Triggers and Treatments of Alopecia

Alopecia is the medical term for ‘hair loss’, which can affect people of all ages. There are different types of alopecia.

Androgenic Alopecia

This type is caused by the androgen Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is made from testosterone. It is more common for men to be affected by this type of hair loss, but women can get it too, usually after menopause.

Alopecia Areata

This is when hair loss may come and go. It occurs mainly in young people (teenagers and young adults) and is thought to be caused by a problem with the immune system.

Telogen Effluvium

This is hair thinning, rather than hair loss. It is caused by stress or by an adverse reaction to medication. It usually corrects itself.

Scarring Alopecia

This is when scarring of the scalp destroys the hair follicles. Without follicles, hair cannot grow. This can occur as a result of various medical conditions, for instance, shingles.

Hair loss can also be caused by chemotherapy.

Treatments for Hair Loss

Your treatment will depend on the type of alopecia you have. If you have androgenic alopecia, you may be given a DHT-blocking medication called finasteride that works by preventing testosterone from converting into the hormone dihydrotestosterone. This oral treatment is only suitable for men.

There is also a lotion that you can rub into your scalp to promote hair growth. It is called minoxidil. Minoxidil was originally developed to treat high blood pressure, but doctors noticed it had a side effect of inducing hair growth so it began to be used as an alopecia treatment. It can be used by women too.

If your alopecia is caused by scarring, it may be permanent but can sometimes be corrected by surgery.

Alopecia areata is normally treated with corticosteroids to suppress the over-active immune response. This can be given as an ointment to put on the affected area.

Corticosteroids can be given by injection and this is thought to be more effective for treating mild to moderate cases of alopecia.

Male Alopecia: Solving the Hair Loss Crisis

There is hardly anyone who hasn’t had to deal with a hair problem at some point or another in their lives. It could be a bad haircut, rapid hair loss leading to thinning, or balding. In each of these cases, the objective is a common one: quick and healthy hair growth. It may come as a surprise, but men are no less concerned about this aspect of their looks than women. No wonder, ‘hair loss treatment for men’ is such a popular search term. However, before opting for any complex treatment, you could make use of these simple and natural tips.

Keep Your Hair Healthy

It is logical to infer that healthy hair will grow faster. So the first objective should be to keep your hair healthy. If you think that your hair is dry or it has split ends and breaks, the first thing you can do is trim it slightly. Trimming off the top quarter of an inch is the crucial part, because that is the unhealthiest part of damaged hair. Once that is done, your hair has a better chance of growing healthily once again.

The Right Diet

Diet is also an important factor for ensuring healthy hair. Omega-3 fatty acids — found in certain nuts, fish oil and fish — do wonders for the hair. The proteins found in lean meats and beans will also promote healthy hair growth, as will the vitamins and antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.

Things to Avoid

To keep hair healthy, staying away from heating hair tools like blow dryers, straighteners, and the curling iron is crucial, since these products are damaging to the hair. Also be careful in the way you brush your hair. Rather than forcing your way through those irksome tangles, and damaging delicate hair in the process, start brushing at the bottom of those tangles, then moving upwards gently. The tangles will come free.

Other Strategies

Some of the other simple strategies for male hair loss treatment include taking multi-vitamins and massaging the scalp to stimulate the hair follicles.

Causes and Treatments of Male Hair Loss

Losing one’s hair is a problem that multiple males are faced with upon reaching their third decade or later; some even lose their hair at a younger age. In spite of why men experience hair loss or the age that they begin to lose it, truthfully, not many men are happy to be having the condition. Thus, copious amounts of hair loss concoctions and plans are created. Some of these are more effective than others, and in this article we’ll be taking an honest look at hair loss treatments for men and how well they work.

It’s nothing new to say that stress can be a cause of hair loss. When somebody goes through a period of immense stress caused by a specific event, like being laid off from work or losing a loved one, hair loss tends to ensue. Very often, people in such situations will see their hair rapidly turn grey, and in some cases, hair will start falling out. In the case of a traumatic event, you may need counselling of some kind, but in the long run, if you can reduce your level of stress, your hair loss may also be reversed. The majority of people, however, will experience hair loss partially due to everyday stress.

For men suffering from mild to moderate cases of hair loss, there are several options. Hair transplants or laser therapy can be expensive. If you cannot afford these modes of treatment yet, then for the time being, you might want to consider having a new hairstyle that can give you the appearance of having thicker hair. A good hairstylist can suggest ways to conceal your bald patches or scalp areas of thinning hair. Sometimes you can make bald spots less visible by just changing your hair colour to a slightly lighter shade.

Some herbs assist in reversing and preventing the loss of hair. They may be found in some types of hair conditioners and shampoos, or they might be put straight into the hair. One of these herbs is aloe vera. This plant contains powerful enzymes that are very effective in combating male pattern baldness.

