Tests that Determine whether You Have Alopecia or Not

Whether you’re young or old, finding clumps of hair in your brush and the slow thinning of your luscious locks can be traumatic—especially if you’re female.

The first step to determining the treatment for hair loss is to identify the cause, of which there are many. Even the pattern of hair loss can help to establish the root source. For example, women may lose hair from the crown of the head—similar to male pattern baldness—with an elevation of testosterone levels whereas nutritional deficiencies may cause generalized hair loss over the whole head. Blood tests can help determine the cause, and there also a few options for proper treatment:

Recommended Tests

In all cases of hair loss, it’s important to ensure that tests of the following are completed by your doctor:

• TSH, free T3, free T4, and thyroid antibodies to assess thyroid gland function. All should be completed to properly diagnose a thyroid condition that may result in excessive hair loss. (Note: Optimally, your TSH should be less than 2.5).

• Ferritin (This is the storage form of iron). Iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid—either of these nutrients in low levels may cause hair loss.

• Copper and zinc (excess copper relative to zinc may result in hair loss).

• Dihydrotestosterone (high levels of this hormone is related to hair loss in both men and women).

• Progesterone and estradiol (low levels of estrogen may cause an increase in hair loss).

• DHEAs and cortisol (high levels of cortisol or low DHEAs may contribute to hair loss).

• Free and total testosterone (high levels of testosterone in women may accelerate hair loss).

• Biotin (a deficiency of biotin can cause progressive hair loss).

Running a test on the levels of the aforementioned is key to determining whether you have alopecia (medical term for hair loss) or not.

A Closer Look at How Men Manage Baldness

Androgenic alopecia, or male pattern baldness, is a condition that will develop in up to two-thirds of all men by the age of 65, and even 25% of men in their twenties will manifest some symptoms of this incredibly common condition.

Naturally, men have been seeking a cure for this condition for a long time. Such a cure has not been discovered, however, and most who have gone in search of the holy grail of hair loss treatments have eventually given up their quest in frustration. But starting in the 1980s, hair loss treatments that actually appear to work began to show up in the marketplace, much to the delight of the men who have tried them and come away delighted with the results.

But what is the truth about these types of hair loss treatment? Do they really work, or are the anecdotes attesting to their success just stories that should not be believed? A closer look is necessary to sort out the facts from the hype.

Minoxidil

At one time, this drug was used as a remedy for high blood pressure. It was eventually discovered, however, that minoxidil had one very interesting side effect: It sometimes caused new hair to grow. After further research and development, minoxidil was later released in a new topical form that could be massaged directly into the scalp of those experiencing hair loss.

Minoxidil is available over the counter in drug stores everywhere, and millions of men have now tried this product as a remedy for their male pattern baldness.

Finasteride

Finasteride is a prescription medication that was created specifically to address the symptoms of androgenic alopecia. This drug is considered the gold standard of treatments for baldness, as all the tests that have been performed so far show it to be a more potent and effective substance than minoxidil.

There is no doubt that finasteride is the first legitimate treatment for baldness that has ever really been developed by medical researchers. As such, it represents a true breakthrough in the fight against hair loss.

Natural Supplements

Alternative health researchers, largely working outside the medical mainstream, have discovered much about how to regulate the body’s production of DHT through the use of certain healing herbs and other powerful nutrients.

In addition to combating overproduction of DHT, these supplements also contain ingredients that help limit the ability of excess DHT to damage healthy hair follicles. These products further include ingredients that are known to promote the growth of thick, healthy hair in anyone who consumes them.

More studies need to be completed to definitively demonstrate the effectiveness of natural hair loss treatments. However, the anecdotal evidence from the multitude of men who have used these products and reported good results is impressive.

Hair Loss Treatment Hope

The primary thing all hair loss treatments offer men suffering from premature hair loss is hope — hope that things can get better, and hope that what has been lost can be brought back again.

How to Prevent Postpartum Hair Loss

During pregnancy, a woman goes through mental and physical changes. Weight gain, nausea, improper or too much sleep, mood swings, and morning sickness are few of the changes a pregnant woman faces.

This is mainly because of the hormonal changes in her body. These problems become a precursor to another problem usually experienced after pregnancy: excessive hair loss. Lack of vitamins and folic acid are considered as common reasons behind the hair loss.

In order to curb the experience of losing a lot of hair after childbirth, take a look at the following preventive measures:

Folic Acid

During pregnancy, the hair growth and hair health greatly improves but after childbirth, hair loss takes place. This is due to how the hormones in the body resume to their usual levels.

A diet rich in folic acid keeps a pregnant woman healthy. It also improves the baby’s growth and development. Folic acid promotes formation of hair cells. Folic acid increases the hair growth during pregnancy and makes it thick, and this vitamin can lengthen these hair benefits well after childbirth.

