Monday, July 25, 2011

2 Types of Hair Loss Prevalent in Women

Everyone loses hair. It happens during your morning shower, while you’re blowing it dry, or when you give it a quick brush—and that’s normal. “On average, we lose fifty to a hundred hairs a day,” says Francesca Fusco, MD, a New York City dermatologist who specializes in hair loss. “That’s just hair going through its cycles, and there will be a new one to replace it.” But hair loss may be a sign of a more serious medical condition that needs an evaluation by a dermatologist and possible treatment. Here are types of hair loss mainly experienced by women.

Telogen Effluvium
Telogen effluvium is a phenomenon that occurs after pregnancy, major surgery, drastic weight loss, or extreme stress, in which you shed large amounts of hair every day, usually when shampooing, styling, or brushing. It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. During telogen effluvium, hair shifts faster than normal from its growing phase into the “resting” phase before moving quickly into the shedding, or telogen, phase.

The Symptoms
Women with telogen effluvium typically notice hair loss 6 weeks to 3 months after a stressful event. At its peak, you may lose handfuls of hair.

The Tests
There are no tests for telogen effluvium, but your doctor may ask you about recent life events and look for small “club- shaped” bulbs on the fallen hair’s roots. The bulbs mean the hair has gone through a complete cycle of growth, suggesting that the cycle may have sped up due to stress.

What You Can Do
In some cases, such as pregnancy or major surgery, you may have to bide your time until the hair loss slows. If medication is the culprit, talk to your doctor about lowering your dosage or switching drugs. If it’s stress-related, do your best to reduce anxiety.

Hereditary Hair Loss
Hair loss that is genetic is known as androgenetic alopecia and, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, is the most common type of hair loss. The gene can be inherited from either your mother’s or father’s side of the family, though you’re more likely to have it if both of your parents had hair loss.

The Symptoms
Women with this trait tend to develop thinning at the hairline behind the bangs, says Pamela Jakubowicz, MD, a dermatologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. The condition develops slowly and may start as early as your 20s. You may be vulnerable if your mother also has this pattern of thinning. In some cases, the hair loss may be diffuse, meaning it’s spread across the entire scalp.

The Tests
Your dermatologist will examine the pattern of hair loss to determine if it’s hereditary and may order blood work to rule out other causes, Dr. Jakubowicz says. A biopsy of your scalp is sometimes done to see if the hair follicles have been replaced with miniaturized follicles, a surefire sign of hereditary hair loss.

What You Can Do
Slow the hair loss by applying minoxidil to the scalp twice a day. The drug works on both women and men, although women should use a lower-strength formula to prevent unnecessary side effects. Women should not use minoxidil if they are pregnant or nursing. Men may be treated with finasteride, an oral medication.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Hair Loss Solutions for the Balding Man

For many men, when they start to lose their hair, they adopt a resigned attitude to the prospect of going bald—after all, many don’t feel that there is anything that they can do to prevent it, other than shelling out what can be an awful lot of money for a complete hair transplant, which can produce rather poor results. Sadly, many men don’t even realize that there are products available for their condition that are proven and that have a strong track record of success.

There are several hair products that have been approved for use and that have demonstrated levels of safety and efficacy. These include finasteride, which is usually taken 1mg a day. Finasteride works only for male pattern baldness but has a 90% success rate when it comes to either regrowing lost hair or stopping the progression of hair loss.

There are many reasons you may wish to use an online clinic for hair loss treatments such as finasteride. As it is a vanity medication, finasteride is not available on the NHS, and although doctors are usually prepared to write a private prescription for finasteride, men often lack the time to go and see their GP every three months for their medication, often much preferring the convenience of services such as those offered by online clinics.

Looking online for hair loss treatments

If you suffer from hair loss and are interested in hair loss treatments, the internet could well be your savior. This is because the internet offers a great amount of both convenience and choice for those who are seeking hair loss treatments, with a wide range of online clinics operating from which you can conveniently and affordably purchase hair loss products.

The best online clinic offering hair loss treatment will offer hair loss treatments in addition to a high level of expertise in hair loss in general.

