrowth occurs with time.
“Female pattern” hair loss is another matter. Unlike men, women rarely become “bald” in the true sense, but many experience significant overall thinning and a reduction in hair shaft diameter, particularly around the forehead and crown of the scalp as they age. Most often, this pattern begins to develop at around age 40 or with the onset of menopause. In fact, before menopause about 13 percent of women experience hair thinning. After menopause, reporting of the problem from women increases to about 37 percent.
Estrogen levels decline in the skin with age. Before menopause, various forms of estrogen block or “oppose” the steroid hormone responsible for hair loss (testosterone) resulting in low levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) being produced in the skin and follicle region. Once females enter menopause, their levels of estrogen decline and more testosterone is then bio-available to be converted to DHT (the known cause of non-traumatic hair loss) in the root bulb and stem cell regions. This results in a shorter hair growth cycle, finer hair and eventually, general effluvium or shedding. As women enter their 80s and 90s, the follicle itself can shrink and stop producing hair completely.
The reason that women experience hair loss during and after menopause is that their estrogen levels decline. Various forms of estrogen can "oppose" androgens and thereby reduce their availability to the cell, by blocking androgen receptors.
Finasteride blocks circulating androgen, but there is also androgen made in the skin. This androgen is normally blocked, in part, by estrogens made in the skin.
Without the opposing estrogen in the skin of women, which declines dramatically at onset of menopause, more androgen remains bio-available to the the follicle root bulb and stem cell regions and is converted to DHT locally.
A new, natural approach has been developed by Xenna Corporation, which manufactures a localized DHT blocker in topical form marketed under the trade name 183™ Topical Solution. 183™ TS is designed to counteract the gradual increase in DHT production in the follicle caused by the loss of estrogen. By preventing the metabolism of DHT in the scalp through temporarily lowering the pH in the follicle region, enzymes used by testosterone to produce DHT are shut down. At a lower pH, the activity of these enzymes (5 alpha reductase types 1 and 2) is stopped for five or six hours. According to the manufacturer, if 183™ TS is applied at least three times a day, it is believed DHT levels are lowered sufficiently to allow the root bulb and stem cells to return to pre-menopausal productivity rates. This results in the observed cessation of shedding and thicker, healthier hair throughout the forehead and crown regions within two to four months.