Lentils, spinach, collard, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, asparagus, kidney beans, legumes, cereals, and citrus fruits are folic-rich food advisable to be eaten before, during, and after pregnancy.

Prenatal Vitamins

These are specially formulated multivitamins for expecting and nursing mothers. Calcium and iron supplements can augment for lacking nutrients needed by the hair follicles in the scalp to keep them functioning in growing healthy, thick, and lustrous hair even after giving birth.

Iron

Having a diet that contains iron-rich foods can prevent postpartum hair loss. It increases the blood flow and formation of hair cells. Kidney beans, spinach, finger millet, fenugreek, sprouts, carrot, muesli, tofu, chickpeas, green beans, soybeans, almonds, and raisins are iron-rich foods that keep the hair growing and avoid hair loss.

Calcium

Foods rich in calcium prevent the pregnant woman from diseases. For a healthy body and hair, include calcium-rich food in the diet. Low-fat dairy products; fish; beetroot; and green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, fenugreek leaves, turnip greens, and cloves are few calcium-rich foods good for pregnancy.

Making sure that these vitamins and minerals are included in a pregnant woman’s diet can prevent hair loss and promote continuous healthy hair growth.

Worried about hair loss? Worry no more Leimo is an Australian-based company that has produced a line of treatments to prevent further hair loss/thinning and restore hair without any side effects. Read more on LEIMO

How a Healthy Diet Gives a Great Hair Day

For healthy tresses, it’s not just what you put on your hair that counts but what you put in your body as well — especially when it comes to thinning hair. While you can’t change your genes, which are often to blame for hair loss in both men and women, most people don’t realize that other causes of hair loss may be temporary and reversible.

One sure-fire way to improve a bad hair day is to change your diet. To keep your hair healthy, you’ll need to ensure your diet contains plenty of protein, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and vitamin A — all crucial for scalp health and keeping the hair shiny. However, supplementing with too much vitamin A may actually contribute to hair loss so make sure to consult a medical expert regarding your supplement intake.

Of course, changing your diet won’t transform fine, thin hair into thick mane tresses at once, but ensuring your diet includes plenty of growth-promoting protein and iron can make a difference. Aim for high-quality protein, such as eggs, poultry, and low-fat dairy.

One way to give your hair a boost is to add beans and nuts, such as almonds, pecans, and cashews for zinc, iron, and biotin. Also dark leafy greens (spinach, broccoli and Swiss chard) contain vitamins A and C. Brazil nuts are high in selenium, which can promote scalp health, and walnuts and salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Research published late last month also revealed that stress, smoking, drinking, and even too much sunlight could contribute to hair loss, especially in women.

While you can take preventative measures such as wearing a hat in the sun, quitting smoking, and reducing your alcohol consumption, researchers add that adopting healthier lifestyle choices could possibly help your hair grow back.

Choosing the Most Apt Hair Loss Treatment for You

Hair loss treatments include surgical intervention, medication, concealment procedures, and alternative treatments. Deciding on the right treatment depends on various considerations including the cause of hair loss and the amount one is willing to spend on such treatments. The expense and nature of treatment can also differ for men and women as certain causative factors are sex-specific.

Combating hair loss is a problem usually associated with ageing, although other causes also exist. Hair loss treatments differ significantly depending on the specific nature of the case.

Surgical Treatments

In serious cases that do not respond to other forms of treatment, hair transplants are an option. In this procedure, the surgeon takes hair from one part of the patient’s body, usually the back of the scalp, and transplants it to balding patches. Since identical twins have the same genetic profile, it is also possible to transplant hair from one identical twin to another.

Hair transplants between people who are not identical twins are more difficult since the body may reject the new hair. In some cases, special medication may help prevent the body from rejecting hair from such transplants.

Hair Loss Medication

Many pharmaceutical companies market drugs for hair loss. Finasteride and minoxidil are examples of such medication. Minoxidil is a topical treatment that can be used by both women and men. Finasteride is used to inhibit a substance known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that causes male pattern baldness.

A class of drugs known as androgen receptor inhibitors are used to treat hair loss in women. Such drugs include cimetidine, spironolactone, and cyproterone acetate. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and oral contraceptives can also be used for androgenetic hair loss.

Concealing Hair Loss

Some types of treatment do not actually prevent hair loss or promote new hair growth, but rather attempt to minimise the appearance of hair loss.

For example, one technique is to expand the scalp with miniature balloons inserted underneath the skin of hairy areas of the scalp. The expanded hairy area is used to surgically patch up balding spots. Another procedure is scalp reduction in which excess skin on the scalp is surgically removed to shrink the size of balding areas.

Alternative Treatments

Many people prefer to use natural and other alternative treatments for hair loss. Such treatments can be much less expensive than those mentioned above, although the research to support their effectiveness may be sparse or non-existent. Some of these treatments are based on traditional medical practices used in many cultures before the dawn of modern medicine.

