Do you know that alopecia can all of a sudden become more than a merely esthetic problem?
Whatever they say, we all live in a harsh society having very strict standards of beauty. Every person does his or her best to fit into this limited beauty span and look the way we are supposed to look. Do you really believe it is purely teen behavior? Sorry to disappoint you, but cosmetic surgeries, beauty saloons and fitness centers are full of mature men and women who go all out and spend crazy sums of money to look the way fashionable stars and public people do!
To cut the long story short, our appearance matters a lot today! Some thing like voguish clothes and unique accessories can be easily purchased, others are part of our appearance, that is why it is rather hard to put them straight. You are expected to possess huge bright eyes, fluffy chic hair, splendid teeth and flawless skin to become interesting and irresistible for your interlocutor! Recent research state that good-looking people find jobs and make friends easier than plain ones. They have twice or thrice as much sexual partners, are always trusted and are rarely suspected in committing different crimes. Do you still believe we all are equal?
As you might guess, hair loss is one of the cosmetic problem making people feel extremely awkward. It is useful to read some facts about your hair and find the best way out in case of necessity or to help your relatives and friends survive this disappointing situation.
As you might remember, your hair has a normal cycle of life. The period of 2-3 years is considered right for your hair to grow and stay on your head. Each tiny hair grows approximately 1 centimeter per month. Scientists say that about 90% of the hair on the scalp is in the phase of growing. The rest of the hair (about 10%) is in its resting phase. This means that 1/10 of your hair is rather old and after 3-4 months the resting part of your chevelure is going to fall out just to give way to young hairs! As a result you can spot a few hairs on you hairbrush, bed, clothes and in the shower - it is a part of natural process. The problem is when your hair loss becomes excessive.
It is generally considered that hair loss is a purely male problem. In fact it is not so - males, women and even kids can experience this esthetic disorder for a number of reasons.
To avoid a certain confusion of terms, let us understand what common baldness is. Generally this word-combination is used to describe a permanent-pattern baldness typical for many males over 30. The medical term for this type of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia. It is generally believed that sort of baldness is an inherited trait. It is marked by receding hair line and complete baldness on the top of the head. As numerous cases reveal, males who start losing their hair rather early (when they are under 30) in the course of time receive extensive baldness while males who demonstrated no early signs of androgenetic alopecia can enjoy their thick chevelure for the rest of their lives.
Unlike males, women can partially lose their hair over the entire scalp having no bald spots. Thinner hair without any changes in hair line forms so-called female-pattern baldness.
Personalities can realize they lose hair excessively after some illness or a major surgery. As a rule it happens 3-4 months afterwards. In this case we speak about the stress caused by the disease and have nothing serious to worry about - this hair loss is temporary, the amount of dead hairs will become less with every week.
Hormonal disasters are also often responsible for hair loss. Number one problem here is your thyroid gland - if it is overactive or underactive, your hair will fall out excessively. As soon as you start handling you thyroid disease, your hair will be OK again. Male and female hormones (androgens and estrogens) can also cause excessive hair loss if they are out of balance in the body. See your physician and take a course of treatment for correcting the hormone imbalance and soon you will notice your hair stopped falling out!
The majority of females having a 3 months old baby point out they lose hair excessively. There is nothing to worry about here! The point is certain hormones during the pregnancy keep all your hair from falling out. As soon as your hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, your body restores the usual cycle of hair growth and normal hair loss starts anew!
If you take certain pills for a long period of time, be aware of the fact they can affect your hair! Anticoagulants (or so called blood thinners), anti-gout medicines, medicines for hypertension or heart problems, birth control pills, antidepressants and vitamin A in big doses can influence your scalp in a bad way causing excessive hair loss. As soon as you stop taking the meds in question, the normal cycle of hair growth and hair loss will recommence.
Never forget that fungal infections of the scalp cause excessive hair loss, too. The majority of cases of that kind are associated with kids. The good news is that this type of infections can be easily and swiftly cured with special antifungal meds.
A chronic disease, especially one connected with your immune system, such as lupus or diabetes, can affect the state and thickness of your hair as well. What is more, hair loss can become one of the premonitory symptoms of a starting disease and if you report to your doc about it in time you can start your treatment as soon as possible and get a complete recovery or at least a long-term remission.
Medical practice demonstrates that some hairstyles or treatments cause hair loss, too! If you are a fan of pigtails, ponytails, cornrows and extremely tight hair rollers and you keep wearing them daily, you can end up losing a part of your hair! Eventually, you will get so-called traction alopecia. The pleasant fact is that if you give your hair more rest and stop torturing it, your chevelure will grow back normally, unless you have already developed scars on your scalp. Sorry to say, scarring causes irreparable hair loss. Bear in mind that you can get scalp scars in the process of hot oil hair treatments and when you have your permanents (usually called “perms”) done. The point is that the chemicals used in permanents are ruinous for your hair follicles; they may cause inflammation and swelling which results in scarring and excessive hair loss.
The question if your physician can do something about your hair loss is quite usual. The answer is “yes”! Be ready to give you doc some information about your way of life and harmful habits, about your diet and pills you’re taking, about your chronic and recent illnesses etc. Female questionnaire includes questions about menstrual cycle, pregnancies and menopause. Later you physician will want to give you a physical exam and make several tests like blood test, biopsy etc. This will help you MD check out what exactly causes your extensive hair loss.
As you know, examining and diagnosing is followed by a special kind of treatment. What is the treatment for hair loss like? If you trouble is caused by the medications you take every day, your doc can prescribe you a different one. If you lose your hair because of some infection, it will be recognized and treated, and you will soon grow your chevelure back. If you happen to have a certain hormone imbalance certain medical treatment will soon allow you to enjoy your shaggy mane again!
What is more, modern pharmaceutical industry works miracles. This means you can get a wide range of pills preventing the development of common baldness! Please, bear in mind that some meds like Rogaine (generic name Minoxidil) are available in any no prescription drugstore and can be used by both genders. Other medications like Finasteride are meant for males only! Keep them away from females, children and domestic animals!
If you made up your mind to grow your hair back and order cheap medicines, be prepared to take your medications regularly for a long period of time. As a rule it takes you up to 6 months to see the results with your own eyes.
Even if no medical treatment is available for you, do not despair! Firstly, you can try alternative medicine. Secondly, your esthetic issue can be solved with the help of different hairstyles, as well as cosmetic hair transplantation.
Anyway, growing your hair back is a slow process taking a lot of time! Do not sit locked up in you own house! If you are a woman, top-quality wigs and hairpieces will help you out any time - believe it or not, a lot of celebrities wear them! If you are a male, consider shaving off all your hair - it is fairly considered cool and sex appealing! Give it a proper thought and you will definitely find the best way out!
Tags: baldness, male baldness, no prescription drugstore, order medications