Understanding Hair Loss – Causes and Available Treatments
Hair loss is a very normal process that naturally occurs to continue the body's cyclic process of hair shedding and new hair growth. Every day hundreds of hairs usually fall from our body.
And to replace these lost hairs, new hairs grow as well. But when this balance of hair shedding and hair regrowth is disturbed, we just start losing more hairs than usual.
Increased dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a sex steroid and androgen hormone made from the male testosterone, and lack of vitamins and minerals in our daily food sources are also evaluated as two important causes for hair shedding.
For the typical male pattern baldness, heredity is a big factor for baldness. Although, there is no specific cause for genetical hair loss, but studies have shown that high DHT levels often play the main contributing role in genetic baldness.
In most cases, the lost hairs just grow back without any treatment. The only exception. however, is the heredity factor. So, stop getting too worried if you are losing hair from your scalp.
Naturally, as you age, your hair will thin out and the rate of hair regrowth will slow. We may lose more hairs than usual at different stages of our lifetime. Men, women, and children can all suffer from sudden, excessive hair loss without having any significant changes in their daily lives.
Hair loss often has a very uncomfortable emotional impact. For most people with alopecia (baldness), it becomes the most distressful and embarrassing situation when they find out that they are finally getting bald.
However, if you are experiencing the same problem, here are a few points that I believe you need to consider first before using any hair growth product.
If an underlying disease is the cause of your hair loss, no treatment is required for the lost hairs. You only need to continue the medications for the disease, because your hair will naturally grow back when the disease is gone.
However, if the test results show that you have high DHT level and a specific type of alopecia affected you, there is a little chance that your hair will grow back. You may need to accept the fate that you are gradually moving towards baldness and there is no such cure to get back all the lost hairs.
Although there is no cure that will repair the natural cyclic process of hair regrowth, but don’t feel so embarrassed.
There are a number of treatment options (both surgical and nonsurgical) available today to reduce or slow hair loss, stimulate partial hair regrowth or damage hair replacement. Below is a chart of some proven treatments for hair loss.
Image source: Roger Mommaerts, CC BY-SA 2.0, via flickr
And to replace these lost hairs, new hairs grow as well. But when this balance of hair shedding and hair regrowth is disturbed, we just start losing more hairs than usual.
Causes of Hair Loss
There is no one single cause of hair loss. There are many different factors that are associated with the excessive hair loss from your scalp. In clinical studies, heredity, age, certain drugs, and some medical conditions are pointed as potential factors for hair loss.Increased dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a sex steroid and androgen hormone made from the male testosterone, and lack of vitamins and minerals in our daily food sources are also evaluated as two important causes for hair shedding.
For the typical male pattern baldness, heredity is a big factor for baldness. Although, there is no specific cause for genetical hair loss, but studies have shown that high DHT levels often play the main contributing role in genetic baldness.
In most cases, the lost hairs just grow back without any treatment. The only exception. however, is the heredity factor. So, stop getting too worried if you are losing hair from your scalp.
Naturally, as you age, your hair will thin out and the rate of hair regrowth will slow. We may lose more hairs than usual at different stages of our lifetime. Men, women, and children can all suffer from sudden, excessive hair loss without having any significant changes in their daily lives.
Available Treatments to Halt Your Hair Loss
Hair loss often has a very uncomfortable emotional impact. For most people with alopecia (baldness), it becomes the most distressful and embarrassing situation when they find out that they are finally getting bald.
However, if you are experiencing the same problem, here are a few points that I believe you need to consider first before using any hair growth product.
- Visit a dermatologist or skin care expert and ask for opinion and suggestions.
- Find out the underlying causes of your hair fall.
- Find out the specific type of alopecia that affected you.
- Check your dihydrotestosterone (DHT) level.
If an underlying disease is the cause of your hair loss, no treatment is required for the lost hairs. You only need to continue the medications for the disease, because your hair will naturally grow back when the disease is gone.
However, if the test results show that you have high DHT level and a specific type of alopecia affected you, there is a little chance that your hair will grow back. You may need to accept the fate that you are gradually moving towards baldness and there is no such cure to get back all the lost hairs.
Although there is no cure that will repair the natural cyclic process of hair regrowth, but don’t feel so embarrassed.
There are a number of treatment options (both surgical and nonsurgical) available today to reduce or slow hair loss, stimulate partial hair regrowth or damage hair replacement. Below is a chart of some proven treatments for hair loss.
Image source: Roger Mommaerts, CC BY-SA 2.0, via flickr
