If you are a man, it is quite common that you may experience some hair loss in your lifetime. Many men lose hair when they are in their twenties; some are a little luckier and lose their hair in their late forties. If you have noticed that you have lost your hair, there are a couple of treatments available. Here are some tips.

Hair loss is very common, however it is very difficult for many men to deal with. Hair loss can affect a person’s looks and self esteem. If you are losing your hair there are two main treatments that have been proven effective. They are topical treatments and a drug that works via pill form.
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One of the most worrying aspects of hair loss treatment is the tendency of so many people to seek solutions without first determining what has caused their loss in the first place.

At best, sufferers may waste money on inappropriate ‘wonder cures’ or even legitimate treatments that unfortunately are not suitable for their particular needs. At worst, some people may be risking their health by self-prescribing powerful pharmaceutical drugs. I don’t have a problem with hair loss sufferers saving money by purchasing cheap generic drugs on the internet, but I feel strongly that they should at least seek confirmation from their physician that a given drug matches their individual needs.

Before examining the most common causes of premature hair loss we need to understand that some shedding of hair is perfectly normal. Hairs grow from follicles that are tiny organs in the skin designed to grow a single hair that follows this repetitive cycle:

1. Lengthy growth period (Anagen Stage) – this phase usually lasts between two and seven years with an average growth rate of six inches (15cm) each year.

2. Short transition period (Catagen Stage) – this period of transition lasts for roughly two to four weeks. During this phase the hair shaft becomes detached and moves upwards within the follicle.

3. Resting period (Telogen Stage) – this phase lasts about three months allowing the hair to detach itself prior to falling out.

At this point a new hair begins to grow thus repeating the normal cycle of hair growth. Unfortunately a number of factors can interfere with the natural hair growth process leading to forms of hair thinning or premature baldness.

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss, probably accounting for as much as 95% of pattern hair loss for both men and women. It is usually associated with aging and develops in predictable stages over varying periods of time. Each follicle follows a genetically programmed growth cycle with some follicles coded to remain active for a shorter time than others. This results in the development of the hereditary baldness patterns that are so familiar to us all.

For this type of baldness to occur, the following factors must be present:

1. A genetic predisposition for hair loss to occur (as explained above).

2. The presence of male hormones.

3. Aging – in other words, enough time for the first two factors to exert an influence.

All men and women produce male hormones such as testosterone and DHT. These have a useful role to play in both sexes but obviously occur in widely differing concentrations. It is the higher levels of androgens found in males that explains why this form of hair loss affects men more than women.

In brief, these hormones affect the hair growth cycle as follows:

1. High levels of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme occur in some cells of the hair follicle and sebaceous glands.

2. 5-alpha-reductase converts testosterone into DHT.

3. DHT causes the terminal hairs to miniaturize.

4. This leaves short, soft, fluffy vellus hairs that provide inadequate scalp coverage.
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It is very natural for a person to loss 50 to 100 hairs each day under the body’s hair renewal process. But most of the people at least once in their lifetime suffer with heavy hair loss. There may be various reason behind this; like medication, chemotherapy, exposure to radiations and certain chemicals, nutritional and hormonal factors, thyroid disease, skin disease or stress, etc.

In most of the cases hair loss is temporary but in certain cases it may be permanent depending on the severity of disease. Some of the most common causes of hair loss are explained here.

HORMONAL

Hormones are stimulant to hair growth and causes hair loss problems. Hormones affect heavily our hair growth. These affect both male as well as female hair health.

Hair thinning is one of the hormonal problems and affects both men and women. Hair thinning in male is specific and follows a pattern from the front through to the crown. Hair thinning in female does not follow any specific pattern.

Hair thinning is caused by androgen DHT or Dihydrotesterone. Everyone has DHT but only some suffers with hair problem, are you wandering, why? This owes to the hair follicles, which have a greater number of androgen receptors for the DHT to attach with. Till date the most effective treatment for the problems of hair thinning is; anti androgens. Anti androgens are preventive drugs that prevent the creation of DHT. In future we may get genes therapy for hair thinning problems.

Childbirth

Many of the females experience hair loss after labor. In such a situation many of the hair enters the telogen or resting phase. Some of the females experiences hair loss within two to three months after giving childbirth.
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Coloring hair is very fashionable these days. You can easily see people of all age groups going for hair coloring. People are experimenting with all kinds of colors to look fashionable. It is no longer just natural black or golden people are going for, but they are experimenting with even red, green and blue and coming up with new hair coloring ideas.

Hair coloring has been in use since the ancient times. Ancient Greeks used to color or lighten their hair, which identified with honor and courage. They used harsh soaps to lighten or color their hair. There is evidence that ancient Romans also used to color or lighten their hair.

Now-a-days, coloring hair is very much popular throughout the world. According to some reports around 75% of women in the U.S. color their hair. Now people do not go for hair coloring just to hide their grey hair but to make a fashion statement as well. Young people experiment with many hair coloring ideas. The market for hair colors is huge spreading all over the world.
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