Understanding what are the best vitamins and minerals for hair loss gets you one step closer towards reducing thinning and improving overall scalp and hair health.

Research and consumer experience has shown pre-mature thinning and loss is often the symptom of lowered levels of vital nutrients.  Hair vitamins are specifically formulated to provide daily nutritional needs for healthy growth, increased thickness, and improved strength.

Hair basically consists of filaments of protein that grow from pores in the skin known as follicles. The key component of the fiber is a protein known as Keratin. Hair grows when keratin is deposited at the end of the hair inside the root, pushing it out a little further, making the individual strands of hair longer.

Hair stops growing when there is no longer any build-up of keratin within the follicles. Certain factors sometimes cause the hair to come loose and fall from the follicle. Some of the factors that accelerate hair loss include a less than healthy lifestyle, over use of harsh hair styling products and constant exposure of the scalp to sunlight.

The Importance of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Growth

One of the most common causes of hair loss is a lack of minerals and vitamins. Vitamins and minerals are essential for the continued healthy growth, and a deficiency can lead to poor health, loss, and pre-mature graying in some cases.

Some of the minerals and vitamins associated with healthy hair include Vitamin B-12, Vitamin E, Panthonenic Acid, Niacin, Chlorophyll, and Biotin. These compounds work together to promote healthy growth.

The best way to treat such vitamin and mineral deficiencies is by simply putting them back in your body. While this may sound like a daunting task, thanks to the sheer complexity of the system that regulates these compounds, health companies have made things easy for you.

Ingredients Key to Improved Health

Many supplements (Hair Vitamins) are specially formulated with active ingredients to help stop hair loss. Hair growth vitamins, for example, often include B-group vitamins that are excellent at stopping shedding. Supplements that also include zinc and magnesium and essential amino acids vital for the formation of proteins, increasing shine, and improving strength - reducing breaking and split-ends.

The best vitamins and minerals for hair loss help control thinning, reduce breakage, and add volume. The side effects are increased shine and smoothness - and, uh, healthier nails and skin, too.  Quite a bargain!

Toronto Hair Loss

I came across this fantastic TIME report on hair loss.  In it, senior reporter Andrea Sach speaks with a leading hair transplant surgeon.

While we know that many are affected by Hair Loss (50 million Americans), this article focuses on the a group that is not immediately thought of, women.  In fact, 20 million of them women are affected with some form of hair loss. With numbers like that, it’s not surprising that the people behind the bestselling Dummies Books series have taken note. Their comprehensive new book, Hair Loss & Replacement for Dummies, authored by four medical experts on hair loss, has just been published by Wiley.

Please enjoy the TIME article.

What causes male hair loss?
Ninety-nine percent of men who lose their hair lose it from genetic causes. That means they’ve inherited the pattern from somebody in the family. There’s not a one-to-one relationship: Your parents may have full heads of hair and you may be balding. Or, you may have a full head of hair and your father could be bald and your grandfather could be bald. It comes from both sides of the family, the male and female side, about equally — contrary to the common myth that you inherit it from your mother.

And female hair loss?
About 45% of women in their lifetime will end up having some form of hair loss, and it’s mostly genetic in that 45%. The rest are related to a variety of medical conditions: iron deficiency, thyroid disease, changes in hormones. When a woman passes into menopause, for example, the estrogen, which supports hair, is withdrawn. You get some genetic holdover like a man would have, where the male hormones that are present in women without the estrogen counterbalance will cause hair loss.

What is the average age when men start losing their hair?
It starts in their twenties. And for the men who have the most severe hair loss, they have a very clear indication of that well before they’re out of their twenties.

And the average age for women?
It’s mostly post-menopausal. A small handful of women will have genetic hair loss in their late teens and early twenties or thirties. These women almost always have a mother and sister or grandmother who has a similar presentation.

How do you assess a patient’s condition?
For a woman, you have to go through a very extensive evaluation, checking out the medicines she is on — birth control pills can induce hair loss. You also do a series of blood tests looking for thyroid disease, iron levels. Dietary causes are amazing causes of hair loss. So women who diet or are bulimic or very thin women who don’t have much meat on their bones may very well be nutritionally deprived, vitamin deprived, and they will end up with hair loss as well.

If I see a man, I almost naturally fall into the mindset that this is male pattern balding. In a woman, I say, my goodness, of the plethora of things that can cause it, what is affecting the hair loss in this woman? It may be more than one thing at a time.

The pattern of loss is different in men and women, isn’t it?
Right. In men, there’s a wreath of hair around the side and back. We call that permanent hair. There is no such thing as completely bald unless they have a disease. That hair will literally last most of the lifetime of the man. Of course, the hair transplant business takes advantage of that. It moves that hair to other parts of the head and the hair continually will always grow no matter where you put it. If you put it on the edge of the nose, it will grow a ponytail.

Unfortunately, that same model doesn’t exist with women. Women can end up with a diffuse hair loss, so the source of donor hair is not going to be there for women. Most women, eighty percent of women, don’t have that wreath.

What’s your opinion about toupees and wigs? Do those exacerbate the problem?
Well, they can. They are good solutions for some people — women who have had chemotherapy, for example. Some women with thinning hair will put on wefts or attachments. It does make the hair look fuller, but it also pulls on the existing hair. That pulling will produce [medical problems] and make a woman balder. So while getting the cosmetic benefits of the weft or attachment, they get the negative side, which is the pulling, and then the exacerbation of hair loss.

