Womens Hair Loss [Hong Kong]

Common causes of hair loss .

Approximately 20% of all women suffer from hair loss to some degree or the other, at some point in their lives. The good news is that there are medical ways of rejuvenating dormant, non-productive hair follicles. Sometimes, the body’s metabolism sends the necessary signals and hair growth may resume automatically. However, this is a rare exception and not the rule.

A number of things contribute to hair loss and hair quality in both men and women. Hormone imbalance is one, menopausal effects, genetics, stress, malabsorption and nutritional deficiencies can be possible causes
Let’s review these areas and see what the underlying causes are, starting with a little background information about hair. Similar to skin cells, hair grows and sheds regularly. It’s considered normal to shed 50 to 100 hairs per day. More rapid hair loss begins in both sexes by age 50 and tends to accelerate after that. A human adult body has an average of five million hairs, including 100,000 to 150,000 on the scalp.

Female-pattern hair loss is characterized by a general thinning of hair all over the head and a moderate loss of hair on the crown or hairline. This type of hair loss is caused by the androgen DHT, or Dihydrotestosterone. Since everyone has DHT that is produced by their bodies and only some people suffer from hair loss there has to be another factor involved. This other factor is having follicles that have a greater number of Androgen receptors for the DHT to attach to. This is the component that is inherited through the genes. To date the most effective preventative treatments are anti androgens, drugs that prevent the creation of DHT. In the future gene therapy will one day be able to alter the genes to prevent the follicles from being affected by DHT.
It also occurs between the ages of 30 and 40 and often becomes more apparent during and after menopause. About 50 percent of children with a balding parent of either sex will inherit the dominant baldness gene.

Many researchers in Asia believe that one of the causes of hair loss is insufficient blood supply to the scalp. Other reason is excessive sebum in the scalp, which leads to pore clogging and malnutrition in the hair root. The "101 hair regrowth lotion" is formulated precisely for these problems and has won several awards including "gold medal" from 14th International Inventors Exposition in New York. The lotion increases blood circulation and removes sebum in the scalp and help hair regrowth. It has no side effects. It has been found to be effective in 90% of the cases.

Hornomal.
Since hormones both stimulate hair growth and cause hair loss, hormonal changes by far have the biggest impact on hair loss. These can affect both men and women in the following ways:
Childbirth
After pregnancy many women experience a loss of hair, this is caused many hair simultaneously entering the resting (telogen) phase. Within two to three months after giving birth, some women will notice large amounts of hair coming out in their brushes and combs. This can last one to six months, but resolves completely in most cases. This condition is caused by the hormonal changes that take place after a woman's body recovers from her pregnancy.

Birth control pills.
Women who have a genetic predisposition to suffer from Androgenic Alopecia can have it occur at a much younger age by taking birth control pills. The hormonal changes that occur trigger the onset of the Androgenic Alopecia. If a woman has a history of female pattern loss in her family she should advise her doctor before going on the pill. After the discontinuation of the pill the woman may notice that her hair begins shedding two or three months later. This may continue for six months when it usually stops. In some cases the process cannot be reversed and the woman may not re-grow some of the hair that was lost.

DISEASE OR ILLNESS.
Since the follicle is a very sensitive it does respond to imbalances in the body. Most hair loss causes by disease or illness is temporary and resolves itself after the body has returned to a healthy condition.
High fever, severe infection, severe flu, sometimes one to three months after a high fever, severe infection or flu, a person may experience hair loss, this is usually temporary and corrects itself.
Thyroid disease. Both an overactive thyroid and an under active thyroid can cause hair loss. Thyroid disease can be diagnosed by your physician with laboratory tests. Hair loss associated with thyroid disease can be reversed with proper treatment.

Deficient diet.
Some people who go on low protein diets, or have severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition. To help save protein the body shifts growing hair into the resting phase. If this happens massive amounts of hair shedding can occur two to three months later. A sign of this is if the hair can be pulled out by the roots fairly easily. This condition can be reversed and prevented by eating the proper amount of protein. Its very important when dieting to maintain an adequate protein intake.