Some products, for example, use combinations of herbs, vitamins and minerals to stimulate hair growth or to prevent conditions that lead to hair loss. Some of these treatments are internal while others use topical application.

A number of cosmetic products also exist to help conceal hair loss.

Remedying Hair Loss with Garlic and Onion

A natural hair loss remedy can be carried out with herbs, massage or natural diet plan techniques. Men and women apply these remedies with hopes that no side effect would appear. Garlic and onion can be utilised as alternatives to chemical-based hair loss products.

Garlic is not just good for our body, but also for our hair. Garlic extract can get rid of and destroy dangerous toxins and stimulate blood circulation, essential in the scalp for proper hair care and growth and to avoid hair loss. Adding garlic extract in your daily shampoo helps to keep hair strong, preventing breakage and hair loss, even adding significant body and shine to the hair. For those with dry hair or itchy scalp, the shampoos with garlic extracts provide relief from the irritating conditions.

How can we use garlic as a hair loss remedy?

An hour before bedtime, slice open a clove of garlic and rub it on the hair loss area. Wait for an hour then massage the scalp with olive oil. Put on a cap and go to bed. In the morning, shampoo your hair. Repeat this remedy for a few weeks, and your hair will stop falling out and regrow.

Onion (Allium cepa) is recognised with its healing qualities — antibacterial, cleansing, stimulating, and nourishing properties. Onions contain a number of important minerals and vitamins, such as vitamins C and B6, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and germanium.

Onion also has high sulphur content. Sulphur is a mineral present in every cell in our body, with its greatest concentration in hair, skin and nails. It has typically been referred to as the ‘beauty mineral’ and the ‘healing mineral’ simply because of its ability to promote circulation and reduce inflammation. These qualities also lend to the theory that adequate amounts of sulphur can jump-start hair growth.

High amounts of sulphur in onions make them particularly powerful in revitalising hair follicles and stimulating hair regrowth. In addition, naturally-concentrated sulphur compounds have been confirmed to stimulate natural hair restoration or regrowth.

How can we use onion as a hair loss remedy?

Apply freshly squeezed, raw onion juice directly onto the scalp, massage deep into the scalp and hair roots. Leave on the scalp for about half an hour prior to shampooing. Do this treatment every day. In most circumstances, regular onion treatments will result in dramatic improvement of hair thickness within just a number of months. Considering that onion juice rejuvenates hair follicles and improves scalp circulation, it will promote healthy hair regrowth.

Worried about hair loss? Worry no more Leimo is an Australian-based company that has produced a line of treatments to prevent further hair loss/thinning and restore hair without any side effects. Read more on LEIMO

Hair Loss Prevention: Foods to Keep the Hair Follicles Healthy

If you dread trips to the barbershop and cringe every time you pass a mirror, there’s a pretty good chance you’re concerned about hair loss. Whether you’re starting to see strands of your hair at the bottom of your shower or are just worried that your thick head of hair won’t last forever, there are helpful foods that prevent hair loss.

Making sure certain foods are in your diet will help keep your scalp healthy, happy, and hopefully, hairy. Here are some foods that prevent hair loss:

Fish, Eggs and Beans

Hair is primarily made of protein and, therefore, it makes sense to eat a protein-rich diet if you’re trying to maintain your healthy hair. However, eating steak every day isn’t going to help you. High-fat diets will result in increased testosterone levels, which have been linked to hair loss — so steaks are not among the foods that prevent hair loss.

Stick to leaner proteins such as fish (which has a myriad of health benefits beyond just maintaining your hair), chicken, calf’s liver, brewer’s yeast, low-fat cheese, eggs, almonds, beans, and yoghurt. Soy milk and tofu are also smart to add to your diet because they are high in protein and low in bad fats.

Raisins

Iron plays a key role in manufacturing haemoglobin, the part of the blood that carries oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues. When your haemoglobin is at a healthy level, oxygen is properly dispersed. This means your scalp is getting a good flow of blood, which will stimulate and promote hair growth. Adding more iron to your diet doesn’t mean you have to feast on liver day in, day out, but when you’re craving something sweet, remember that dried fruits (like raisins) and cherry juice are packed with iron.

Eggs, dates, raisins, dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, and whole-grain cereals are all high in iron. Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron, so fruits such as oranges, strawberries and lemons should be on your grocery list of foods that prevent hair loss.

Bean Sprouts

Silica may not be a word you commonly hear associated with diet (or foods that prevent hair loss, for that matter). If you’re looking to promote hair growth and prevent hair loss, however, silica will need to be on your menu.

The body uses silica to help it absorb vitamins and minerals; if you’re not consuming silica, eating your vitamin sources might not be helping much. Silica can be found in bean sprouts and the skin of cucumbers, red and green peppers, and potatoes. Remember, when you eat these foods raw, as opposed to cooked, you’re getting more nutritional value out of them.