When you look in the mirror, if you are even remotely noticing a receding hairline – act quickly! Also if it’s easy to feel the top of your scalp, you may already feel the sign of thinning hair!
Is this a need to panic!
Actually, you should be DOUBLY PANICKED!
Yes! You should be doubly panicked if you’re at the stage of asking yourself “why am I losing hair”! I wish I would have responded quicker when my hairline was receding slowly, but steadily! I just didn’t think it would keep falling out! If that is you, now is the time to take drastic interest to do something about it!
If you act now, you have a great chance of keeping what you have longer and probably the rest of your life! Although, if you are already going bald or have significantly thinning hair you still could stop it and even start experiencing regrowth.
I personally wish I wouldn’t have waited so long myself! Fortunately, I have seen great results regrowing lost hair. But, if I would have acted faster I could have limited the receding hairline and maintained an even fuller look.
When you need real solutions, most web sites will give you the routine answer that losing hair is genetically programmed and there’s nothing you can do about it!
But that’s not completely true!
Yes, genetics do play a role but much of what we call genetic hair loss is more often than not, something else! If it’s something else, finding out the cause can help to limit further disappointment!
How Should Normal Hair Grow?
How it grows normally is a good starting place to understanding causes and solutions for the best treatment.
Every strand is made of complex protein but is totally lifeless as you see it on your head. Each strand begins as a bulb-shaped formed follicle at the root.
The bulb under the skin is an anchor for each strand and receives nutrition from blood circulation much like every other part of the body that needs a blood supply. The strands are not alive so once it is damaged it is hard to restore it to normal appearance. Abusive treatment like extreme heat from a curling iron can damage and burn the strand, causing premature shedding.
At the beginning of the shaft, the bulb has what is called dermal papilla cells that have preprogrammed instructions to produce another strand of hair when the present shaft needs to be replaced.
Also under the surface of the skin, the root also has a gland called sebaceous (oil) gland. This gland lubricates the root and also the skin with oil (sebum), keeping hairs and skin from drying out.
Why Am I Losing Hair? 3 Steps of Losing Hair
There are three phases that have a bearing on the timing of replacement when the old strands fall out. The three phases are called Antagen, Catagen and Telogen Phase.
In these phases, hairs grow through three different changes. During the first phase (Antagen), is the growing stage. How long it continues to grow is determined by certain factors to include those predetermined.
In the Catagen phase, then it begins to shed. This is a normal phase that hairs grow and are replaced.
During the final phase, the sheath (skin-like covering under the surface) pauses and prepares for the new follicle to start the first phase all over again. This is when new bulbs form to produce new growth and natural hair replacement.
Common Hair Loss Problems
According to hair care experts, the most common problems leading to hair loss starts when an individual’s growth cycle begins to change.
I started to experience losing slowly and then it continued to progress faster and faster. This happens to men and women. However, women experience thinning hair usually on top of their head and in patches, while men experience pattern baldness.
Some contributors to hair loss include lack of blood circulation in the scalp, poor grooming, chemicals in products, stress, and lack of nutrition.
Other causes include autoimmune disorders, alopecia areata, fungal infections, bacterial infections, skin cancers, thyroid and endocrine gland disorders and iron deficiency anemia,
Starting to Lose Hair Because of Autoimmune Disorders
Other than androgenetic alopecia (hair loss due to genetics), a great percentage of problems result from autoimmune disorders which happen when the body’s immune system turns on itself.
The most common is alopecia areata. This happens at the very root of the follicle when white blood cells affect the bulb area causing premature shedding to begin.
This kind of loss results in experiencing small bald patches on your scalp but hairs can eventually return and the process starts all over again.
Losing and Thinning Hairs Caused by Infections and Bacteria
Hair Loss can be caused by fungal infections on the scalp such as tinea capitis, favus, and kerion. Also thinning can be caused by bacterial infections such as folliculitis.
The Role of Nutrition in Hair Loss
Much of what is blamed on genetics is often just nutritional deficiencies. This was my cause of premature hair loss. Supposedly, it was genetic because both my grandfather and father were bald prematurely. As long as I can remember, my grandfather wore a toupee and my father was almost bald before he reached 48 years old.
I was in my mid-forties when I started losing rapidly. Fortunately, I didn’t accept the common answer that genetics was the problem!
Because poor nutrition and diet are so rampant in our society, I believe that a huge percentage of problems are just due to nutritionally starving hair!
Often the problem is just a lack of the basic nutritional proteins that revitalize and replenish skin, nails, and hair.
For others, iron deficiency anemia is the cause and is most frequent in women’s hair loss problems. A lack of iron leads to low red blood cells in the blood. Again, this can be because of nutritional deficiencies in your diet. Many food sources providing iron include egg yokes, poultry, fish, beans and whole grains. However, other iron deficiencies may include iron-blocking side effects from medications and other poor iron absorption diseases.
Many problems that can be corrected result from taking prescription drugs, chemotherapy drugs, experiencing extreme stress, normal childbirth results, styling techniques, and products, thyroid gland disorders, herpes, late stages of syphilis, stress and psychological trauma.
CONCLUSION: While haircare experts say there are no cures, there are various treatments that can stop hair loss and even cause regrowth as even I experienced!
Although, I prefer to use natural restoration treatments that don’t have the potential side effects of pharmaceutical drugs and surgical solutions.
Through my own research during the last five years and also observing the medical field closely for the last 20 years, I’ve learned the benefits of using natural treatments. Not only are natural care treatments working but they are also much more affordable in most cases.
Just like the rest of our body; hair responds to natural living foods! The secret is in discovering the most potent and effective food sources and combinations.
If I were to name the number one nutritional needs for maintaining a healthy head of hair it would be body-building protein. Protein is vitally important in revitalizing and restoring all parts of the human body. Not just any protein, but the right kind of protein for hair growth is important!
Before you decide to follow any advice from this article, make sure you consult your doctor and nutritionist for your particular health needs.
