Agonizing Over Hair Loss

Agonizing over their hair loss, they try to hide it with make-up, creative hairstyles, or sometimes even hair extensions, which can actually further damage already stressed-out hair.

In fact, it is a very common and natural part of our bodily cycles, taking place daily to ensure the removal of older hairs and allow for the growth of newer, fresh hairs in our scalps. Under normal conditions, scalp hairs live for about three years (the anagen, or growing, phase); they then enter the telogen, or resting, phase. Following the telogen phase, the growth phase begins again -- new hairs grow and push out the old hair shafts.

It is normal to lose about 100 hairs every day, more of them on days when shampooing loosens the hairs that are ready to fall out. Normal shampooing can continue, because this only loosens hairs that were going to come out anyway. However, traumatic experience,such as a major operation, or old age, or the presence of certain medical conditions can hinder the rate of growth and cause excess shedding of older hairs, resulting in baldness and thinning hair.

Hair Growth Rhythm

There are several circumstances that produce a "shock to the system" that alters the hair growth rhythm. When hair loss is a side effect of a medication, hair growth usually returns to normal once the drug is stopped. The trigger for this type of baldness (called androgenetic alopecia) is DHT, a powerful sex hormone, body, and facial hair growth promoter that can adversely affect the hair on the head as well as the prostate. Fifty milligrams of silica a day is thought to encourage hair growth in young men with alopecia. Copper and zinc have been shown to inhibit growth of the enzyme that causes DHT production.

Treatments

Millions are interested in new treatments to prevent hair loss and regrow hair. Several treatments have been investigated as possible ways to prevent hair loss, but none has been absolutely effective, including: Scalp hypothermia (cryotherapy). Treatment may include:certain medications to promote hair growth (such as minoxidil and finasteride), corticosteroid injections (when treating alopecia areata), treating any underlying condition or disease hair transplants scalp reduction skin lifts and grafts. As a general rule, it is easier to maintain remaining hair than it is to regrow; however, the treatments mentioned will help some of the users suffering from Androgenetic alopecia, and there are new technologies in cosmetic transplant surgery and hair replacement systems that can be completely undetectable.

Minoxidil

If your doctor recommends a product like minoxidil that can speed up hair growth also might be helpful. In men, minoxidil may work better in areas with higher concentrations of miniaturized hairs, and its efficacy may be increased by the synergistic use of once-daily tretinoin (Retin-A) applied at separate times during the day. For hair loss due to heredity, age, hormones or certain medical conditions, the topical medication minoxidil (Rogaine) can help regrow hair or prevent more hair loss.

Currently, if you want to regrow hair, topical minoxidil is the only approved way to go. To be effective, minoxidil must be used twice a day. That doesn't mean minoxidil is by any means the panacea that men have been searching for since at least 1150 B. While Minoxidil is a vasodilator and is speculated to work, in part, by increasing blood flow to hair follicles, there is no evidence that standing on one's head can alleviate baldness.