Violet will be a good color for hair at just about the same time that brunette becomes a good color for flowers

Fran Lebowitz

One of the primary cause of hair loss is a high amount of the male hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) within the hair follicle. DHT is produced from testosterone in the prostate, various adrenal glands, and the scalp. After a period of time, an over abundance of DHT causes the hair follicle to degrade and shortens the active phase of the hair.

Another important cause of falling hair is stress, such as worry, anxiety and sudden shock. Stress leads to a severe tension in the skin of the scalp. This adversely affects the supply of essential nutrition required for the healthy growth of hair.

There are many surgical procedures which will help to restore the hair from falling. Surgical restoration is the only permanent solution to baldness. It involves a series of operations that extract plugs of scalp from the sides and back of your head, where hair grows densely, and implant them on top and in front, where you are going bald.

Scalp reduction is performed on patients with well-defined bald spots in the crown area of the scalp. It is sometimes done in conjunction with hair transplantaion to reduce the size of the bald scalp, especially in patients who do not have enough donor hair to cover the bald areas.

For men, hair loss is male pattern baldness. Yes, there are other types of hair loss, including rare conditions such as alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis, where the entire scalp and entire body, respectively, become completely bald due to a viral condition that is irreversible. There is also patch baldness, in which hair falls out in patches of the scalp. This is caused by stress or poor nutrition or adverse scalp conditions. But the hair will usually grow back once the cause has been rectified.

The most familiar hair loss pattern is where the hair begins to recede in the hairline and the crown at roughly the same time. The hair in the mid-scalp or anterior scalp is often the last to go. But go it will, eventually leaving a man with the horseshoe of hair that is the telltale sign of typical male pattern baldness.

For women, hair loss is different. There is no set pattern for womens androgenic hair loss, which like MPB, occurs in the overwhelming majority of cases. Women can suffer from alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis just like men. Women can experience patch baldness for the same reasons as men (stress, poor nutrition, etc.), as well as due to hormonal changes from pregnancy and certain eating disorders. However, like men, the hair will generally grow back.

Minoxidil (Rogaine). This over-the-counter medication is approved for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata. Minoxidil is a liquid that you rub into your scalp twice daily to regrow hair and to prevent further loss. Some people experience some hair regrowth or a slower rate of hair loss or both. Minoxidil is available in a 2 percent solution and in a 5 percent solution.

New hair resulting from minoxidil use may be thinner and shorter than previous hair. But there can be enough regrowth for some people to hide their bald spots and have it blend with existing hair. New hair stops growing soon after you discontinue the use of minoxidil. If you experience minimal results within six months, your doctor may recommend discontinuing use. Side effects can include irritation of the scalp.

Finasteride (Propecia). This prescription medication to treat male-pattern baldness is taken daily in pill form. Many people taking finasteride experience a slowing of hair loss, and some may show some new hair growth. Positive results may take several months. Finasteride works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that shrinks hair follicles and is an important factor in male hair loss. Rare side effects of finasteride include diminished sex drive and sexual function. As with minoxidil, the benefits of finasteride stop if you stop using it.

Corticosteroids. Injections of cortisone into the scalp can treat alopecia areata. Treatment is usually repeated monthly. Doctors sometimes prescribe corticosteroid pills for extensive hair loss due to alopecia areata. Ointments and creams can also be used, but they may be less effective than injections.

Hair loss and thinning hair can be brought on by a variety of different conditions. Although, many researchers still pin most of the blame on genetics. The most common type of hair loss is referred to as "pattern hair loss" (androgenic alopecia). Many natural hair loss treatments exist that can help deal with pattern hair loss. Listed below are other conditions which can cause hair loss and thinning hair.

Alopecia Areata - In this type of hair loss, hair usually falls out, resulting in totally smooth, round patches about the size of a coin or larger. It can, rarely, result in complete loss of scalp and body hair. This disease may affect children or adults of any age. The cause of alopecia areata is unknown. Apart from the hair loss, affected persons are generally in excellent health. In most cases, the hair regrows by itself. Dermatologists can treat many people with this condition. Treatments include topical medications, a special kind of light treatment, or in some cases pills.

High Fever, Severe Infection, Severe Flu - Illnesses may cause hairs to enter the resting phase. Four weeks to three months after a high fever, severe illness or infection, a person may be shocked to see a lot of hair falling out. This shedding usually corrects itself.

Inadequate Protein in Diet - Some people who go on crash diets that are low in protein, or have severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition. The body will save protein by shifting growing hairs into the resting phase. Massive hair shedding can occur two to three months later. Hair can then be pulled out by the roots fairly easily. This condition can be reversed and prevented by eating the proper amount of protein and, when dieting, maintaining adequate protein intake.

Birth Control Pills - Women who lose hair while taking birth control pills usually have an inherited tendency for hair thinning. If hair thinning occurs, a woman can consult her gynecologist about switching to another birth control pill. When a women stops using oral contraceptives, she may notice that her hair begins shedding two or three months later. This may continue for six months when it usually stops. This is similar to hair loss after the birth of a child. See products which may help hair loss.

Major Surgery/Chronic Illness - Anyone who has a major operation may notice increased hair shedding within one to three months afterwards. The condition reverses itself within a few months but people who have a severe chronic illness may shed hair indefinitely.

