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.