Hair Loss Myths

Everyone would like to find a simple reason for why they are losing their hair. There are many hair loss myths.
Sports lovers tend to think that wearing a hat too much will cause hair loss. Women who wear wigs will assume that additional thinning is from the wig itself. Even the latest hairstyles that involve teasing, weaving or straightening have been blamed. Although any of these things could possibly cause some temporary loss of hair due to rubbing or close contact with the scalp, permanent hair loss is not usually a result of any of these things.
Another myth is that by stimulating the scalp with massagers or lasers you can grow full, natural hair. Some studies have shown that it is possible to re-grow some hair with the use of laser combs or scalp massagers but the results were mainly fine, delicate hair, something akin to peach fuzz.
A myth that is even more recent is that Rogaine and Proscar are the only way to grow new hair and keep your existing hair. While it is true that those medications can help in the fight with hair loss they are not the only answer. Keep in mind that not everyone will tolerate these medications (be sure to review any possible side effects) and if they do the hair loss will return if these medications are ever stopped. As a matter of fact, most people tend to loose all of the hair that they would have lost during the time they took the medications within a a 2-3 month period.
One fact remains, surgical hair transplantation is the safest, most affordable and permanent solution to your hair loss.

Hair Loss: Are Herbal Remedies Effective?

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Herbal Hair Loss Remedies Herbal remedies as a hair loss treatment have sprung up all over now that people are more interested in taking care of their health and appearance. Many people prefer to go to a vitamin shop and find remedies to help with hair loss rather than to a doctor that specializes in that area. However, there are so many herbs and vitamins that claim to help with hair loss that it can be quite confusing to know which ones are really effective. One of the most popular are Saw Palmetto that claims to slow down existing hair loss. It is usually recommended in conjunction with other herbs.

Green Tea has been credited with many health benefits as of late. It is said to contain an enzyme that inhibits hair loss. It has certain anti-inflammatory qualities as well. Drinking several cups daily will also help with energy and appetite control.

A popular herb with senior citizens is Ginko Biloba. It claims to help with the circulation of blood to the brain and skin. Many believe that additional circulation will help stimulate the hair follicles to re-generate and go into an earlier growth pattern. An added benefit may be an increase in memory function.

Algae Extract and certain seaweed derivatives are supposed to inhibit testosterone and act as antioxidants. They are believed to reduce damage to the skin and help heal existing damage. Claims have been made that the thickness of the hair shaft is also effected.

When used in moderation these and other herbs should be relatively safe (follow manufacturer recommendations). There is no guarantee however that they will be effective. The best alternative to safe, permanent and affordable hair restoration is hair transplant surgery. Once the hair has fallen out little can be done to restore it. There are medications such as rogaine and propecia that can be of some benefit but you must use them consistently for the rest of your life once you have begun treatment.

Hair Transplantation can restore your natural hair to thinning and balding areas so that you can once again be free to style your hair and go about the rest of your life without worrying about your hair loss.

Does Androgenetic Alopecia Increase Stress for Balding Men?

hair stressMale pattern balding, or androgenetic alopecia, is a type of hair loss caused by hormones and genetics. Male pattern baldness is not thought to be a disease, doctors are able to address the problem, especially when the hair loss is seen in younger men, or it is excessive, progressing rapidly and/or causing distress.

What affects men’s perception of their male pattern balding, and how do they decide whether or not to seek treatment?

A study compared the attitudes of 252 men with and without androgenetic alopecia, of all ages.

Approximately one-third (33%) of the study participants believed that male pattern balding is ignored by others, but the majority felt it was noticed (39%), makes people feel sorry for the balding person (17%) or is subject to teasing (12%).

Hair is intimately part of a person’s external looks. Hair gives social signals, including status and identity. Losing hair could be considered a stressful event. The study used a stress scale to determine how the study subjects perceived hair loss. Hair loss ranked between the 26th most stressful event (the spouse starting or stopping to work outside of home environment) and 27th (starting to attend school or leaving school) using the Stressful Life Events List.