Are there any medicines that people commonly take that are factor in hair loss?
Birth control pills are commonly a cause of hair loss. Many psychiatric drugs have hair loss [side effects]. Prozac has that as a side effect. Almost every one of them, if you read the literature. Unfortunately, the amount of ignorance among physicians in dealing with hair loss is massive, so there are very few doctors who really understand the process and they tend to evade the questions that are posed to them.

Are there medicines one can take to help prevent hair loss?
Propecia [finasteride] is a DHT blocker. The body converts testosterone into DHT and it’s DHT, when it’s combined with the genetics of hair loss, that tends to produce balding. So if you can block the DHT, you can literally stop the hair loss as it’s ongoing. In very young men, sometimes you can reverse it. That’s a male-only drug.

Are there any natural remedies?
Not really… Minoxidil [Rogaine] is the only [over-the-counter] medicine that seems to work, and the only medicine really available for females. It does work. But the hair becomes very dependent upon the Minoxidil. If you stop, all the effects are lost.

Is transplant surgery becoming more popular?
Yes, I think it is. I think it’s much more acceptable. You literally cannot tell a patient who has had a hair transplant today. Unlike fifteen years ago, [when] you could always tell because they looked like they had a doll’s head or a cornrow on their head.

Who makes a good candidate for transplant surgery?
There is an issue of supply and demand. If patients have a supply of hair in the wreath, then they can get whatever they want. If they don’t have the supply, then compromises are made. You’ll end up with thinner hair than you would with a full head of hair. But if you’re not balding very greatly, if you’ve only lost the first three inches of hair in the front, for example, that hair could almost always be put back.

Unfortunately, because the wreath of hair is not healthy in many women, there is no place to take normal hair from. So a transplant, for many women, just doesn’t really cut it. Of every hundred women who come to my office with hair loss, less than twenty will be candidates for a hair transplant. It’s almost discriminatory, unfortunately, because of the physiology.

Toronto Hair Loss

It is common for men to lose their hair with age, and sometimes this process begins as early as the teenage years. Some men just accept it, while others seek treatment. When women develop thinning hair or baldness, it is often a source of great concern and anxiety for them. Androgenetic alopecia is a common cause of hair loss, but there are many others to consider, too.

1.  Normal variation. A hair’s natural cycle is for it to grow for several years, then fall out and be replaced. This means that at any given time, some hairs are always in the process of falling out while others are starting to grow in. Thus, it is completely normal to notice hair coming out with combing, brushing, shampooing, toweling or otherwise rubbing the scalp.

Sometimes this natural hair loss may temporarily exceed new growth, which may cause undue alarm about possible baldness. One of the first questions I ask patients concerned about hair loss is whether their hair is truly getting thinner, or are they just noticing more normal shedding than usual. The latter situation may not require any treatment at all.

2.  Hormonal abnormalities. A variety of hormonal problems are known to contribute to hair loss. Too much or too little thyroid hormone is a common cause of generalized thinning or loss of scalp hair. This is usually easily diagnosed with a simple blood test. Elevated testosterone tends to cause loss of scalp hair and promote growth of facial and body hair. High levels of insulin, often found in people with diabetes, can also cause hair loss. In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, there are elevations of both testosterone and insulin.

3.  Scalp inflammation. Several inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema, seborrhea, and psoriasis, cause patches of hair loss with red and scaly skin underneath. Fungal scalp infections (also called ringworm) and bacterial infections of the hair roots (folliculitis) can also cause similar problems. Patches of hair loss without underlying redness may be due to an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata.

4.  Local trauma. Tight hairbands or cornrows can cause thinning simply by breaking off the hairs at their base. Some chemical hair treatments damage the follicles or the hair itself. Insects that attack the hair (like lice or scabies) can cause hair loss either by directly breaking the hair or by causing the person to scratch, which in turn damages the hair. Trichotillomania is a psychological condition in which people compulsively pull out or twirl their hair around a finger, sometimes without even realizing they are doing it, resulting in areas of broken-off hairs.

5.  Medications. Several medications can contribute to hair loss. Steroids and chemotherapy are among the most common culprits. Some diuretics (like sprinolactone) cause thinning of the hair by increasing levels of testosterone. If your hair loss seems to correspond to when you started a new medicine (or increased the dose), it’s worth checking with your doctor about a possible connection.

6.  Psychologic factors. Stress, anxiety, and depression are surprisingly common causes of thinning scalp hair, and can be especially difficult to recognize and treat. Many people don’t realize how much stress or anxiety they are actually experiencing, and so will tend to minimize their level of stress when considering possible causes of hair loss. The anxiety is then compounded by the hair loss itself, so the problem becomes even worse. Some people develop an escalating cycle of anxiety, worsening thinning of the hair, and increasing worry about hair loss.

Once you have noticed that you are losing your hair, the first step is to get a medical evaluation to determine the cause. Either your primary care physician (family practitioner, internist, pediatrician, or gynecologist) or a dermatologist is a good place to start. Treatment can then be directed to any of the above underlying causes that are present.

If such treatment is not sufficient, or if no identifiable cause can be identified, there are currently two medications that you might consider. Minoxidil (Rogaine®) is a topical treatment available over the counter. Its exact mechanism of action is not clearly understood but it can be safely used by both men and women. Finasteride (Propecia®), an oral medicine available only by prescription, works by preventing testosterone from transforming into its most active form, thereby reducing one of the major factors in male pattern baldness. Finasteride is not approved for use by women or children.

Both minoxidil and finasteride seem to be better at maintaining one’s current hair and reducing future loss than they are at regrowing new hair, but these meds may produce some new hair. Typically, these medications need to be used for 3 to 6 months before much benefit is seen, and, unfortunately, any improvement in hair growth will only last as long as the medicine is continued. If it is stopped, the hair loss tends to recur.

