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.