Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hair Loss Treatments: What’s Available and What’s the Best

Hair loss in many has a social stigma that can lead to anxiety and depression that in turn can affect everything that we do in our lives. Some may dismiss this as a normal phenomenon; however, doctors and clinical physiologists are seeing this as a bigger-than-expected issue. However, as the condition worsens, patients are seeking the help of hair loss specialists and experts.

Are you hormonally or genetically predisposed to going bald? Nutrition may help but may not be the complete answer or cure. Proper nutrition has many benefits, one of which can be a thickening of the hair, but it will probably not be enough to really prevent it from falling out completely. If you are searching for a hair loss treatment that will stop your hair from falling, it is recommended to find a product that has at least a 5% solution of minoxidil which is needed to regain control and restore hair loss. The topical hair loss treatment minoxidil gives the best results for both men and women who are suffering from hereditary and genetic hair loss, giving the user after a time a head full of thick and natural hair.

Anti–Androgenic Hair Loss Treatment

This is a therapy used in cases of hereditary hair loss. Estimates arrived at the number of women suffering from this type of hair loss to be 1 out of 4 in the United States alone. With women, the anti-androgen treatment is generally known as cyproterone acetate. As with the male counterpart, hereditary hair loss is due to the excessive secretion of DHT or dihydrotestosterone that is the main cause of hair loss. If you are one who is diagnosed with this condition, it can be treated by using anti-androgenic therapy. Most men, especially as age approaches, will create more and more DHT which will constrict blood capillaries, eventually choking the hair follicles and blocking the reception of nutrients, leading to hair loss.

Treatment Regimen

There are hair loss products that come in a package; they are to be used in conjunction to one another. The treatment package usually contains a shampoo, conditioner, scalp exfoliant, and serum for day and night treatments. It treats hair loss in both women and men, not only topically but also from the inside. The products in the package are organic-based or of all-natural formulation that is proven to establish hair regrowth. The formulation of each product reaches the hair follicles and roots; it restores an optimum surface for healthy hair to regrow and to restore a healthy head of hair. The treatment program combats hair fall from within by giving the scalp and hair the nutrients they need, which include saw palmetto which studies have proven to block the presence of DHT that the body naturally generates. And DHT is really the reason that hair loss happens.

Other Options

The drug finasteride is used to treat hair loss in men only, but has some side effects that are not very desirable; some of these side effects include loss of sex drive and reduced production of semen. Also, as far as cost is concerned, it ranks as one of the highest in cost than the previously mentioned treatments.

Other hair loss treatments can include an all-natural bio-cleansing shampoo that cleans and replenishes the scalp back to a healthy state where hair can regrow and remain intact. Also, there are laser combs which use phototherapy to reactivate dormant or weak hair follicles into growing hair again. Herbal products or supplements can also regrow hair naturally without causing harmful systemic effects.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Healing from Hair Loss Right at Home

Baldness is common to those who are suffering from alopecia. This happens when the hair starts being excessively shed (that is, more than 50 to 100 hair shafts per day) and gradually the scalp becomes very visible. With the condition not only affecting the physical appearance of a person but also his/her emotional and psychosocial status, treatments for hair loss are greatly in demand.

But a lot of hair loss sufferers have stopped using the usual treatments—topical minoxidil and the oral drug finasteride—or resorting to hair transplantation due to the cost, risks, and side effects that come with them. Instead, herbal home remedies have become one of the main options in effectively treating alopecia.


Home Remedies for Hair Loss

1. Apply the white of a raw egg on the hair for 30 minutes, and then wash it off with a mild shampoo. A mixture of lemon juice and egg white could also be used to strengthen the roots of hair.

2. Massage the head with oil for 15–20 minutes and then rinse with a shampoo. A hot oil massage with olive oil will also help.

3. Apply a mixture of lemon juice and juice of amla to the scalp. This also helps control dandruff in the hair.

4. Boil neem leaves in water for an hour and let it cool. Wash the hair with this water. Alternately neem oil can be mixed with coconut oil and massaged on the scalp to reduce the rate of hair fall.

5. The juice of fresh coriander can be massaged onto the scalp; this will reduce hair loss.

6. Ensure that you eat nutritious food, with plenty of leafy vegetables. Have a soya milk drink and multivitamin tablets along with a healthy breakfast.

7. Apply conditioner through the whole length of your hair, from roots to tips. Conditioners, especially if formulated with rosemary extracts, can strengthen the hair roots and hair shafts.

8. Try to reduce stress and tension in your life, learn to relax. Stress causes hair loss.