Hair Loss Treatments

Boost your self-confidence despite hair loss

Many people are confident in handling themselves in front of other people because they are satisfied with the way they look. But for people who are experiencing hair loss, being confident in front of others can be a difficult thing. This is because they cannot help but think that the people they are dealing with only focus on their falling crown of glory and not on what they are saying.

While it’s true that hair loss can greatly affect one’s overall physical appearance, this is not enough reason to lose self-confidence totally. If you are one of those persons who are slowly losing their self-confidence due to hair loss, one of the best things that can be done is learning how to cope with it.

Coping with hair loss can start with the acceptance that you might really be suffering from a condition that is really our of your control. Experts say that baldness or hair loss can be categorized into two—permanent hair loss and temporary hair loss. People who are suffering from permanent hair loss are those who have the condition in their genes. Since it is hereditary, one cannot really do so much about it but to learn how to accept it, and try to seek for alternative remedies that can slower the pace of losing hair. Other conditions where one cannot really do something about hair loss is if they are suffering from autoimmune illnesses such as cancer, thyroid complications or lupus. People who have to undergo treatments are also in greater risks of losing hair fast.

People who are suffering temporary hair loss are those who undergo hormonal changes such as pregnancy in women or taking in birth control pills as well as those who put to much pressure on their scalp by changing hairstyles often or those that are using hair products that are harmful to the hair.

Knowing the cause of your hair loss can help you cope with it easier. Of course, you cannot determine this on your own so you have to visit your doctor to address your concern. Once he or she had the final diagnosis, you can now ask for available treatment or options that will work for you.

Tips to be more confident

People who are losing their hair can still look good despite their condition. Since not so much can be done about their hair, they should try focusing on other aspects of their body and personality to look beautiful and be confident in facing others. The following are some beauty tips and regiments that can be done to boost beauty and self-confidence despite hair loss.

1. Maximize the potentials of make-up.

For women, make-up greatly affects their overall appearance. If you are losing your hair, try to get your confidence from your beautiful face with the aid of some cosmetics. To do this, knowledge in the proper use and application of eyeliner, eye shadows, lipsticks, blush ons and foundations is a must to help you flatter your features and enhance your overall aura if done properly.

2. Take good care of your skin.

Since the skin is the largest organ of the body, having radiant and youthful skis despite hair loss can make a lot of difference. To achieve good skin and fair complexion, make it a habit to use sunscreen to protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun, avoid smoking, get enough rest and proper nutrition, learn to relax to avoid too much stress, and get regular exercise.

Diagnosis For Hair Loss

Hair loss or alopecia in medical terms refers to the loss of hair due to several factors. These causes may include such heredity which causes pattern baldness both in men and women, lack of proper nutrition, taking in medications, certain illnesses such as cancer, thyroid disease or lupus which weaken the immune system, undergoing medical treatments for certain conditions, pregnancy, and varying hair styles that put too much pressure on the scalp that hinders hair growth.

If you are losing more than what is expected, now is the time to worry that you might be suffering from hair loss. If you suffer from symptoms such as the hair falling out suddenly or in clump, patchy hair loss, red scalp or areas that have flakes, and total loss of hair in almost all parts of the body, now is the time to visit the specialist. He or she will pinpoint what causes your hair fall and can offer you alternative treatments and other options.

Visiting the doctor

If you are visiting the doctor for the first time to seek medical advice on your hair loss, expect that he or she will ask about your medical and family. The doctor will ask questions on your recent medical status to know if you underwent treatments that may cause this condition. He or she will also ask about your family’s history to know if the hair loss is caused by the genes or hereditary because this might indicate that you are suffering from pattern baldness.

Before going to the clinic or the hospital, it is advisable to list down the foods that you eat and the medications you take if there are any. This will help the doctor find out faster what causes your condition. During your visit, expect that she or she will ask details like your hair care habits, your current emotional and physiological status as well as other aspects of your life because your hair loss might be caused by stress.

Aside from asking questions, expect that the doctor will do examination on your hair and your scalp. This is very important so the doctor will know how much hair you have lost and what is the condition of your scalp. Be ready because the doctor will examine your scalp to know if there are signs and symptoms of infection such as redness, scaling or flaking. To be sure about the diagnosis, there will be a need to pull some of your hair strands to find out how string or weak it is. This test is called the “pull test”. Seeing how easy the hair comes out from the follicles will help the doctor determine which part of your hair is resting and which part is growing.

The doctor may also do the following set of tests during your visit:

1. Getting samples of skin scrapings.

If there are flakes or scrapings, the doctor will get samples of it and examine it to find out if there is infection or what causes the condition.

2. The punch biopsy.

This is considered as the last option when all the tests are done and no result or diagnosis has been made. People who suffer from alopecia areata and scarring alopecia are asked to undergo this test immediately. Here, the doctor makes use of a piece of circular tool to be able to remove a small section from the deeper layers of the skin.

3. Blood tests.

This is usually not common in screening for hair loss but some doctors recommend it to find out if the condition might be caused by an underlying medical condition like autoimmune diseases.