Nettle root is also useful for fighting hair loss, and you can take it in tea or as a capsule form. Drinking green tea is also useful at stimulating hair growth. Green tea contains lots of useful antioxidants that are not only good for your hair but also for your whole body.

The hair loss remedies we’ve looked at in this article may prove helpful for you, so they’re certainly worth trying. However, it is best to talk to your doctor prior to trying any of the mentioned treatments. Whether it’s simply making hair loss easier to live with or reversing it, in most cases there is a way to deal with it better.

What Triggers Excessive Hair Loss?

Your hair lives in a state of constant cyclical movement. At any given moment, a certain percentage of your hair is in a growth phase (usually about 85 per cent of hairs), a transitional phase, or a resting phase. When a given hair follicle transitions from resting to growth, the old hair is pushed out by a new hair.

It is this cycle that causes what we think of as everyday hair loss — most people lose 50 to 100 hairs each day. And on days when we shampoo, we tend to lose more. Therefore, none of us should be alarmed if we leave a small clump of hair behind after we shower (although unclogging the drain is probably a good idea).

Dermatologists explain the life cycle of hair as a very biologic rhythm . . . where certain things can disrupt this rhythm. These ‘disruptions’ are what often lead to hair loss.

The Most Common Cause

Although there is a large array of possible triggers for hair loss, the most common cause remains to be genetics; hence, the most common type of hair loss is androgenic alopecia, or male and female pattern baldness. Fifty per cent of men and women will have some manifestation of hereditary hair loss although the pattern of hair loss differs.

This genetically-driven hair loss is not experienced through excessive shedding, but rather a gradual thinning of the hair. Baldness just doesn’t happen overnight. It is also experienced differently in men and women. While men often go completely bald — specifically on the crown or top of their head — women usually experience general thinning on the top of the scalp and rarely experience anything close to total baldness.

According to hair loss experts, female pattern hair loss tends to start early if it’s going to be severe. They often say of their female patients, ‘They [often] think they’ll be bald and [get] very frightened. Most of the time if they’re in their 40s, 50s, 60s, they’re not going to’.

As an aside, many men and women that experience pattern baldness are also shown to have higher-than-average levels of insulin. Although the correlation between insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and hair loss had been well-established in men; in the last decade, research has found the same connection in women.

What Other Causes Are There?

Besides genetics, any number of things can trigger temporary and permanent hair loss. Since most people that experience excessive hair shedding only do so on a temporary basis, sometimes the culprit is never discovered. There are probably various signals (other than the major ones) that can lead to shedding, but we’re just not in tune with what those are.

But remember, if you are concerned about excessive hair loss, it’s always best to seek the advice of a medical professional. When there is an acute loss of hair — either in patches or diffusely — evaluation by a medical professional is indicated. This way, appropriate treatment can be started as early as possible.

How to Save Your Scalp from Baldness

There are so many products that are advertised as hair loss treatments that can work wonders. They make bold claims which cause consumers to open their wallets and spend large sums of money. These products are very popular because thinning hair is a common problem that many people want to avoid at all costs, literally. Do not fall into this trap. Learn what to look for in an effective treatment.

Research Is Important

It’s important not to make an impulse purchase out of desperation. This can lead to disappointment when the product fails to live up to its claims. This is why it’s so important to do research before making a purchase. It’s not hard to learn how to spot a product that can really re-grow hair. The key is to understand what to look for.

Understand What Causes Thinning Hair

There are so many reasons a person’s hair will start falling out. It can be due to poor diet, vitamin deficiency, or using harsh hair products. Even knit caps can cause breakage because they cause excess friction on the strands. In women, the thinning can be caused by hormonal changes due to pregnancy or menopause. Having an over-active or under-active thyroid can also be a factor.

Genetic Factors

In most cases, the excess shedding of strands is an inherited trait known as male pattern baldness. This condition affects both men and women. Men will often become completely bald on the top of the head. Women would notice thinning in various areas but usually won’t go completely bald. Still, this condition is just as distressing for women as it is for men.

DHT and Baldness

Male or female pattern baldness is caused by the hormone dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT is found in the ovaries of women and in the testicles of men. This hormone is the culprit of baldness because it impairs the follicles, causing the strands to fall out. If the follicles remain dormant for too long, they’re permanently disabled. If the thinning is treated early, the follicles can be repaired.

Effective Hair Loss Treatments

In order for a hair loss remedy to work, it’s important to choose a treatment that was created to correct the type of thinning the product was intended for. To treat male or female pattern baldness, only use products that block the production of DHT. If excess strands are falling out due to nutritional deficiencies or for medical reasons, see a physician and get treatment for those conditions and the hair should grow back.

Do Not Waste Time

Act quickly as soon as the first signs of thinning become evident. Do not let those follicles die! Determine the cause of the hair loss. The most likely cause is DHT. Get treatments that inhibit this hormone.