Monday, July 11, 2011

8 Remedies for Female Hair Loss and Hair Thinning

Hair fall is a very common problem most women are facing these days. Looking for an effective hair loss remedy? The best suggestion is to start the treatment before the problem gets out of hand. If you wear a hat or helmet regularly, make sure it isn’t pulling at your hair.

1. If you’re suffering from hair loss, it’s probably worth avoiding hats anyway, in order to give your skin a chance to breath.

2. Use artichoke leaves for hair growth. The leaves of this common vegetable make one of the most popular home remedies for hair growth amongst French country people. Simmer at least one dozen artichoke leaves in one cup of water for several hours, strain, and massage directly onto the scalp each night before bed. Store any excess in a labeled jar in the refrigerator.

3. Taking note of hair dressing is most important when it comes to natural remedies for female hair loss. Dress your hair loosely. Steer clear of tight ponytails or any other tight hairstyles. Tight hair dressing has adverse effects on hair growth.

4. Increasing your nutrient intake could also improve your overall health. Many foods are high in calories, but very low in nutritive value. Some researchers believe that the lack of nutrients in foods, these days, is a contributing factor to the hair loss epidemic.

5. Weight-lifting can have an indirect positive impact on your hair; cardiovascular exercise will in most cases be beneficial for your hair. Cardiovascular exercises helps get the blood pumping to your skin. This helps send nutrients to your scalp, where they are used to grow hair.

6. Make a rosemary vinegar rinse to increase hair growth. Rosemary is one of the herbs used most frequently in home remedies for hair growth. It prevents hair from falling out, and increases natural hair growth. Take one teaspoon of dried rosemary in one cup of boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Strain, and then add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar to the liquid. Rinse the hair with this solution each time you shampoo.

7. There are tons of homemade remedies to arrest hair loss. Applying a mixture of olive oil, rosemary, lemon juice and an egg yolk on the scalp is a great way to stimulate hair growth naturally. Applying red henna on the scalp also stimulates hair growth.

8. If you’re doing a lot of exercise, make sure you eat well so that your body has a good supply of nutrients for recovery and for your hair. Excessive exercise can drain the body of B vitamins, so you might consider supplementing with B vitamins if you’re looking a little rundown.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Iodine: Hair Growth Mineral to Combat Hair Loss

It is clear that the micronutrient iodine (as well as iron, magnesium, and zinc) is a key essential element for the normal growth and development in all of the body’s organ and tissue systems.


In fact, iodine in combination with the aforementioned minerals are often considered the best hair growth minerals you can take for healthy hair. And if you are currently experiencing hair loss, it may be a good idea to supplement with these, as hair loss can be one of the most common signs of a deficiency in iodine.

Iodine and Hair Loss

In regard to iodine and hair loss, we need to look at thyroid health. The thyroid gland relies on iodine to make the hormones necessary for the growth of healthy hair, teeth and bones. When we are deficient in this nutrient, the health of our hair can suffer, leading to hair weakness or total hair loss. Taking a safe nascent atomic iodine supplement may boost hair health and growth, and may event prevent or reverse hair loss.

Historically, farmers understood the relationship between iodine and the health of an animal’s coat. In fact, sheep farmers noticed that iodine-poor soils produced iodine-deficient plants, which in turn produced iodine-deficient sheep. And these sheep, consequently, produced the least amount (and poorest quality) of wool. It stands to reason that human beings are just as affected by iodine-poor soil and plants as animals are. And hair loss may be related to this decline.

Simply stated, iodine is a key element for hair strength and growth. While we may get some synthetic iodine in table salt, our body has a hard time assimilating it. Taking a nascent atomic, vegetarian form of iodine may prevent or reverse hair loss. There are even a few studies that support this evidence.

One 2001 study published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, & Leprology described the use of iodine as a treatment for patients with alopecia (hair loss), and found hair re-growth in a number of patients.

Taking an Iodine Supplement for Hair Loss

Consider supplementing with a high-quality, nascent atomic iodine supplement. This form of nascent atomic iodine provides you with the recommended daily allowance of iodine in a bio-elemental nanocolloidal state. You should also consider adding more iodine foods to your diet.

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