CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS

     MAJOR CAUSES FOR HAIR LOSS

Be it male or female, one's hair style has huge impact on the appearance. And appearance plays its role in how comfortable a person is in presenting himself. Though being bald is now a days a popular hair style (rather I should call it non-hair style), for many hair loss is a matter of concern. For general awareness here I would out line various medical conditions which can cause loss of hair.

1. Bad diet is most common reason, a dietary pattern where one consumes less proteins and minerals can cause hair loss

2. Insufficient sleep

3. Diseases related to skin

4. Diseases like poly cystic ovarian syndrome

It is very important for one to identify the reason for his or her hair loss so that the treatment for the reason can be initiated as soon as possible. Since baldness in men might just give them a different look or style, this phenomenon in women might cause some serious reason for discomfort. Therefore, women should be extra cautious about the loss of hair. Let me brief you on PCOS which is one of the most prominent

• reasons for women to lose hair. Generally women reporting loss in hair, face with the following problems:
• Inability to style their hair
• Dissatisfaction with their personal appearance
• Concern about hair loss continuing
• Concern about others noticing their baldness
• Feeling self-conscious
• Experiencing embarrassment and shame
• Feeling powerless

Polycystic ovary (PCOS) is one of the most common syndrome affecting approximately 10%-12% of women of reproductive age (12-45 years old) and is thought to be one of the leading causes for infertility in females.

The symptoms during PCOS include obesity, resulting in irregular menstruation, acne, and excessive amounts or effects of androgenic hormones and hair loss. While the causes are unknown, obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are all strongly correlated with PCOS.

Hair loss due to PCOS:

An area of concern for women with pcos is the high levels of their androgens. Androgens are male hormones such as testosterone. The primary reason for hair disorder appears to be a male hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT causes hair openings/follicle to contract and miniaturize, which effectively causes the hair growing from that particular follicle to be thinner and more fragile.

With each successive hair cycle, these hair become progressively shorter and thinner and over time, only miniaturized hairs remain. Eventually the hairs reduce, leading to a reduced hair coverage.

Meanwhile, the DHT is making your facial hair more dense, you end up losing hair where you want it, and growing hair where you don't want it.

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FAQ's about hairloss answered

When people talk about hair loss, it usually focuses on hair loss in men. But hair loss in women is just as prevalent but not discussed in today's society. Here are some questions and answers about hair loss in females.

How prevalent is hair loss in women?

You may not believe this but it is estimated that up to 40% of the female population in the United States is or will suffer from this condition. It affects almost 50% of women and is not well known or spoke about within our society today.

Why do people in our society not discuss women's hair loss?

Loss of hair in women is not discussed in today's polite society for several reasons:

1. It is an embarrassing condition that women do not want to discuss in public.
2. Women can easily cover it up with different hairstyles, scarfs, wigs, etc.
3. The loss of hair in women does not usually lead to bald, spots as it does in men, so is not as noticeable.

What are the most common way women lose their hair?

There are several causes for females to lose their hair. Here are some of the most common ways this condition can occur:

1. Female Pattern Baldness- Just like men who get male pattern baldness, women get the same condition from the same hormone called DHT (dihydrotestosterone). The difference is that women usually do not develop bald spots like men, plus this condition in women usually develops during or after menopause. While in men, it can occur as early as puberty.
2. Oral Contraceptives- Some women who are susceptible to hair loss due to hormonal changes may experience loss of hair when taking the "pill". To stop this loss of hair, from oral contraceptives, women should ask for a "pill" which has a low-androgen index.
3. Medicines- Certain medicines can cause loss of hair in women.

In all cases you should discuss your condition with your doctor.

How do women stop their loss and re-grow their hair?

Once you have determined the causing this condition you can take action to stop your hair loss. For example, you may want to change birth control pills, change your medication or in the case of female pattern baldness, you can look into taking one of the two Federal Drug Administration approved medications. Both these two drugs have been proven to stop male and female pattern baldness and re-grow hair.

Conclusion

Hair loss in women is very common, but with certain actions, women can stop this loss and in most cases even re-grow it.

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HAIR LOSS IN MEN

               Controlling Hair Loss In Men

These days, an increasing number of men are refusing to accept natural, male pattern baldness (or alopecia) and are opting for hair transplant surgery, medicines that can prevent and reverse male pattern baldness or herbal hair loss remedies, but why are so many men unable or unwilling to let nature take its course?

Until quite recently, the only options available to men who were losing their hair were to let it happen and accept their appearance, or to wear a toupee or other hairpiece in an attempt to disguise their balding pates. Naturally, despite the best efforts of wigmakers - many of whom use real hair to produce their pieces - most rugs can be spotted even by the untrained eye quite quickly, so it is usually the case that a man who wears a wig is only fooling himself.

Some men are affected by an acute paranoia or anxiety about their hair and the loss of it, to the extent that they become quite distressed and even depressed about their 'problem', and clearly for these men taking some kind of action about their hair-loss (even trying to disguise it with a wig or comb-over) is often easier and less stressful than attempting to come to terms with the fact that their biology has determined that they will lose their hair eventually.

Normal male pattern baldness is most frequently caused by one or both of two factors: an excess of the male hormone DHT; a scalp that is particularly susceptible to the effects of DHT. DHT has many important roles in the male body, but it does unfortunately have a tendency to bind to the hair follicles of the scalp. Over time, this weakens affected hair follicles by starving them of the oxygen and nutrients they need to support their hair fibers. This leads to a thinning and weakening of the affected hairs, and eventually the death of the affected follicles. Once a hair follicle has died it can only be replaced by surgery.

Hair transplant surgery is a painful and expensive form of cosmetic surgery that works by taking healthy follicles from one part of the body (often the neck) and transplanting them to the scalp. It has a high rate of success but does nothing to address the underlying problem that caused alopecia in the first place. The new follicles will still be susceptible (over time) to the effects of DHT.
Medicines to treat male pattern baldness work by either limiting the effects of DHT, reducing the amount that is produced, or both. There are many over-the-counter and several prescription-only products available, but they do often have significant side effects, notably headaches and nausea.

Many men these days are opting for herbal hair loss remedies. A typical hair loss remedy will contain a high-strength extract of Seronoa repens (aka Saw Palmetto), which has demonstrated strong DHT inhibiting properties. The advantages of choosing an herbal hair loss remedy over a hair loss medicine are that they tend to produce far fewer side effects and are often cheaper than medicines. The disadvantages tend to be that they have a slightly reduced chance of success and generally take several weeks longer to produce truly satisfying results.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6353550