Hair Loss Prevention: Vitamin Supplements for Healthy Scalp and Hair

Some amount of hair loss is normal for everyone, as hair goes through a growing phase as well as a resting phase. Following the resting phase, the hair falls out, although new hair often fills in to take its place. Hair loss that is not replaced can lead to thinning or baldness, a condition that some people find disturbing. There are several treatments available for hair loss, including vitamin supplementation.

Alopecia

The clinical term for hair loss is called ‘alopecia’. Many people think of hair loss as male pattern baldness, a permanent condition that causes hair on the head to thin and fall out. This is an inherited condition known as androgenetic alopecia, which can affect men as well as women. Alopecia areata is another type of hair loss that results in hair falling out from the head as well as other parts of the body. It is the result of an autoimmune process in which the body damages its own hair follicles, causing them to fall out.

Biotin

Biotin is a B-complex vitamin that is created by molds, yeasts and bacteria, some of which are found in the gastrointestinal tract. Biotin helps the body get energy through the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates during digestion. It is found in foods such as yeast, eggs, pork, salmon, avocados and raspberries. Taking a biotin supplement of 300 mg per day may help with hair growth. Also, you may see results if you get enough biotin through food. Biotin deficiency causes hair loss, as well as a scaly facial rash, depression and lethargy.

Zinc Oxide

Zinc is important for cell growth and metabolism, as well as supporting the immune system and promoting wound healing. Most people under the age of 60 who live in developed countries do not have difficulties getting enough zinc in their diets. Severe zinc deficiency can cause hair loss, as well as diarrhea, lesions on the skin and eyes and a delay in sexual maturation. Zinc supplements may help with hair loss for those with alopecia areata. A 2009 study in the “Annals of Dermatology” reported that oral zinc gluconate, when given to patients with alopecia areata who had low levels of zinc, resulted in 60 per cent hair regrowth for some of the patients involved.

What to Consider

Although there are many different types of vitamin supplements available, see your doctor before attempting to treat your hair loss with vitamins. Some supplements are advertised as being specifically created to treat hair loss, but your doctor can help you to understand what treatments are appropriate for regrowing your hair. Always check labels before taking any kind of vitamin supplement to be aware of how much you are taking on a daily basis. In the case of vitamin supplements, taking too much could be harmful, and more is not necessarily better.

Overcome Hair Loss with Organic Oils

Most people are curious about the benefits of using essential oils as a part of routine hair care. The truth is that good hair oil works as an excellent hair conditioner, giving you soft, shiny healthy hair. It also penetrates the hair shaft making the hair more flexible and silky. For those whose hair is thinning or balding, the application of essential oils promotes hair regrowth. These essential oils are organic treatments that promote hair regrowth and prevent or stop hair loss.

Tea tree oil is one of the most versatile essential oils for hair regrowth when it comes to hair loss treatments. This oil moisturizes the hair and minimizes oil production of the scalp, preventing greasy-looking hair and leaving the scalp clean and dandruff-free. A few drops of tea tree oil can be added to olive oil for a mild but effective weekly treatment to deal with dandruff problems.

The healing properties of jojoba oil are useful for extremely damaged or breaking hair. This is truly one of the finest essential oils for hair loss due and brittle hair. Apply the oil to towel-dried hair and leave on for at least half an hour.

Basil is a beneficial herb that promotes and stimulates hair regrowth. One can easily make basil hair oil to massage onto the scalp. This massage promotes healing, health, and improves blood circulation in the scalp which, in turn, promotes hair regrowth. Basil is good when used together with ivy burdock and fenugreek herbs.

Other natural hair loss treatments include essential oils of southern wood and cedarwood. Dilute 3 drops of each of the oils in 1 teaspoon of base oil then massage onto the scalp. These oils are beneficial for those looking for effective hair loss treatments.

Burdock essential oil is good for the scalp. It also encourages hair regrowth. It stimulates blood flow to the root of the hair, thus helping with the problem of hair loss.

Rosemary and castor oil are two of the finest natural hair loss treatments. Mix 2 tablespoons of castor oil to 4 drops of essential oil of rosemary. Massage the warmed oils onto the scalp and hair, cover and leave overnight. Wash the next day using a mild shampoo. This is a healing conditioner to prevent hair loss from worsening.

Are Breastfeeding Moms Prone to Baldness?

Hair loss has always been perceived to be a very big problem predominant in men. However, hair loss is also experienced by women, especially ones who are breast-feeding; this is due to the change in their hormonal cycle. In most of the cases, the woman regains normal hair growth 6 to 12 months after childbirth.

If you recently had a baby and are a new mother, you may notice your hair falling at a pace which you might find rapid and irregular. However, this happens to all mothers due to a change in the production level of the hormone oestrogen. This is very normal and women need not panic since this case of hair loss is usually temporary. This would not lead to baldness and soon within 6 to 12 months after the child is born, the hair would enter a regular pattern of growth and fall.