Many cosmetic approaches are also available. Wigs, hair transplants, hair weaves, and similar treatments can all hide an embarrassing or frustrating problem. If you’re not too fixated on growing your own natural hair, these can be easier and sometimes even less expensive in the long run than chronic use of medications.

Hair Loss Toronto

Did you know that by the time hair loss becomes visible to the naked eye, you’ve already lost 50-percent of hair density?

“Early detection and prevention is the key to a lasting head-of-hair for both men and women,” said Alan J. Bauman, M.D., a board certified hair restoration physician and leading U.S. expert on male and female hair loss. “It’s important for everyone to learn about the medical causes of hair loss early on so they can keep healthy hair growing well into their golden years.”

While there’s no foolproof “crystal ball” for predicting hair loss, new medical information and genetic research have made it possible to determine a patient’s chances for experiencing hair loss later in life.

According to Dr. Bauman, who’s treated thousands of patients with hair loss over the last 10 years, there are five ways to “predict” future baldness:

1. “Folliscope” - Because hair loss happens slowly and subtly over time, new technology, like the Folliscope, can provide a microscopic view of the scalp to determine the status of a patient’s hair follicles. Hair caliber and hair density can be measured and compared in different areas and over time. Taking a set of high-resolution “global” photos, or “medical mug-shots,” is also helpful for tracking hair changes year-by-year.
2. “Health Factors” - In recent years, research has found that personal health factors like illness, smoking, stress, menopause, crash dieting, poor nutrition and certain types of medications are associated with hair loss.
3. “Genetic Testing” - While the results are not like a pregnancy test (i.e., a ‘yes’ or ‘no’), a new genetic test by HairDX is a promising option for patients who want to know their risk of future hair loss. The analysis uses a simple cheek swab and can determine the genetic risk of developing male and female hair loss. The test should be performed under a doctor’s supervision and the results should be reviewed with a hair restoration physician who can help the patient interpret the results and weigh preventative treatment options.
4. “Review Family History” - Contrary to popular belief, hair loss can be due to genetic factors from both sides of the family, so a good way to determine a patient’s chances for future hair loss is to examine relatives on both the mother and father’s side. Full-headed families are not completely out of the woods. However, patients who have a high number of close relatives with hair loss are more likely to experience it themselves.
5. “See a Hair Doctor” - The best way for patients to assess their “hair status,” find reliable information about the medical causes of hair loss, and learn about safe, medically-proven treatments is to visit a board certified hair restoration physician. To find a qualified doctor inn the GTA - Toronto who specializes in hair loss, visit www.ishrs.org.

Patients who meet with a hair restoration physician early on to review their own individual hair loss factors are much more likely to prevent future baldness, which may require more invasive interventions, like hair transplantation. Early non-invasive treatments - with FDA-approved medications like finasteride and minoxidil or low level laser therapy - are the key for those who want to keep a healthy head of hair in the years to come.

Toronto Hair Loss

We have all heard the comment, “You never see a good hair transplant”, and the truth behind that is “That’s because you only ever see the bad ones” a good hair transplant should be undetectable and the Greater Toronto Area has several leading Specialists who are sought after by an international clientèle. Below you’ll find valuable information on what to exptect from a hair transplant.

Hair Transplants

A hair transplant can be one of the most effective methods of improving the hair growth on a particular area of the scalp. This method of hair replacement has been carried out successfully since the early 1950’s.

For more than fifty years hair transplantation has been the natural, permanent solution to restoring living, growing hair to balding and thinning areas. However it is only in the past decade or so the surgical techniques of some physicians have made it possible to re-create the look of a man’s original, natural hairline.

Of all the male cosmetic procedures performed a hair transplant is the most popular and growing in popularity and of all cosmetic procedures for men, hair surgery has the potential to produce the most dramatic change in one’s appearance. However achieving the correct end result can be very traumatic for the patient.

The new methods of micro grafting produce some wonderful and dramatic results. It would be almost impossible to detect a good transplant, provided a competent surgeon carried out the work. Under a skilled surgeon, the nightmares that used to be associated with hair transplants have virtually gone, and by using smaller plug grafts with microsurgery, hair transplants offer a very realistic solution to a new head of hair.

You can now see the effects of micro grafting after about six months. This is after only one session of treatment, and the results are very good.

Hair transplantation is the medical process of relocating permanent hair from the lower back and sides of the head. These hairs are transplanted into areas of thinning and balding along the top and towards the front of the head, where after a short resting period they grow and will continue to grow for a lifetime.

The entire reason why hair transplants are permanent, and not just a temporary cosmetic procedure, lies in a simple physiological fact that every man has a horseshoe-shaped area of hair around the back and sides of the head. Often referred to as the monk’s fringe, this area contains hair, which is genetically programmed before birth to last a lifetime. That’s why even the most severely bald men you ever see will still have this area of permanent, lifetime growing hair at the back of their head.

The genetic information in these hair roots causes them not to be sensitive to male hormones (androgens) which begin to appear during puberty. In most men, hairs along the top and at the front of the head are in varying numbers and to varying degrees, sensitive to these hormones. Over a period of years the hairs begin to respond to these hormones by withering and decreasing the length and diameter of the hair shaft until they revert back to being little more than “peach fuzz” growing out of the follicle. The loss of hair tends to follow set patterns of recession, most notably above both temples of the forehead and at the crown, forming a “Friar Tuck” type bald patch. This is what is referred to as male pattern baldness.

