Before you consider purchasing a hair loss product, it makes sense to learn a little about hair loss– and growth. So we’ll go over how hair grows, why people lose their hair, and potential causes of hair loss. We’ll also cover the main ways to stop hair loss and regrow hair.
How Hair Grows
Before we get started, know that hair goes through different “stages”. About 90% of the hair on a person’s head is in a 2-6 year growth stage. The remaining 10% is in a 2-3 month resting phase. It is estimated that most people shed about 50-150 hairs per day. Upon shedding, the growth stage begins again as new hair from the follicle that shed replaces that hair. In normal hair growth, this process repeats itself for many years.
Most problems with hair loss occur when this natural rate of shedding exceeds the rate of regrowth (and/or the regrowth is thinner and shorter). Obviously this leads to baldness.
What Causes Hair Loss
It is believed that hair loss is caused by an increase in testosterone (occurring after puberty) which eventually leads to an imbalance in too much DHT combining with androgen receptors. DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is formed when testosterone and an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase combine.
Basically, the over-abundance of DHT in follicles causes hair to grow back thinner and shorter, eventually causing androgenetic alopecia (a fancy name for male pattern baldness). The above scenario is mainly attributable to genetics or an underlying medical condition.
Temporary Hair Loss
In addition to permanent reasons for hair loss such as genetics, there are also a number of causes for temporary hair loss. Hair loss can generally be halted in these cases when the underlying causes are removed. There are also a number of OTC supplements for dealing with some of these causes:
bullet Scalp infection
bullet Unhealthy hair treatments and/or products
bullet Medications
bullet Recent medical conditions such as surgery
bullet Poor nutrition
bullet Disease
bullet Medical treatments
How to Treat Hair Loss
There are basically 4 main methods to treat hair loss. Some of these hair loss treatments are designed to stop hair loss while others are meant to regrow hair.
Antiandrogens- work by stopping DHT from combining or binding with androgen receptors
Anti-Inflammatories- designed to prevent inflammation, redness, and itching that can occur on the scalp and make hair loss worse
DHT Inhibitors- designed to restore a healthy balance of shedding and regrowth by limiting the production of DHT, which leads to hair loss in some if left unchecked
Growth Stimulants- as the name implies, these treatments are designed to stimulate the growth of new hair