To understand why this happens, you need to know about the normal hair growth pattern. In general, not 100% of the hairs on our scalp grow. About 85% of the hairs are in growing stage and the rest of the 10–15% are in the resting period. Once the resting period ends, the hair falls and the follicles then generate new growth of healthy hairs. Thus, it is quite normal for an average woman to lose 100 strands of hair daily. However, this pattern changes during pregnancy.

With pregnancy comes an increased level of oestrogen hormones. This increase upsets the normal growth pattern of hair present on the scalp. The growing period stretches and comparatively fewer strands of hair enter the resting period. Thus, the hair fall is reduced drastically on an average. As a result, the hair becomes thick during the pregnancy period. Once the child is born, the oestrogen level tumbles down drastically. This results in a reverse pattern that the hair follicles adopted during pregnancy.

While you feed your newborn baby, more hair follicles enter the resting period. Thus, as a result, more strands of hair are lost and your hair becomes thin. However, this is quite natural, and by the time the child grows and becomes a year old, your hair growth pattern returns to the normal routine and resumes growth.

There is nothing much a woman can do to fight back this hair loss because it is an attribute of the hormonal fluctuation in the body. While some women opt for hair thickening products that lend a fluffy look to their hairs, the others stick to taking a new short haircut.

Causes of Male Hair Loss

Hair loss causes a lot of anxiety for a lot of men; hence, men are keen to find the cause of hair loss and eliminate the problem from the root. Some of the most common causes of hair loss are genetic factors, exposure to harsh chemicals, and stress.

For a lot of people, hair loss is a cause for worry. Men are more prone to hair loss compared to women and lots of efforts are being made by both men suffering hair loss and the companies that make products to address these problems. However, to counter hair loss effectively, it would help to know what the causes are.

If you see hair on your comb, in the sink, or on the shower drain, don’t panic because this is just old hair falling out to make place for new hair growth. However, when a disproportionately large amount of hair is found, then you should probably do something about it. Given here are the common causes of hair loss.

• Hair loss occurs due to hormonal changes brought about by age. The body deteriorates with old age in general and hair also starts falling out without replacement. There are two types of balding in men. They either have a receding hairline or they have hair loss starting from the top of the head.

• Genetics also determine whether you will lose hair. Some older men have a full head of hair while others start balding as early as their 20s.

• You need to have a well-balanced diet because deficiency of certain nutrients is also known to cause premature hair loss in men.

• Stress is another strong factor associated with hair loss. Stress causes whitening of hair and also loss of hair, so it would help to keep stress levels down.

• It is important to use the right shampoo, conditioner and hair products. Harsh chemicals in some hair care products and hair coloring agents can also cause hair loss.

• Hair shouldn’t be pulled or stretched too tight if you tend to tie it as this will weaken the roots and eventually cause the hair to fall out.

• Wash and condition your hair regularly. Neglect can also cause hair to deteriorate over time. Try not to use a blow dryer as this will dry the hair too much and can be detrimental over a long time.

• For people undergoing treatments like radiation therapy, hair fall is an expected side effect.

• Some medications are also associated with hair loss in men. Check for these side effects before using them.

• Health of the scalp is also important when it comes to hair and any infection on the scalp can trigger hair loss.

• Hyper-thyroidism and hypo-thyroidism are also associated with hair loss.

Vitamins and Minerals in Herbal Remedies for Hair Loss

One of the most common causes of hair loss and early balding is decreased blood flow to the hair follicles, resulting in slowing or stopping of hair growth. Applying the mineral silica, combined with activated oxygen, to your scalp may be able to encourage scalp blood flow and ensuing hair growth.

Silica is an excellent alternative to prescription hair loss treatments because it does not alter your hormonal balance and works as a treatment for female hair loss, unlike pharmaceuticals, which can alter your hormones and commonly don’t work for women who are balding.

Other herbal hair loss treatments, when applied topically, have proven to nourish the human scalp. Algae oils contain vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients. These oils plus fatty acids and plant sterols, reduce dihydrotestosterone, a hormone known to cause hair loss and early balding.

Another herbal hair loss treatment is grape-seed oil, which acts as an antimicrobial and encourages scalp healing. When combined with sunflower and safflower oils, this herbal hair loss formula works even better, due to their essential fatty acid content, which nourishes and heals the scalp. Grape seed contains proanthocyanidins, which are potent antioxidants and act as smooth muscle relaxants in the blood vessels and capillaries, preventing or offsetting damage to the hair follicle blood supply.

If you are looking for hair loss treatments in the way of internal supplementation, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) as well as sulfur-rich amino acids offer the dietary sulfur required for the construction of hair proteins. Sulfur and MSM is found in foods, but due to its volatile nature, it is quickly lost when it is processed, cooked, and/or stored so it needs to be taken in the form of a supplement. The specific sulfur-rich amino acids are cysteine, methionine and glutathione.