Expectations

The major reason for complaints regarding hair transplants is that most people’s expectations are far too high. The surgeon and/or consultant should state clearly and precisely what results can actually be achieved, as opposed to what the client expects. Hair transplants cannot give anyone more hair than they have, they can only redistribute the hair that is already there. These shattered expectations are often the cause of bitter disappointment to the patient. Good results can be achieved but will never achieve the same head of hair you had when your were eighteen or nineteen.

A patient should also be aware that any treatment they have, has to thicken an area of thinned hair. In twelve months time the original hair may also be lost so you will only have the transplanted hair left, thus you may need further treatment at extra cost, something you should always be aware about.

Age must also come into question with regards to hair transplants. It is very rare for anyone under the age of twenty one to be treated, the reason being that it is still far to early to tell to what extent his hair loss is going to advance. The upper age limit is not so critical and successful transplants have been carried out on patients up to the age of sixty-eight.

Types of Surgery

There are as many as six different ways that hair can be surgically replaced. Flap grafting, strip grafting, mini flap grafting and square grafting are four methods. These methods are not used much nowadays and should be avoided if a clinic suggests them to you. They all involve taking a large strip of skin with the hair roots intact and replacing them in an area at the top of the head. These results are usually very poor and hair growth can be very erratic and looks poor as the hair can grow back in any old style. The other two methods are plug grafting which is what everyone associates as a hair transplant and the newer named micro grafting which as the name implies is a smaller method than plug grafting.

The best results for plug grafting are obtained on the crown as the surrounding hair makes it difficult to notice the plugs. When performed on the front hairline they can leave a less than pleasing effect rather like a doll’s head or a toothbrush.

Micro Grafting

Nowadays clinics all use different terms to describe transplants, such as micro grafting or mini grafting. Micro grafting as we will call the treatment, is the most common type of hair transplantation procedure performed today and, the procedure that produces the most natural results. Micro grafting depends upon the use of larger grafts to create density and smaller grafts to produce naturalness. Whereas a normal graft will hold about twelve hair roots, a micro graft will hold about three or four hair roots, provided that the surgeon is skilled enough.

The mini-grafts (which are smaller than the old plugs) are generally used in the central part of the scalp where they give “bulk” to the transplant, but on their own don’t normally look completely natural. Smaller micro-grafts are then placed in front of, and around, these larger grafts to produce a more natural, soft hairline and overall appearance.

A completely natural hairline is now possible by transplanting micro grafts to give a patient a natural look, something that is not possible with full sized grafts.

By using a combination of large grafts at the back and using progressively smaller micro grafts towards the front it is now possible to obtain excellent results that are virtually impossible to detect.

Hair roots could be transplanted one hair at a time if so required. Whilst this procedure would be completely undetectable, the finished effect would not achieve the thickness that can be obtained by using a combination of large and small grafts. Transplanting hair roots one by one would be very time consuming and is extremely expensive.

As illustrated here plug grafts on the front hairline leave a very undesirable effect. Often referred to as dolls head or cornfield effect.

In the normal plug grafting technique healthy hair roots from the back and the sides of the scalp are transferred to the top of the scalp where needed by using an instrument called a trephine. This instrument has a circular cutting edge and the circular grafts it takes will vary in size from 2mm diameter to about 5mm diameter. As many as 600 grafts could be removed from any one patient, although a maximum of 50 grafts should be removed in any one session of treatment.

Nowadays the donor tissue is removed with a multi-bladed knife that produces long thin strips of donor tissue, although single strip harvesting now appears to be a superior method.

After anesthetizing the donar area, a strip of scalp about ½” to 1″ wide and 4-5″ long is removed. Since the scalp is very elastic, the resultant gap is easily pulled together and sutured closed. The hair on the back of the head conceals the small thin suture line

The surgery team then divides the donor hair strip, which contains thousands of hairs, into individual “grafts”. Micro-grafts contain one or two shafts of hair. Mini-grafts contain three to eight shafts of hair per graft. With these techniques the surgeon transplant as few as one or two hairs at a time, which creates a more natural look rather than the “toothbrush” or “plug” effect.

These hair grafts are then implanted into recipient sites in the balding area. Micro-grafts are inserted into tiny punctures in the skin and mini-grafts into extremely small (0.5 mm to 2 mm) openings. This achieves a more natural appearance. This is a big improvement over previous techniques where transplants were inserted into holes in the scalp. This often resulted in an abnormal, compressed hair.

This picture show the crown area, having been prepared with the trephine just prior to the plugs from the back of the head being position to complete the transplant.

Recipient sites are made in several ways. Some physicians use punch holes, some linear slits, and others use a “slot” method that creates a narrow elongated oval incision. As techniques develop, we may expect that in time a standardized method will emerge. The goal of all the various procedures is to obtain a more dense, natural appearance for the patient which allows the hair to grow in its natural manner.

This picture shows how single incisions are made with a scalpel to take a single hair or two at a time.

The cosmetic effect of the placement of the grafts, the insertion angles, and the combinations of grafts are dependent of the skill and the “artistry” of the transplant surgeon. The shape of the patient’s face and predictions of areas of future hair loss must be planned carefully for optimal cosmetic results.

Most patients normally used to need three treatments to achieve an acceptable head of hair. However nowadays the number of sessions could vary from one to six depending on how much work is involved, particularly since micro grafting techniques mean that one treatment can be suitable and involve very little discomfort and inconvenience.

Does It Hurt ?

Yes is the simple answer - The amount of pain varies between patients. A lot of people say that it is like a visit to the dentist, however as with dentists there are good surgeons and bad surgeons.