In terms of how hair loss could affect a person’s life, the majority of the participants felt androgenetic alopecia would have a negative impact on psychological well being (56%). Significant proportions of the participants believed hair loss would negatively impact family relationships (37%), occupational or academic life (36%) and relations with the opposite sex (43%). Eight percent or less felt that hair loss would have any type of ositive impact.

Most of the participants (62%) believed that male pattern balding is a natural condition that needed treatment or a solution, such as changing grooming habits or covering the balding areas.

“When people feel they can do something effective and permanent about their hair loss, they get a feeling of control,” said Dr. Larry Shapiro, a hair transplant doctor in Boca Raton and Miami, Florida. “When someone feels in control of something, their stress levels go down, and they feel better about their problem. Hair transplants are an excellent way to permanently restore natural-looking hair.”

Source: “Androgenetic alopecia: Does its presence change our perceptions?” by Göksun Can Karaman, MD, Çigdem Dereboy, PhD, Ferhan Dereboy, MD, and Esra Çarman,MD. 2006 report in International Journal of Dermatology

Bad Hair Transplant

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While you may never even recognize a good hair transplant, bad hair transplants can be spotted a mile away. Some people call them plugs or doll’s head or just plain ugly. Luckily, techniques for surgical hair transplants have come a long way. The old style punch method where 8-10 hairs or more were removed at one time and placed in a single incision have been done away with. New techniques such as the strip method and FUE hair transplants (follical unit) have made it possible to achieve permanent, natural results for an affordable price.

The best way to ensure that you do not get a bad transplant is to investigate the doctor and his methods thoroughly before committing to a procedure. Although the Internet is a great way to start your search for information, the best way is by making an appointment to meet with the doctor in person. You will get much more valuable and credible information than you could find on the elsewhere. Be sure, when you are looking for hair transplant doctors, to insist that you see a surgical procedure in progress and meet a patient face-to-face during your consultation. Unfortunately, some physicians will overstate their experience or number of patients that they have worked with. Before and after pictures are wonderful to help you understand what type of results can be achieved but nothing will replace seeing it for yourself, in person.

Look for a doctor that has decades of experience and specializes solely in surgical hair transplantation. The more transplants he has done, the better equipped he will be to give you the most natural results. If the doctor is using methods other than surgical hair restoration, you may want seek out a surgeon that has dedicated his practice to this one specific area. Experience is the key to being pleased with the outcome of your hair transplant.

Inhibitory Factors and Androgenetic Alopecia

Hair loss researchMale pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) is a prevalent problem in which the larger hairs on the scalp are replaced by smaller hairs. The hair loss conforms to specific patterns. Ultimately, only very small vellus hairs are left.

People react differently to losing hair: some are indifferent, but many are concerned about their appearance. Current treatments include medications, cosmetic approaches and hair transplants. Pure research is conducted to discover new treatments for male pattern balding.

Androgens (hormones) are behind these changes in the hair. Alterations within the dermal papilla play a large role in the changing of the size of the hair. Culturing dermal papilla cells is a helpful way to research this.

A study published in the British Journal of Dermatology compared dermal papilla cells from balding follicles to cells from bigger, healthy follicles. Cultured dermal papilla cells from balding follicles were studied to see if they secreted different types and quantities of mitogenic factors. The scientists also introduced human cells to into the skin of mice, to find out if the rodent cells recognized mitogenic signals from human cells; this also helped discover if factors from balding dermal papilla cells could change the start of a new mouse hair cycle.

The research found that healthy, regular cells from the scalp produced soluble factors that stimulated hair growth. This showed that, across species, the cells respond to mitogenic signals. Balding cells stimulated a very small amount of growth, and these balding cells also secreted inhibitory factors.  When injected into mice, balding cell media also inhibited new hair growth.

This study concluded that inhibitory factors are secreted by human balding dermal papilla cells, which affects the growth of dermal papilla cells and factors in both people and mice. These secretions also delay hair growth in living mice. Smaller dermal papillae and smaller hairs in male pattern baldness are probably caused by these inhibitory factors. New treatments for male pattern approaches could be developed based on this research.

Source: “Inhibitory autocrine factors produced by the mesenchyme-derived hair follicle dermal papilla may be a key to male pattern baldness” by K. Hamada and V.A. Randall in British Journal of Dermatology 2006 154, pp609–618.