In order for hair follicles to be productive, they must have a healthy, continuous supply of blood. The B vitamins — including niacin, thiamine and biotin — enhance hair health by improving factors that promote circulation of blood to the skin of the scalp. In addition, studies have shown that the amount of vitamin B6 within cells affects the response rate of cells to steroid hormones. Cells that are vitamin B6 deficient will become more responsive to steroid hormones.

It can be assumed that cells that have a higher level of B6 within them will be less responsive to the hormones that can cause androgenetic alopecia or early balding and other disorders related to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Treatment Options for Male Hair Loss

Some men don’t think that hair loss treatments are a subject worthy of their attention; that is, until they start seeing more hair in the sink, or in the tub, than they see on their head. It is estimated that nearly thirty per cent of all people suffering from hair loss or hair loss symptoms and in need of treatments are indeed men.

There are a variety of reasons for hair loss but no matter what the reason, it can be as devastating as any other cause. In most cases, hair loss treatments can be very effective, depending upon the user’s vigilance in applying the treatment. Traditional herbs that are useful as natural treatments are green tea, liquorice extracts, horsetail, ginger, psoralea seeds, apple cider vinegar, rosemary and sage tea.

If you are genetically or hormonally set on the path of losing hair, nutrition alone might not be enough to prevent it, but it will slow down the hair loss, and will also help with regrowth of lost hair. If you are looking for the best hair regrowth products, always remember to use treatments that contain active ingredients that are known to be effective in treating hair loss.

For most men suffering from alopecia Areata, or male pattern baldness, 5% minoxidil is usually required to achieve satisfactory hair regrowth. Herbal hair loss remedies provide the best results in the treatment of hereditary hair thinning and hair loss both in men and women ensuring them regrowth of thick and luxurious hair.

If you’ve decided you need to do something to reverse hair loss, but you want something cheaper and more natural than drugs, laser treatments, plugs, or transplants, what are your alternatives? Male hair loss treatments are available as topical applications like minoxidil, which is applied on the scalp. Another of the better-known herbal treatment is green tea, which you may also have sitting in your kitchen.

Stress-Related Hair Loss: How It Occurs and How It’s Treated

One of the major reasons for your hair loss could be because of stress. Yes, stress is a major contributor of hair loss for most people. Actually, stress and hair loss are closely related. If the current statistics are anything to go by, there is reason to get worried and start to work on your stress levels. This is because it has been proven that intensive and excessive emotional and/or physical stress can lead to baldness, if no measures are taken of course.

When going through a stressful situation in life, you will start to notice hair thinning which, if not taken good care of early enough, can lead to eventual hair loss. So what causes hair thinning in the first place?

When you are under pressure, the cells, tissues, and systems of the body will start to undergo changes in an effort to cope with the pressure or in mere reaction to it. As an aftermath of emotional, physical or psychological stress, the hair follicles are prematurely pushed into their resting stages — that is, they become dormant and cease to grow hair.

Telogen effluvium is the scientific name of stress-induced hair loss. In this category, hair will not grow and the process of natural hair growth will remain dormant for a period of between 3 and 6 months. Long after the stressful event is over, natural hair growth may resume its course in a period between 6 and 9 months. Should the stress persist, it can lead to hair thinning and eventually permanent hair loss.

Although hair is never lost permanently — at least for the first few months of loss — with continued neglect of the underlying cause of the stress and without external support such as taking hair growth vitamins and using natural hair products, it will only be a matter of time before the situation becomes permanent. Of course, the continuous fallout of hair is a clear indication that your health is waning, and that your body cannot be able to withstand pressure.

Stress can be brought about by a number of issues such as emotional pressure at work or at home because of strained relationships, diseases, etc. Regardless of the cause of your stress, it is important to keep in mind that the problem will persist until the day you will treat or get rid of the root cause of the problem. Meditation, exercises, a good and balanced diet, changing your working environment, and yoga can help. Understanding the root cause of your stress will therefore be the first step to healing as you will be able to find a permanent treatment for your hair loss problem.

Q&A: Increased Risk of Prostate Cancer from Using 5-ARIs

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed the public of new safety information for drugs called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs). Men who take these drugs may have an increased risk of being diagnosed with a more serious form of prostate cancer (high-grade prostate cancer). The Warnings and Precautions section of the labels for all FDA-approved 5-ARIs has been revised to include information about this risk.

Q1. What data are available on this safety issue?

A. The data that formed the basis for these labeling changes were based on two large, randomized controlled studies assessing the ability of 5-ARIs to reduce the rate of diagnosis of prostate cancer over a period of 7 years (Proscar) and 4 years (Avodart), respectively, in men at least 50 years of age.

The Proscar trial evaluated the use of 5 mg doses of finasteride (Proscar) versus a placebo (sugar pill), and the Avodart trial evaluated the use of 0.5 mg doses of dutasteride (Avodart) versus a placebo, for the reduction of prostate cancer risk.