Probably the most painful part of the procedure is during the injection of the anesthetic when a large number of injection are made to the donor area. Often the patient is given a mild sedative to relax them before any treatment is carried out. It is normal in some cases to spray the area with a freeze spray to reduce the pain of the injections.

About fifty percent of customers will probably experience swelling on the forehead and face after a transplant. This can be treated with an ice pack but in some cases is extremely noticeable and a return to work usually needs to be ruled out.

Patients have commented that their skull felt like a lump of wood for weeks afterwards. They were aware of something having been done to their scalp but were not in any pain. The effects always seemed to wear off.

Hair Loss: one of the most confounding conditions men and women have ever struggled with. People consider their hair as kings consider their crown; an important part of one’s identity, an important part of one’s self. Hair and hair loss are often considered as indicators of one’s youth. That is why people are always appalled whenever faced with the possibility of hair loss. Hence we often do whatever they can and believe whatever we hear just to make sure that we get to keep that precious hair of ours as thick and as healthy as can be.

Hair loss can be common in females and is more common following the menopause; however, alopecia will not manifest in all cases. In many cases the sufferer will simply notice increased hair loss and thinning of the hair; early treatment can improve the outcome. Although alopecia tends to be socially accepted in males it is unacceptable in females and in many cases it can have devastating effects on the sufferer’s emotional state and confidence. But you should not despair – hair loss can be prevented and stopped once you know what causes it and what you should do.

The real causes of hair loss or alopecia, as it is clinically known, have already been explained by science, however, before we proceed to know the real causes of hair loss, let us first see and examine the prevalent myths about why hair loss occur in women.

There are many websites that try to dispel the “myths” of womens hair loss but some of these so-called “myths” do have a basis for truth. Let’s now examine many of these popular “myths” and provide a balanced response.

Myth Number One: Frequent shampooing contributes to hair loss. Many websites say this is “rubbish”, however, in textbooks of trichology it is recommended that “extra care” should be taken for fragile and thinning hair. These measures include using gentle shampoos as heavily medicated shampoos can affect the scalp and brushing should be gentle as well. Any tangles of hair should be separated without pulling of the hair. So, it’s not so much how frequently you wash your hair but what you wash your hair with!

Myth Number Two: We often hear that bad blood circulation starves the hair follicles which make them fall out. Although patients with poor blood circulation do not appear to be more likely to suffer from alopecia, tight fitting hats and wigs may cause hair loss in a very small minority of people. The mechanism is still unclear but if it occurs, this may be due to the impairment of blood flow in the scalp. That is why extreme care should be taken by alopecia sufferers who wear these garments on their heads.

Myth Number Three: Hats and wigs cause hair loss. This is untrue on the whole, all hats and wigs do is just cover your hair. Hats may even help shield your hair against the damaging causes of direct sunlight. However, if you are a sufferer of alopecia you should avoid tight fitting hats and wigs in our opinion.

Myth Number Four: 100 strokes of the hair brush daily will create healthier hair. Brushing your hair does stimulate the glands on your scalp to produce oil that will keep your hair healthy. However, a hundred brush strokes does more damage to your hair than what you wish intend. A hundred brush strokes on thinning and fragile hair will be more devastating than helpful. It is important to look after thinning and fragile hair and gentle brushing should be sufficient to maintain the condition of your hair and can be of benefit. Tangles should be separated by fingers without pulling the hair.

Myth Number Five: Permanent hair loss is caused by perms, colors and other cosmetic treatments. Whilst treatments on hair can damage the nutrients and make it less healthy it will not lead to permanent alopecia. However, should hair loss be experienced after perms etc. then you should avoid them. That is why you have to scrutinize whatever you use in your hair since improper use of products may cause potential hair loss.

Myth Number Six: Women are expected to develop significant hair loss if they are healthy. Utter rubbish.

Myth Number Seven: Shaving one’s head will cause the hair to grow back thicker. This is just not true. In fact, if you are suffering from androgenetiic alopecia, this will actually severely quicken your hair loss.

Myth Number Eight: Standing on one’s head will cause increased circulation and thereby stimulate hair growth. We’re afraid not; although poor blood circulation may cause some hair loss, increasing blood circulation just does not stimulate hair growth either.

Myth Number Nine: Dandruff causes permanent hair loss. This is simply not true. Dandruff is a condition of the scalp, not the hair. Dandruff occurs because of the excessive shedding of cells on your scalp skin. For dandruff sufferers, the natural process of scalp-cell renewal is accelerated when fighting off P. ovale, a normal fungus found on every human head.

Myth Number Ten: We often see TV personalities and even some doctors say that stress makes your hair fall out! Although it is unclear whether stress coming from severe life events can cause alopecia, there are case reports indicating that this may be so. It is however very rare and frequently no cause can be found for severe and rapid developing alopecia. Patients who have suffered hair loss following a stressful event may still benefit from specific treatment to assist in hair re-growth.

Myth Number Eleven: Hair loss does not occur in the late teens or early twenties. Whilst fairly rare this is not true. Alopecia or hair loss may happen to anyone regardless of their age.

Now what really causes androgenetic alopecia or hair loss in women?

The most common type of hair loss seen in women is androgenetic alopecia, also known as female pattern alopecia or baldness. This is seen as hair thinning predominantly over the top and sides of the head. It affects approximately one-third of all susceptible women, but is most commonly seen after menopause, although it may begin as early as puberty. Normal hair fall is approximately 100-125 hairs per day. Fortunately, these hairs are replaced by the mechanisms in the body. True hair loss occurs when lost hairs are not re-grown or when the daily hair shed exceeds 125 hairs. Genetically, hair loss can come from either parents’ side of the family.