Types of Hair Loss

It is only normal for people to lose at least a hundred strands of their hair on a regular basis. This is because in the normal cycle of a person’s hair growth—which is expected to last for at least two to six years—strands of hair fall out regularly and the scalp will grow new ones in about 12 weeks. However, some people lose more than the expected number of stands in a day. In fact, there is a growing number of people who experience the burden of hair loss nowadays.
Experts say that many of the people who are losing their hair are not even aware of it. If truth to be to be told, many of them are nonchalant about the condition of their hair and don’t notice that they are losing their crowning glory if not for the comments of people around them.

The type you are in

If you think you are one of those who are prone to hair loss, the first thing that you need to know is what the specific types of hair loss there is are. This will serve as a sign if you are really into losing your hair in the long run or not.

The first type is the “androgenetic alopecia” or commonly known as the pattern baldness. Males and females who are prone to this experience slow growth of hair as well as weaker stands of hair compared before. In this condition, the primary cause could be heredity because the history of pattern baldness may increase your risks of losing your hair. Because of heredity, age is also affected which in turn speeds up the rate of hair loss.

Another type is called, “cicatricial alopecia” or the scarring alopecia, which is a type of permanent hair loss, occurs caused by inflammation. In this condition, the inflammation was able to damage the hair’s follicle and later, became scars. Because of these scars, the new hair is prevented from coming out. Scarring alopecia can be caused by certain skin conditions like lupus erythematosus and lichen planus wherein experts are yet to discover what is it that causes the inflammation.

The “alopecia areata” is the type of hair loss, which is considered as an autoimmune disease. Although there is already a classification for this, the cause of the condition is not yet discovered. Experts say that those people who suffer from his condition are those who are generally healthy. Some say that the condition can be caused by autoimmune disorders like thyroid illness, genes, or certain virus in the environment where the person spends a long time in.
On the other hand, there is also a type that is caused by a change in the normal hair cycle, it’s called “telogen effluvium”. This condition might occur when something shocked system that leads to the premature resting of the hair’s growth. This shock can either be physical but mostly emotional such as when a person sulks into depression caused by factors like death and other distress events. It can also be caused by physiological stress that lead fever, changing weight conditions, deficiencies in nutrition as well as other disturbances in metabolism.

Lastly, the type of hair loss which is becoming popular today, the “traction alopecia”. This specific hair loss is usually caused by too much hairstyling that puts too much pressure on the scalp. The pulling causes the roots of the hair to be weak and disables it from growing healthy hair.

Home Remedies For Hair Loss

It is common for people to lose strands of their hair especially when it is wet or when they comb it very often. Experts say that there is a need for some strands of hair to fall so these can be replaced with a new set of hair strands. The average strands should at least be a hundred. Once there is excess in this estimate, then you might be suffering from hair loss.

If you think you are suffering from hair loss, the best way to deal with it is to visit an expert to ensure that he or she will give proper diagnosis. People who are prone to permanent baldness caused by genes or those that are caused by skin disorders, they should consult a doctor what treatment options are available.

But for those who are experiencing temporary hair loss, they can deal with it even if they are at home. The following home remedies can be used to deal with hair loss at home:

1. The wonders of massage.

Ancient people have proven that massage can help stop excessive hair fall because it makes the follicles of the hair stronger. Aside from that, it is also good because it aids hair growth by putting the right amount of pressure on the scalp. Usually, this is done manually. You can do it your self or you can ask somebody to massage your scalp at home. If you don’t have enough energy to do manual massage on your own scalp, you can opt for electric hair massage available in most wellness stores.

2. Hot oil treatments.

Experts say that people who are prone to hair loss can benefit so much from hot oil treatments because these can help prevent falling hair and can cure minor scalp disorders as well. To get effective results, at least three treatments are advised weekly. You can do this at home with the use of a shower cap. You can buy ready-to-use hot oil treatments that contain oils of several herbs such as sesame, olive, and coconut. For more relaxing hot oil treatment at home, opt for those that contain essential oils such as thyme, lavender, and others.

3. Aloe vera extracts.

Considered as a “wonder plant” aloe vera is popular to many people—especially those living in tropical countries—as a remedy for hair loss. Depending on the degree, aloe vera can be used as a shampoo by using fresh pulp that is directly applied on the hair and scalp, as a hair tonic along with other herbs, and a drink or oral aloe juice for the body to absorb its ingredients faster.

4. Mixture of cinnamon and honey.

Many people say that one of the effective home remedies for hair loss is the combination of cinnamon powder and honey with olive oil because these contain properties that make the scalp as well as the hair stronger. By coming up with a paste that can be applied directly to from the hair’s roots down to the scalp, people can make use of it before they use their favorite shampoo.

5. Extracts of ginger.

A piece of ginger, once chopped and directly applied to the area of the head that has bald spots, can be an effective hair remedy for hair loss because it aids the healthy growth of hair follicles. Since it can be smelly, you can also use its extract that is combined with fine lead powder to get best results.