Medications.
Some prescription drugs may cause temporary hair shedding in a small percentage of people. Examples of such drugs include some of the medicines used for the following: gout, arthritis, depression, heart problems, high blood pressure, or blood thinner. High doses of vitamin A may also cause hair shedding.
Cancer treatments. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment will cause hair loss because it stops hair cells from dividing. Hairs become thin and break off as they exit the scalp. This occurs one to three weeks after the treatment. Patients can lose up to 90 percent of their scalp hair. The hair will regrow after treatment ends and patients may want to get wigs before treatment. There are some drugs in development to help prevent this hair loss from occurring.
Low serum iron. Iron deficiency occasionally produces hair loss. Some people don't have enough iron in their diets or may not fully absorb iron in their diets. Women who have heavy menstrual periods may develop iron deficiency. Low iron can be detected by laboratory tests and can be corrected by taking iron pills.
Major surgery/chronic illness. Anyone who has a major operation - a tremendous shock to the system - may notice increased hair shedding within one to three months afterwards. The condition reverses itself within a few months but people who have a severe chronic illness may shed hair indefinitely. A relatively unknown fact is that hair transplantation surgery can actually cause additional hair loss or "shock fallout". Hairs lost from shock fallout usually don't regrow.
Alopecia Areata. This type of hair loss is believed to be caused by the immune system reacting to hair follicles as if they were antibodies and shutting them down. The hair loss is usually limited to a coin sized area and all the hair in the area is lost leaving a totally smooth round patch. In a more severe rarer condition called Alopecia Totalis, all hair on the entire body is lost, including the eyelashes. Treatments include topical medications, a special kind of light treatment, or in some cases drugs.
Fungus Infection (Ringworm) of the scalp. Caused by a fungus infection, ringworm (which has nothing to do with worms) begins with small patches of scaling that can spread and result in broken hair, redness, swelling, and even oozing. This contagious disease is most common in children and oral medication will cure it.
Stress. Stress can cause hair loss is some people. Usually it occurs 3 months after the stressful event has occurred and it may take 3 months after the stress period has ended for the hair growth to resume. In most cases it is temporary if the person is not predisposed to genetic or Androgenic Alopecia, if they are stress may trigger the onset of genetic hair loss or may worsen existing Androgenic hair loss.

For woman, female pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss (also called androgenetic alopecia). It affects about 20 million women in the US alone, and is highly correlated to GENETICS. It can begin at puberty, but is most often seen after menopause. As we discussed previously, male and female pattern baldness happens when hair that falls out is no longer replaced. Female pattern hair loss is generally a change to thinning hair rather than just falling out, and is more noticeable on the top of the head.
TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM (STRESS TRIGGER). Whether it's a death in the family, pregnancy, illness, crash weight loss program, or worrying about a huge asteroid hitting the earth, body stressors can affect the hair follicle. What is believed that the stressor causes a major change in a large portion of the hair follicles, moving them from the anagen growth phase to the catagen then telogen rest phase.
The follicle then lets go of the hair that's already there while refusing to provide a replacement. Known as telogen effluvium / deffluvium, it is the second most common cause for hair loss after androgenetic alopecia. Through an unclear set of neurochemical events, the hair follicle gets the message that the body needs all the resources it has for more important things than hair, like childbirth and nursing. It usually affects small, circular patches of the scalp in no apparent pattern. The good news is, when the stress goes, the hair comes back (about 6 months later).

Although hair loss can occur with the stress of any illness, it is also a particular symptom of many different diseases. Most differ in the pattern of hair loss, and almost never resemble Male Pattern Baldness. It's also important to recognize that hair loss is seldom the first and only presentation of these diseases. Most hair comes back when the disease goes away or is adequately treated. Some of the diseases associated with hair loss are as follows: Addison's disease, Hyperthyroidism (Hashimoto's thyroditis), Hypothyroidism, Iron Deficiency, Scarring, Seborrheic Dermatitis, Secondary Syphilis , Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), and Vitiligo (there are others).

Natural solutions and ideas.

Whilst there are many hair loss treatments available for hair loss and hair health, here are some home remedies that you can try. With some forms of hair loss, due to stress or poor nutrition, pharmaceutical treatments may not be necessary.

Aromatherapy has been used successfully by some people to treat thinning hair and bald patches. The aroma blend is massaged into the scalp for two minutes each night, and then the scalp is wrapped in a towel, to increase absorption of these oils.

The essential oils suitable for treating alopecia include ylang ylang, roman chamomile, rosemary, lemon, lavender, grapefruit, and bay. Try this blend of oils:

* 3 drops of lavender
* 3 drops of rosemary
* 2 drops of thyme
* 2 drops of Atlas cedar wood

You can't put essential oils directly onto the skin or scalp, they have to be mixed in a carrier oil. Use a half a teaspoon of jojoba oil and 4 teaspoons of grapeseed oil. Mix them all together and rub this mixture into your scalp for at least two minutes. Use a warm towel to wrap your head in afterwards. Not only does it feel relaxing, but it helps the oils absorb.

If you have thinning hair, chances are you need to address a nutritional imbalance. Increase these nutrients in your diet:

* Flaxseed - As well as providing support to all the cells in your body, flaxseed is rich in alpha linolenic acid, which is one of the Omega 3 fatty acids. This makes hair shine, and its also great for treating dandruff.