The trials demonstrated an overall reduction in prostate cancer diagnoses with finasteride and dutasteride treatment. This overall reduction was due to a decreased incidence of lower risk forms of prostate cancer. However, both the finasteride trial and the dutasteride trial showed an increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

It is important to note that neither trial evaluated 1 mg doses of finasteride (Propecia), used to treat male pattern hair loss.

Q2. Why is the labeling of Propecia being changed when this drug was not included in either study?

A. The labeling of Propecia is being changed to reflect the possibility of an increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer because Propecia contains 1 mg of finasteride. Although this is lower than the amount of finasteride in Proscar (5 mg), the active ingredient is the same.

It is still important to note that the applicability of the Avodart and Proscar studies to Propecia is currently unknown. The outcomes of both studies have been added to the Propecia labeling out of caution.

Men taking Propecia for hair loss should talk to their healthcare professional about the risks and benefits of this drug to determine the most appropriate treatment.

Q3. Does FDA believe the benefits of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) still outweigh their risks?

A. Yes. FDA believes that 5-ARIs remain safe and effective for their approved indications. Proscar and Avodart have been effective in controlling symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), as well as in reducing the risks of acute urinary retention and the need for surgical intervention related to BPH.

Healthcare professionals and patients are still encouraged to discuss the risks and benefits of 5-ARIs when deciding the best treatment for their disease.

FDA will continue its risk/benefit assessment of using 5-ARIs for the treatment for male pattern hair loss and will update the public when additional information is available.

Laser Therapy for Pattern Baldness in Women

Laser therapy for hair loss offers a non-drug, noninvasive treatment specifically for females suffering from androgenic alopecia (female pattern baldness).

Laser hair loss therapy is a cutting-edge development in the treatment of a condition for which there are few safe and effective medical options available. It is proven to promote hair growth and reduce the rate of hair loss of females with androgenic alopecia. The device used for the therapy utilizes a fixed schedule of 100 percent computer-controlled low level laser therapy (LLLT) to the scalp area.

This treatment may involve the use of a contoured laser with 82 low-level laser light diodes completely covering the scalp with measured light stimulation. During the treatments, the laser light energy stimulates blood flow and cellular metabolism in the scalp, using a scientific principle called photobiostimulation.

The therapy calls for a class II medical device that is offered to licensed physicians only and available by prescription only. It meets the same FDA laser safety codes as lasers employed in Lasik surgery, laser pain therapy and other medical laser procedures. Unlike lasers that are used to cut, burn, or vaporize hair follicles, unique cold lasers stimulate hair growth with little or no sensation to the patient.

Clinical studies suggest that a twice-a-week 20-minute treatment with the laser over the course of six months produces remarkable results in a vast majority of patients. A 21-month clinical study, sanctioned by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), validated the 10-week results of the laser device, which demonstrated that 92 percent of the subjects experienced an increased hair count of greater than 10 percent, with 57 percent demonstrating an increase of 30 percent.

After 36 treatments, 97 percent of the subject population demonstrated an increased hair count of not less than 50 percent. No subject in the study experienced any adverse effects from the treatment.

Natasha Achterberg, research coordinator, along with Dr. Grant Koher, principal investigator, performed the FDA study to validate the laser device. While it was difficult to set up the FDA study, Achterberg was involved in interviewing prospective patients, updating medical records, photography, and performing treatments on over 160 women.

‘The study exceeded our expectations’, Achterberg said. ‘All participants regained hair by the tenth week. And amazingly, 77 percent of those participants had hair regrowth of 50 percent or more of their hair and not one of them showed any additional hair loss’.

Achterberg will be conducting consultations and faculty training.

‘The exciting results of the clinical study, and FDA approval, opens the door to new hope for the estimated 27 million women for whom female pattern baldness is a devastating reality’, says Helmur Keidl.

Achterberg also shares Keidl’s excitement over the possibilities the laser gives to women with female pattern baldness. ‘During the study’, she said. ‘Women expressed their gratitude, as they didn’t have any options really to help them. It was amazing to help them through it’.

Some hair restoration clinics have been helping men and women with the latest techniques in hair replacement and restoration procedures for over 30 years, specializing in medical and non-medical treatments for hair loss.

Hair Loss: What Makes the Hairline Recede?

Receding hair loss for men can start occurring at any age with many men experiencing the beginning of a receding hairline in their early to mid-twenties. A receding hairline is best described as preliminary balding, whereby a thinning of hair is experienced commencing from the frontal side temples of the head. This can sometimes be as a result of illness, functional disorder, or most commonly from a hereditary disposition.