There are two different types of hair loss, medically known as Anagen effluvium and Telogen effluvium. Anagen effluvium or loss of hair that is in the anagen or growing phase is generally due to internally administered medications, such as chemotherapy agents, that poison the growing hair follicles. Telogen effluvium on the other hand, is due to an increased number of hair follicles entering the resting stage. The most common causes of Telogen effluvium are: (1)Physical stress: surgery, illness, anemia, rapid weight change; (2)Emotional stress: mental illness, death of a family member; (3)Thyroid abnormalities; (4)Medications: High doses of Vitamin A, Blood pressure medications, Gout medications; and (5)Hormonal causes: pregnancy, birth control pills, menopause. When the above causes of telogen effluvium are reversed or altered you should see the return of normal hair growth.

Hair loss in women: androgenetic alopecia, anagen effluvium and telogen effluvium can be lessened and reduced, even stopped. All you need to do is know the right information about alopecia and do the right things to combat these conditions. There are lots of hair loss treatment medicines available out there; all you need to do is to know which one is the right one for you, depending on the extent of the hair loss. Remember, that the longer you wait to treat your hair loss, the harder it will be to achieve good results. So if you want to win this hair loss battle, stand up and do it now! The quicker you take action the easier it’s going to get.

It is normal to shed hair every day and the truth is we loose between 100-125 hairs on any given day. Hair that is shed falls out at the end of growth cycle. At any given time 10% of our hair is in what is called a “resting phase” and after 2-3 months resting, hair falls out and new hair grows in its place. Some people, however, experience more hair loss than is normal.

As we get older, both men and women experience some hair loss. It is a normal part of the aging process. Called Androgenetic Alopecia, it accounts for 95% of all hair loss. Androgentic Alopecia often runs in families and affects some people more than others. In men it is often referred to as Male Pattern Baldness.

It is characterized by a receding hair line and baldness on the top of head. Women, on the other hand, don’t go entirely bald even if their hair loss is severe. Instead, hair loss is spread out evenly over their entire scalp.

Hormones play the dominant role when talking about Androgenetic Alopecia. Simple put, both men and women produce testosterone. Testosterone can be converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) with the aid of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. DHT shrinks hair follicles causing the membranes in the scalp to thicken, become inelastic and restrict blood flow. This causes the hair follicles to atrophy. As a result, when a hair does fall out, it is not replaced.

Needless to say, men produce more testosterone than women and experience more hair loss.

While Androgenetic Alopecia is the number one reason why individuals experience hair loss, it is not the only one. Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, ringworm and fungal infections can cause hair loss. Certain medications such as blood thinners, gout medication, birth control pills and too much vitamin A can cause sudden or abnormal hair loss as can following a crash diet, sudden hormonal changes, chemotherapy and radiation.

Emotional stress, pregnancy, or surgery can also cause our hair to fall out and is usually not noticed until 3-4 months after the stressful event has taken place. Stress can cause a slowing of new hair growth because a larger number of hair follicles enter into the resting phase and no new hair growth is experienced.

Another way in which individuals experience hair loss is due to mechanical stressors on the hair and scalp. Wearing pigtails, cornrows or tight rollers that end up pulling on the hair can scar the scalp and cause permanent hair loss. Hair products such as hot oil treatments and chemicals used for permanents can cause inflammation to the hair follicles which can also result in scarring and hair loss.

Note: Hair loss may be the early warning sign of a more serious disorder such as lupus or diabetes, so it is important to talk to your doctor.

Recommendations For Wellness

• If you are taking prescription medications, talk to your doctor and find out if your medication is contributing to your hair loss.
• Avoid mega-doses of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can cause your hair to fall out.
• Exercise, do yoga, meditate or find some other practice that will help to reduce your anxiety and stress levels.
• If you are a women, have your female hormones tested. If they are imbalanced, talk to your health care provider about bio-identical hormone replacements.
• If you wear pigtails, cornrows, use a curling iron, hair dryer or hot rollers, try changing your hair style to one that puts less pressure and stress on your hair and scalp.
• If hot oil treatments or chemicals such as those used in permanents are causing inflammation to the scalp, discontinue their use, or reduce the number of times you are using them.
• Use gentle shampoos and conditioners to avoid any unnecessary damage to your hair.
• In men, herbs such as saw palmetto and licorice root help block the formation of DHT. The same holds true for supplementation with zinc. As an added benefit, studies show that these supplements can also help prevent prostate enlargement.
• Massage your scalp with rosemary oil in an olive oil base. Both rosemary oil and massaging the scalp can stimulate the circulation in the scalp and promote hair growth.
• Again, if you are experiencing hair loss, check with your doctor to ensure that a more serious disorder isn’t the cause.

Your hair goes through a cycle of growth and rest. The course of each cycle varies by individual. But in general, the growth phase of scalp hair, known as anagen, typically lasts two to three years. During this time, your hair grows about 1 centimeter (just less than 1/2 inch) a month. The resting phase is called telogen. This phase typically lasts three to four months. At the end of the resting phase, the hair strand falls out and a new one begins to grow in its place. Once a hair is shed, the growth stage begins again.

Most people normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. But with about 100,000 hairs in the scalp, this amount of hair loss shouldn’t cause noticeable thinning of the scalp hair.

Gradual thinning is a normal part of aging. However, hair loss may lead to baldness when the rate of shedding exceeds the rate of regrowth, when new hair is thinner than the hair shed or when hair comes out in patches.