* Pumpkin seeds, oysters, and nuts - These are great food sources of zinc. Zinc is needed for strong hair and normal hair growth. It has the added benefit of being great for your brain and concentration.

* Cucumber and oats - These foods are fantastic sources of silica. Silica is important for hair health, and is used when hair splits easily, or starts to thin. Silica is also great for skin health - it's a real beauty mineral. If you don't want to eat a bowl of porridge in the morning, you can get silica supplements. Get the gel form as it is absorbed much more easily than the herbal varieties like horsetail.

* Edible Seaweed, parsley, tofu, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds - Iron is important in hair health, and these foods are rich in it. An iron deficiency causes hair loss. But if you're thinking of taking an iron supplement, get your iron levels tested by your doctor first as iron is a fat soluble vitamin which means that it is stored in your body. This can lead to a toxic build up if too much iron is taken in.

* Eggs, fish and chicken - Hair is made of protein. So, if you're deficient in protein, your hair health may be affected. These are good, healthy sources of protein.

* Brown rice, nuts and seeds - These are rich in the B vitamins. As well as being great for stress, the B vitamins strengthen the hair shaft. If you're going to take a B vitamin supplement, get a B complex rather than individual B vitamins as taking too much of one B vitamin can cause an imbalance in the rest of the group. The B vitamins work together synergistically.

* Leafy greens - Leafy greens, as well as having lots of other vitamins, are rich in folic acid. Folic acid is a type of B vitamin.

vitamin solutions and ideas.

Even taking your vitamin for hair loss, a certain amount of hair will fall out every month anyway. So don't be concerned by normal shedding.
Problems arise when the shedding of hair is greater than the regeneration. Some things are associated with greater hair loss:
. Heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, and lead.
. Sudden weight loss
. Increased stress
. Excess copper (oral contraceptives can result in excess copper)
. Under active thyroid gland
. A diet low in b vitamins
. Women can lose more hair after childbirth
Also, bleaching, perming and some colour treatments will cause a lot of hair breakage. Its important to understand these causes so you take the correct approach - you may not need a vitamin for hair loss. You may need to correct thyroid activity, or deal with heavy metals. If you're concerned about excess hair loss, it might be a good idea to find out what's causing it.

A Checklist
. Are there hereditary factors?
. Are you taking any medications that might have hair loss as a side effect or that prevent absorption of any vitamin for hair loss you are taking?
. Are you under a lot of stress lately?

How many of these vitamins and nutrients are in your vitamin for hair loss?

Folic acid - may delay the onset of grey hair, and is helpful in preventing hair loss. 500 - 2000 mcg (that's micrograms) per day
Paba - some evidence from the 1940's that it can help return grey or white hair to its original colour
Biotin, Pantothenic acid, & niacin - these B vitamins are associated with hair health.
silica - can be associated with hair loss. Supplementation of silica or silica rich herbs like horsetail are recommended more when hair follicles are still alive. 30 -50 mg per day
zinc - associated with greyness and poor hair growth. May be beneficial for those with male pattern baldness, as it inhibits an enzyme associated with converting testosterone to DHT (which is a metabolite whose high levels are believed to be associated with this type of baldness) 15-50 mg per day.
MSM - organic form of sulfur important to hair, skin and nail health
A good vitamin for hair loss will combine all or most of these ingredients.

Mineral solutions and ideas.

Knowing that you have the right minerals in your system will not only help with balance in your body, but can also promote healthy hair. There are specific types of minerals that are used for healthy hair and to prevent hair loss. By knowing what these are and what they can do for your hair, you will find out if you need to add more minerals into your diet to help prevent hair loss.
The first mineral that is known to help with continuous growth of hair is calcium. This will allow your hair to become stronger and to continue moving through your scalp. Calcium can be found in dairy, nuts, fish, tofu, yeast, and various beans. Calcium will then work with magnesium to keep this growth. When combining food that has calcium with magnesium, you can be ensured that you will have healthier growth of your hair. Some common foods with the most magnesium include grains, nuts, beans, fish, and green vegetables.
Another set of minerals will work in preventing overall hair loss from your scalp. One of the minerals that will help with this is copper. It will not only help with preventing hair loss, but will also help in the color of your hair as well as the thickness of it. This is found in grains, eggs, chicken, meat, and beans as well. Iron is also known to prevent overall hair loss as well. However, iron will also work to prevent anemia and can be found in similar foods from copper. A third mineral that is effective in this same way is silica. This will also strengthen your hair, and can be found in similar foods as copper.