Receding hair loss can be affected by the following:

• By having a genetic predisposition towards balding, or a receding hair loss. This is where the hair-growing structures on the top/front of the scalp can be adversely affected by the sex hormone testosterone, which can cause the hair follicles to shrink in size. This genetic disposition in men can be passed on from either parent; in females, it is believed to be passed on from both parents. Men’s hair can start showing signs of thinning following puberty, depending on their genetic characteristics. A receding hair loss can indicate either a genetic pattern and/or an imbalance of sex hormones. The true cause can often come from multiple factors and can even be compounded because of other disorders.

• If the scalp and hair follicles aren’t receiving the nutrients required to the hair roots, an imbalance can happen. Causes can be a result of poor diet, malabsorption or maldistribution.

• From ongoing tension of the skin in the crown area, which can cause a decreased blood supply, thereby resulting in weak hair production. Although massage or a topical blood vessel dilating treatment containing drugs can certainly improve circulation by carrying more oxygen and nutrients to the hair roots, the counter to this is that the extra blood flow will also carry more hormones which consequently also lead to more balding.

• Stress (which includes mental, dietary and physical) in both men and women can promote enzyme activity within the cell and consequently stimulate testosterone production from the adrenal (stress) glands. Monitoring your stress levels and undertaking stress reduction practices can assist your body in dealing with, and reducing the effects of, stress. The body’s reaction to anything unusual will cause stress, and this can be both an unpleasant or pleasant experience. Also pituitary, adrenal or ovarian gland disorders can lead to an increase in androgen levels. However, other signs and symptoms will often become evident particularly in females (for example, facial and body hair increases, skin becomes oily, period will become irregular, and the hair will develop a change of texture). Tests would be able identify the cause, which can then be corrected.

• Disorders of the scalp can also cause receding hair loss either directly or indirectly.

As a result of any of the above factors, hormones are more readily able to enter the cells in the follicles and the hair roots where they will combine with enzymes, which are able to stimulate a chemical messenger that can then trigger the ageing factors of the DNA. This consequence of ageing of the hair follicle cells will result in hair follicles reducing in size, and as a result a decreased hair root cell activity.

How Pig Bladder Powder Extracts Treat Hair Loss

Hair loss is one of the most common and prevalent problems of individuals. Baldness or alopecia occurs when the production of the keratin protein stops, which is important for growing hair. In alopecia, people encounter excessive falling of hair or thinning hair that result into baldness ultimately. However, research to explore several remedies to combat this problem is always going on. Recently, powder extracted from a pig bladder emerged as an effective remedy for alopecia in men. This hair loss treatment is very unique treatment and effectively enables people to get rid of the hair loss problem. Before elucidating the facts about this revolutionary treatment, we must have insightful ideas about some causes of hair loss.

Causes of Hair Loss:

1. Body lacks folic acid and vitamin B6

2. Deficiency of nutrient consumption

3. Hereditary factors

4. Prolonged illness

5. Lack of sleep and stressful lifestyle

6. Improper blood circulation

There are some people who are skeptical about this latest treatment. Therefore, here are some facts about this treatment for hair loss:

1. This hair loss treatment is purely science-based; it uses blood of the patients and the extracted powder from the pig bladder.

2. It takes hardly 30 minutes in which the extracted powder from the pig’s bladder is mixed with the patient’s blood and platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

3. Now the mixture is injected to the patients. This mixture creates a barrier around healthy hairs and curbs further hair loss.

4. The pig bladder hair loss treatment duplicates the stems of healthy hair and accelerates the production of healthy hairs.

5. One more interesting thing that this treatment performs is to make our body think that our scalp is in pre-birth stage, which stimulates the growth of healthy hair at a fast speed.

The pig bladder hair loss treatment is the revolutionized step in the field of hair loss treatment. There are some other hair loss treatments available in the market including home remedies. However, this hair loss treatment has relatively more advantages over other treatments. Make sure that prior to going for this treatment, consult with your doctor and ask if there are any side effects of this treatment.

Promising Discovery of a Hair Loss Treatment

Many men suffer from baldness, and the market is flooded with all types of salves, creams, and pills to treat the condition. Although it is a genetic condition, it is a well-known fact that stress continues to cause this problem. There are products on the market that are gimmicks, yet there are also the truly effective products such as organic-based treatment regimes that have made major advances in the fight against hair loss.

A new study conducted at UCLA may have accidentally discovered a way to reverse the process of balding. During a study they were conducting to show how stress affects gastrointestinal function, they found a chemical compound that causes hair growth by blocking a stress-related hormone associated with hair loss.

‘Our findings show that a short-duration treatment with this compound causes an astounding long-term hair regrowth in chronically stressed mutant mice’, said Million Mulugeta, a professor of medicine in the division of digestive diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a corresponding author of the research. ‘This could open new venues to treat hair loss in humans through the modulation of the stress hormone receptors, particularly hair loss related to chronic stress and aging’.

In the experiment, mice had been genetically altered in order for their brains to overproduce corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), a stress hormone. This hormone causes the mice to lose hair with age and eventually become completely bald on their backs. The researchers have created a chemical named astressin-B, which they believed would be able to block the CRF. After three months they returned to conduct further gastrointestinal studies and discovered the mice had regrown all the hair on their backs. They were indistinguishable from the normal control mice in the study.