Fungus Infection (Ringworm) of the Scalp - Caused by a fungus infection, ringworm (which has nothing to do with worms) begins with small patches of scaling that can spread and result in broken hair, redness, swelling, and even oozing. This contagious disease is most common in children and oral medication will cure it.

Hair transplantation has come a long way from the days of "hair plugs" and a pleasing, natural result is now routine. It is an excellent option for treatment of hereditary hair loss in many men and women.

Hair transplantation is a surgical modality used for the correction of androgenic alopecia, scarring alopecia, and other causes of permanent alopecia.

Hair transplantation is done under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure. Hair and follicles are removed from the "donor area" of permanent hair along the back and sides of the head. This area is immediately camouflaged by the surrounding hair.

The removed hair follicles are then divided into individual grafts of varying sizes. The smallest grafts contain 1-2 hairs and are often referred to as "follicular units" or "micrografts". Larger minigrafts may contain up to 6 hairs and can provide more density per graft. Choice of number and type of graft is made taking into account the patient's hair type, quality, color and the area to be transplanted. Once prepared the grafts (hair and its roots) are then inserted into the thin area.

Women with localized thinning on the top of their heads or thinning around the temples often make good candidates for hair transplantation. Prior to evaluation for hair transplantation, it is important for women to discuss your thinning hair with a dermatologist and/or endocrinologist to make sure there is no other treatable reason for the hair loss.

Hair transplantation is a cost-competitive solution for hair loss. Other hair replacement alternatives require additional maintenance over the years. The cost depends on the amount of bald area that will need to be transplanted, and the desired thickness. More grafts are necessary to cover more bald or thin area and to maximize hair density. Because the procedure is individual, costs are usually determined individually.

Hair transplantation can be done both on patients with advanced baldness and earlier thinning. Newer treatments for men like Propecia or for both men and women, like Rogaine should be considered as well especially in patients with earlier thinning as these medications often slow significantly the progression of hair loss. In general, hair transplantation is not considered for patients younger than their mid 20s because of difficulty in predicting ultimate extent of hair loss.

Many women today are proactive about seeking hair transplantation. They are unwilling to accept hair loss as an unavoidable fact of life. Scalp hair is a major component of the image women project to the world and they do not wish to have hair loss detract from that image.

Almost worse than hair loss in some cases is hair miniaturization-the fine-caliber, wispy hair that grows out a follicle when the follicle is no longer able to produce hair of normal size. Miniaturized hair is hard to style and difficult to conceal. It begins to appear in the course of female pattern hair loss, the female form of the most common type of hair loss in men.

A woman who has a family history of hair loss in women may be especially aware of the possibility that she may also begin to lose hair as she matures. And, she would be correct; a family history of hair loss in women is an indication that a woman may be genetically predisposed to lose hair.

The outer layer is called the cuticle and is thin and colorless, its job is to protect the thicker cortex which contains the melanin. Melanin is responsible for the color of your hair and the actual color depends on what kind of melanin you have .

Hair that is dark and very visible is known as Terminal hair. Terminal hair is the hair that we refer to when talk about hair. Whether a hair is a fine vellus hair or a thick dark hair depends entirely on the follicle that is producing the hair. In balding men thick terminal hair is often replaced by fine vellus hair. This is a result of the hair producing equipment, the follicle, suffering physical damage and being unable to produce terminal hair.

The average Caucasian person has 5 million hairs of which 100,000 - 150,000 are on the head. Blondes not only have more fun, they also have more hair, about 140,000 more than average, Brunettes have slightly higher than average hair about 105,000 hairs, and redheads have a little less than average about 90,000 hairs.

Terms and definitions

Alopecia Areata

• Alopecia areata is a hair loss condition which usually affects the scalp. It can, however, sometimes affect other areas of the body.

Hair loss

• A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.

Hair transplantation

• Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure used to treat baldness or hair loss (alopecia). Typically, tiny patches of scalp are removed from the back and sides of the head and implanted in the bald spots in the front and top of the head.

Protein

• Important building blocks of the body, composed of amino acids, involved in the formation of body structures and controlling the basic functions of the human body.


• Complex organic molecules made up of amino acids. Proteins are basic components of all living cells and are therefore among the principal substances that make up the body.

Ringworm

• The term "ringworm" refers to fungal infections that are on the surface of the skin. The early belief was that the infection was due to a worm, which it is not, although the name has stuck. Some of these fungi produce round spots, but many do not.

Thyroid

• A gland in the throat that produces hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.


• A large gland in the neck that functions in the endocrine system. The thyroid secretes hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.

Alopecia

• A hair loss, baldness, and epilation.


• Alopecia, also called hair loss, baldness, and epilation, is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Baldness

• A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.

Biotin

• Also know as Vitamin H.

Follicles

• A follicle (from the Latin folliculus) is a term to describe a small spherical group of cells containing a cavity.

Grafts

• To transplant or implant surgically into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.

Hormone

• A substance, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism.

Scalp

• The skin covering the top of the human head with its attached hair.

Stress

• Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on something.


• The relative force with which a sound or syllable is spoken.


• Accent or a mark representing such emphasis or force.


• An applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body.


• A mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.


• A state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain.


• A physical and psychological response that results from being exposed to a demand or pressure.

Testosterone

• A white crystalline steroid hormone, C19H28O2, produced primarily in the testes and responsible for the development and maintenance of male secondary sex characteristics. It is also produced synthetically for use in medical treatment.

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