If your hair is thin because of slow hair growth, there are ways to speed up the growth. Manganese is the main mineral that is used to keep your hair growing at a quicker pace. This will be found in grains, eggs, nuts, avocados, beans, fish, and other meats. Making sure that you get enough manganese will ensure that your hair will stay younger looking.
Various minerals also work to balance circulation in the scalp. Poor circulation is often a cause of hair loss. Potassium is one of the effective minerals in providing a regular circulation, which will allow the right nutrients to move into the scalp area and help with hair growth. Selenium also helps provide more flexibility in the scalp. This allows circulation to flow into the hair follicle and provides healthier hair. These minerals can be found in meats, grains, and dairy products.
If you want to prevent hair loss from occurring or if you are trying to get a full body of hair back, then you can try increasing your intake of minerals. With the right minerals, you can rest assured you will have healthier hair and scalp.
Any of the above minerals can be found as supplemental pills. Having the right mixture of minerals in your body will give you a healthier scalp and hair.

Medication and hair loss products.

Treating and diagnosing Female hair loss is not as simple and straightforward as male pattern baldness. Many physicians subscribe to the theory that women should immediately begin a regimen of growth stimulants (whether it be Rogaine for Women, or other). Like men's hair loss however, there are underlying causes, and the good news is that a large percent of women's hair loss is completely reversible. The general idea behind diagnosing and treating it involves a responsible informed physician and a series of tests to rule out, or rule in, the causes. The most common causes of hair loss in women are hormonally related. Whether it be an overactive thyroid, or the after effects of menopause or pregnancy, there usually is a "good" reason why women lose their hair. The key is to find out what the reason is, and to then evaluate your options in dealing with it.

Healthier Hair and Glowing Skin Just From A Shower Filter?

We all know that drinking clean water is good for our bodies, but does it matter if you are showering or bathing in tap water? It certainly does. Considering the drying effects of chlorine and other contaminants found in tap water, one of the best things you can do for your hair and skin is to use a quality shower filter.
You know it’s best to drink clean, uncontaminated water, but does it matter if you use regular tap water to shower and bathe in? The answer is Yes, it matters a great deal to your skin (your body’s largest organ), your hair and even your lungs! Here’s why:

Chlorine.

One of the biggest reasons is chlorine, which is found in most tap water. When you take a hot shower, the chlorine vaporizes in the air and combines with other organic compounds in the air and forms chloroform gas. Chloroform gas is a strong irritant to the lungs and also causes fatigue. You can’t help but inhale this gas in the shower. Because chlorine and other irritants vaporize at a much lower temperature than the water itself, the concentration of chlorine in the air of your shower is much higher than the concentration found in the water itself. When the water you shower in is chlorinated, every time you step into a hot shower you are stepping into a concentrated chlorine chamber! Furthermore, both asthma and bronchitis may be linked to inhalation of chlorine.

Skin.

As for your skin, your pores are wide open in the warmth of the shower and absorb a great deal of chlorine and other chemical contaminants such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds). We all know the feeling of dry skin from bathing or swimming in chlorinated water. Chlorine strips the oils from your skin, leaving it over-dried and even accelerating your skin’s aging.

Hair.

Your hair is also dried out and damaged by the presence of chlorine in shower water. Like your skin, your hair is "wide open" when it is in hot water and it absorbs the chlorine, which strips the hair shaft of its natural oils, leaving it dry and dull. Also, chlorine and other chemicals found in tap water can interfere with and shorten the "life" of hair coloring, highlights and other hair treatments.

Shower Filters.

Fortunately, it is simple and inexpensive to address this problem. A quality home shower filter does an excellent job of removing chlorine, VOCs, lead and other contaminants from your water. They install quickly and easily and are a very inexpensive way to have an immediate and positive impact on your overall health. There are several quality brands on the market, and any of them will have a dramatic and noticeable impact on your skin and hair right from your first use.

A drinking water filter is, of course, highly recommended as well, and at least one of the top brands offers a drinking water filter and shower filter "combo" pack at a reduced price for the pair. Given the importance of water to every aspect of your health, there are few better investments you can make!

Related:

Lifeless dull hair.Any hair that has undergone dyeing is vulnerable to damage: the degree depends on the amount of colour change. For instance, going from dark to light is the most damaging because the bleaching agent is stronger and left on for longer. Also the frequency with which the hair is dyed is a major factor in the amount of damage sustained. Any chemical service reduces the elasticity and increases the prospect of hair breakage. Apart from doing an after colouring conditioning, use a protein mask and deep conditioning treatment regularly before and after colouring. It is also similarly important to condition the hair after each shampoo to eliminate tangles and smooth the hair cuticles. The heavier, more moisturizing types should be used, irrespective of the possibility of causing fine hair go limp; Any limpness can be counteracted by using styling products.