Particularly interesting was the very low dosage required for this effect. One shot a day for 5 days remained effective for 4 months. Considering the very short lifespan of rats (about 2 years), this could mean a much longer effective period for humans.

Although this product has not been evaluated yet for human use, it is a very promising discovery for the treatment of hair loss.

Solving Hair Loss Problems in Men

Hair loss in men could be a serious problem. It not only changes the way you look but also lowers your confidence level and makes you feel less desirable.

Hair loss is one of the signs of aging, but there are people who can carry it off well and look good even if bald. But the major area of concern is hair loss at a young age, which definitely is not desirable. There are various causes that lead to early hair loss among men. Sometimes, it is a hereditary thing that leads to hair loss. Other causes would be your hectic schedules, work pressures, worries, hormonal changes, ignoring hair care, and lot of other things. In general, losing around 50–100 strands per day is normal, but anything beyond that should draw your attention towards that problem. Thankfully, there are infinite ways to replace the gone hair, ranging from natural remedies to hair transplants. Given below are a few natural hair loss solutions for men.

Many men swear by natural remedies to treat their hair loss problem because they are safe, do not cause side effects, and are easily available. Plus, natural remedies are less costly and effective as well.

• Oiling your hair daily. Create a mixture of castor oil, rosemary oil, olive oil, almond oil and coconut oil, in equal proportions. To this oil mixture, add nettle root (bright yellow in color). Nettle root is known to regenerate hair growth, and the other ingredients speed up the hair growth process.

• Stress management. Stress is considered one of the rare causes of hair loss. Practicing yoga or meditation every day or thrice a week would restore hormonal balance and boost hair growth.

• Vitamins. Vitamin A aids the production of sebum in the scalp, which is needed for hair growth, whereas vitamin E regulates blood circulation and stimulates the hair follicles’ productivity. Including vitamin-rich foods in your daily diet also works wonders for hair growth.

• Head massage. A head massage by a professional, twice a week, can also stimulate hair follicle back to life. The professionals actually know various points on your scalp, those when pressed or put through pressure can regulate blood circulation in that area and encourage hair growth.

• Hair care. Following a protein-rich diet, exercising regularly, trimming your hair when required, and getting a hair spa once a month or a head massage—all of it amounts to increase in blood circulation, which results in hair growth.

Leimo Laser Comb Advanced Treatment for Hair Loss

Leimo Laser Comb: Advanced Treatment for Hair Loss

Our hair is one of the first things others notice about us and one of the primary ways we declare our identity to them. Hair plays an important role in all of us; without our beautiful head of hair, most of us would feel naked and uncomfortable. We even get embarrassed about it; some even succumb to depression.

Hair loss is one of the many conditions all of us never want to experience. However, circumstances beyond our control can trigger hair loss. Although there is no sure cure for hair loss, there are products that can help you stop hair loss and stimulate hair regrowth.

One of the best hair loss treatment products of the modern world is the Laser Comb. The Leimo Personal Hair  Laser Comb or commonly known as Leimo laser comb is included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods as a Class IIa medical device with the intended purpose of hair follicle stimulation and hair regrowth.

Its low level laser therapy (LLLT) promotes better blood circulation by expanding the capillaries and veins on the scalp. The Low Lever Laser Light and Light Emitting Diode (LED) restore the scalp’s cells and hair follicles in the dermis.
The Leimo laser comb is a drug-free device that works on the principle of phototherapy or light healing. Laser light appears to stimulate microcirculation, decrease inflammation and improve both cellular metabolism and protein synthesis.  Furthermore, studies reveal that LLLT increases blood and lymph circulation at the hair roots and stimulates follicular cells, which may cause hair to grow thicker and stronger. 

The Leimo laser comb works by increasing blood circulation to the hair follicles. Better circulation means that blood can easily carry the required nutrients to the hair roots, thus helping in faster and better hair regrowth. Moreover, this device works toward providing your scalp a new life without doing any damage to it. This means, you would not have to face any side effects while giving the best advantages to your scalp.

One advantage of using the Leimo Personal Hair Laser is that the user is able to perform hair loss treatment in the privacy of his or her own home or office. The fact that the Leimo Personal Hair Laser is portable means a lot to those hair loss sufferers who are very private about their hair loss treatment. In addition, this treatment therapy is very essential and convenient for people who have busy lifestyles. They can easily carry it with them anytime and anywhere.

Today with the Leimo Laser Comb you can enjoy the full benefit of phototherapy or light healing for hair & scalp restoration. The Leimo Personal Hair Laser is a revolutionary, non-surgical breakthrough for both men and women suffering the devastating effects of hair loss.  With this laser hair therapy, you can achieve thicker, fuller, shinier, and healthier-looking hair!