Thursday, November 6, 2008

The Truth About Hair Loss: Causes and a Cure

By David U. Goodman

Normal, healthy individuals shed hair every day. The truth is we all lose between 100 and 125 individual hairs from our heads very day. Hair that is shed falls out at the end of a growth cycle, and at any given time approximately ten percent of our hair is in what is called a "resting phase". During this phase the hair does not continue to grow, and at the end of the phase, after about 2-3 months of "resting", the hair falls out and new hair grows in its place. Some individuals, however, experience more hair loss than is normal.

As we get older, both men and women experience some hair loss. It's a normal part of the aging process. Called Androgenic Alopecia, it accounts for 95% of all hair loss. Androgenic Alopecia often runs in families and affects some people more than others. In men it is often referred to as Male Pattern Baldness.

Characteristic signs of Androgenic Alopecia are a receding hairline and / or baldness on the top of the head in men. In women, hair loss is more uniformly distributed and presents itself as noticeable thinning over the entire scalp.

Hormones are a large determinant of the time of onset and severity of Androgenic Alopecia. Testosterone can be found in both men and women, and some of the testosterone is converted to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in both genders. DHT has the effect of shrinking hair follicles and thickening of scalp tissue. As the scalp becomes less elastic and thicker, blood flow is restricted and hair follicles begin to atrophy. As a result, when hair is lost, less hair re-emerges to replace it. Since men produce more testosterone in their bodies than women, they generally experience more hair loss over time than women do.

There are other reasons beyond Androgenic Alopecia that can cause hair loss in individuals. Certain medications such as blood thinners and birth control pills can cause hair loss, as can medical conditions such as ringworm, fungal infections of the scalp or hypothyroidism. Other causes include certain therapies such as radiation or chemotherapy, abrupt changes in diet or hormonal changes.

Emotional stress, pregnancy, or surgery can also cause our hair to fall out and is usually not noticed until 3-4 months after the stressful event has taken place. Stress can cause a slowing of new hair growth because a larger number of hair follicles enter into the resting phase and no new hair growth is experienced.

Manipulative or mechanical stressors on the hair or scalp can also be responsible for excessive hair loss. Tight curlers, cornrows, pigtails, excessive brushing or combing - anything that can irritate or scar the scalp - can cause permanent hair loss. Antagonistic hair products such as hot oils and the chemicals used for permanents can also inflame hair follicles and cause scarring and hair loss.

While there are a number of reasons behind thinning hair or hair loss, Androgenic Alopecia is far and away the most common cause, and also the most treatable. Quality hair loss treatment products such as Provillus simultaneously suppress the production of DHT and provide nutrients essential for hair growth. The result is hair regeneration and a return to a healthy head of hair in most cases. If you're one of the millions of Americans concerned about your loss of hair, you owe it to yourself to try to preserve your hair, and Provillus offers one proven method used by millions to do so.

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