Causes of specific types of hair loss

• Pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). In male- and female-pattern baldness, the time of growth shortens, and the hairs are not as thick or sturdy. With each growth cycle, the hairs become rooted more superficially and more easily fall out. Heredity likely plays a key role. A history of androgenetic alopecia on either side of your family increases your risk of balding. Heredity also affects the age at which you begin to lose hair and the developmental speed, pattern and extent of your baldness.
• Cicatricial (scarring) alopecia. This type of permanent hair loss occurs when inflammation damages and scars the hair follicle. This prevents new hair from growing. This condition can be seen in several skin conditions, including lupus erythematosus or lichen planus. It’s not known what triggers or causes this inflammation.
• Alopecia areata. This is classified as an autoimmune disease, but the cause is unknown. People who develop alopecia areata are generally in good health. A few people may have other autoimmune disorders including thyroid disease. Some scientists believe that some people are genetically predisposed to develop alopecia areata and that a trigger, such as a virus or something else in the environment, sets off the condition. A family history of alopecia areata makes you more likely to develop it. With alopecia areata, your hair generally grows back, but you may lose and regrow your hair a number of times.
• Telogen effluvium. This type of hair loss is usually due to a change in your normal hair cycle. It may occur when some type of shock to your system — emotional or physical — causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state. The affected growing hairs from these hair roots fall out. In a month or two, the hair follicles become active again and new hair starts to grow. Telogen effluvium may follow emotional distress, such as a death in the family, or after a physiological stress, such as a high fever, sudden or excessive weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, surgery, or metabolic disturbances. Hair typically grows back once the condition that caused it corrects itself, but it usually take months.
• Traction alopecia. Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull your hair too tightly cause traction alopecia. If the pulling is stopped before there’s scarring of your scalp and permanent damage to the root, hair usually grows back normally.

Other causes of hair loss

• Poor nutrition. Having inadequate protein or iron in your diet or poor nourishment in other ways can cause you to experience hair loss. Fad diets, crash diets and certain illnesses, such as eating disorders, can cause poor nutrition.
• Medications. Certain drugs used to treat gout, arthritis, depression, heart problems and high blood pressure may cause hair loss in some people. Taking birth control pills also may result in hair loss for some women.
• Disease. Diabetes and lupus can cause hair loss.
• Medical treatments. Undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy may cause you to develop alopecia. Under these conditions, healthy, growing (anagen) hairs can be affected. After your treatment ends, your hair typically begins to regrow.
• Hormonal changes. Hormonal changes and imbalances can cause temporary hair loss. This could be due to pregnancy, having a baby, discontinuing birth control pills, beginning menopause, or an overactive or underactive thyroid gland. The hair loss may be delayed by three months following a hormonal change, and it’ll take another three months for new hair to grow back. During pregnancy, it’s normal to have thicker, more luxuriant hair. It’s also common to lose more hair than normal about three months after delivery. If a hormonal imbalance is associated with an overproduction of testosterone, there may be a thinning of hair over the crown of the scalp. Correcting hormonal imbalances may stop hair loss.
• Hair treatments. Chemicals used for dying, tinting, bleaching, straightening or permanent waves can cause hair to become damaged and break off if they are overused or used incorrectly. Overstyling and excessive brushing also can cause hair to fall out if the hair shaft becomes damaged.
• Scalp infection. Infections, such as ringworm, can invade the hair and skin of your scalp, leading to hair loss. Once infections are treated, hair generally grows back. Ringworm, a fungal infection, can usually be treated with a topical or oral antifungal medication.
• Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder). Trichotillomania is a type of mental illness in which people have an irresistible urge to pull out their hair, whether it’s from their scalp, their eyebrows or other areas of their body. Hair pulling from the scalp often leaves them with patchy bald spots on their head, which they may go to great lengths to disguise. Causes of trichotillomania are still being researched, and no specific cause has yet been found.

In 1988, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company introduced the first FDA-approved product proven to regrow hair. Since 1996, in light of their excellent safety profile, Rogaine Regular Strength for Men and Rogaine for Women have been sold as over-the-counter (non prescription) drugs. Rogaine extra strength is now sold over the counter as well. It is a clear solution you apply to the top of your scalp where hair is thinning.

What is Minoxidil?

Minoxidil is a topically applied liquid usually found in pre-mixed solutions like Rogaine, but you can very easily obtain the active ingredients in generic versions of this product. There is a 2% and a 5% formulation that have been approved by the FDA, however other custom solutions are also available by proprietary companies. Minoxidil in its 2% form has been approved for use in both Men and Women, however the 5% is typically only for use in men. Women sometimes use the 5% when the 2% form does not work for them, but there may be side effects at 5%.

Who is this Treatment for?

Minoxidil can be used by both men and women.

What is it used for?

Minoxidil is primarily used to stimulate hair growth. It is not the same as a DHT inhibitor like Propecia, and does not work to stop the causes of hair loss - only to override them.

Minoxidil’s Method of Action

Minoxidil is in the class of treatments called “Potassium Channel Openers”. Its true method of action for is not completely understood, however it has been clinically proven that drugs which open Potassium Channels seem to stimulate hair growth.

What’s in it?

Rogaine for men and Rogaine for women both contain the active ingredient Minoxidil, in a solution of 80% alcohol (ethanol), Propylene Glycol (PPG), and water. Custom and generic solutions may have varied quantities of these ingredients.

Minoxidil Side effects

Side effects can be minimized by keeping dosage to the recommended 1ml two times daily. The most common side effects are limited to itching, inflammation and redness at the site of application. These are typically uncommon and can be countered with skin soothing products like Emu Oil, Folligen Lotion, Aloe Vera, Tricomin, or Prox-N. Please see our Product Reviews home page for more information on these treatments. Another school of thought is to identify why you’re having the irritation. You can try other versions that don’t contain PPG, since this is what causes most cases of irritation. You can use a version with glycerine instead, which is made available by prescription from Minoxidil.com.

How to apply Minoxidil

Prior to applying, make sure the scalp is completely dry. Apply the amount prescribed to the area of the scalp you are treating. It is recommended that you not shower or shampoo for at least 2-4 hours after applying.

Hints and Tips

Pros: Minoxidil and Propecia are the only two products on earth that have been FDA approved for treating hair loss. Deciding whether or not to use Minoxidil, Propecia, or both is a simple decision. Following are some pros of opting for Minoxidil:

• It is available without prescription.
• It is applied topically and consequently, systemic side effects are basically nonexistent.
• It is safe for use in both men and women, unlike Propecia

If someone were to tell you that you had an 83% chance of keeping all the hair you currently have by taking a pill every day, would you do it? With Propecia, it’s not only a possibility, it’s becoming a reality for hundreds of thousands of men. For the group of younger men looking to keep their hair loss from getting any worse, this treatment has become a Godsend. Men who have already lost a significant amount of hair can use Propecia in conjunction with other treatments and potentially see some serious results.

What is Propecia?

The Pill Propecia 1mg

Over 20 years ago a drug by the name of Proscar was approved for prevention of Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH). Its active ingredient was 5mg of Finasteride, and it was taken once daily by men over 60. Finasteride was shown to inhibit the formation of DHT, one of the biggest culprits in the formation of Prostate Cancer, and conveniently enough, hair loss as well.

Merck Pharmaceuticals sought to find the smallest effective quantity of finasteride and test its long term effects on 1,553 men between ages 18 and 41 with mild to moderate thinning of hair. Based on their research, 1mg daily was selected, and after 2 years of daily treatment, over 83% of the 1,553 men had actually maintained or increased their hair count from baseline. Visual assessments concluded that over 80% had improved appearances.

Finasteride (Proscar) 5mg was split into fifths and bottled as a 1mg daily treatment for hair loss called Propecia. A prescription is required to obtain this treatment.

Propecia, like Proscar, is the newest clinically proven treatment on the market for men experiencing hair loss. It also has the longest, most successful run of any treatment to have undergone FDA trials. At the writing of this review, the original 2 year trials are approaching their 6th year, and the vast majority of participants are still maintaining hair counts.

Who is this Treatment for?

Propecia is only approved for use in Men over the age of 18.

What is it used for?

Propecia’s main purpose is to stop hair loss from progressing, and to maintain what hair one has left.

In clinical trials, it did increase hair count in over 60% of men, but only about 42% had any noticeable improvement. Propecia is commonly used by younger men wishing to stop the progression of their hair loss, and it is phenomenally good at accomplishing this goal. It is also commonly used as a part of a combination treatment regimen with Minoxidil 2% and 5% by men who already have extensive hair loss.

Propecia’s Method of Action

Testosterone floating in the bloodstream of the typical adult male routinely combines with an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. The result of this interaction forms the more potent sexual hormone known as DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). DHT plays a primary role in proper sexual organ development during the fetal stage of life, as well as the proper development of secondary male characteristics during puberty.

The Stats Propecia   Placebo 17% Improved   7% Improved 66% Maintained   30% Maintained 1% Visible Loss   33% Visible Loss

When a man begins to lose his hair, certain genetically programmed follicles begin to develop DHT receptor sites. The DHT attaches itself to these receptor sites and begins to treat the follicle as a foreign object in the body. This chemical change not only affects hair, can cause itching, inflammation, and oiliness. During this time, the follicle, under the attack of DHT, begins to miniaturize with every growth cycle, until after several years, it simply is too small and short to be seen.

When Propecia is taken, it works to inhibit the formation of DHT in the system. Within a few months, the overall DHT levels will have remained low enough on a constant basis that the adverse effects DHT is having on the follicles will stop, resulting in a cessation of hair loss.

What’s in it?

Propecia contains 1mg of Finasteride, a systemic DHT inhibitor which has been used for over 20 years at five times the dosage (in the form of Proscar) to help treat men with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH).

Propecia side effects

The great thing about this treatment is that you can take it for a month to see how well you tolerate it. If you notice any problems and wish to discontinue, you may do so without having done yourself any harm. Those who do experience side effects will also be happy to know that these side effects are very common at the beginning of treatment while your system is adjusting itself, and typically disappear after a couple months.

It is important that those with liver function problems consult a physician prior to taking Propecia, as it is extensively metabolized in the liver.

How to use Propecia

Propecia should be administered at 1mg daily in pill form, with no exceptions. Many people talk about custom dosing, skipping days, doubling up, etc. This will not only do nothing to help your hair loss, but will also do your system more harm than good. Hormones are very delicate chemicals that operate in conjunction with each other Therefore a constant daily dose will ensure a stable hormonal environment, and keep your biology in harmony.

It is a little known fact that the FDA trial participants all used a shampoo like Nizoral for the duration of the trial. This was required, as the increased sebum production, inflammation, and irritation caused by the balding process can limit the effectiveness of any treatment. This is why it is STRONGLY recommended that a regimen including Propecia also include Nizoral shampoo used once every 3 days in rotation with your normal shampoo. You will not see optimum results without Nizoral, or a shampoo like it, in your regimen.