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The Ultimate Guide To Hair loss

Hair loss is a very common problem nowadays almost 8 out of 10 people suffer from hair loss problems. An average man loses 100 strands of hair while brushing or washing daily so finding a few stray hairs on your hairbrush is not necessarily cause for alarm. Anyone may experience hair loss at any age.

Some people think that hair loss problems are adult problems but many teenagers suffer from hair loss. There are many types of hair loss and some of them are

Involutional alopecia
Androgenic alopecia
Alopecia areata
Alopecia Universalis
Trichotillomania
Telogen effluvium
Scarring alopecia

Androgenic alopecia is one of the most common hair loss problems it affects both men and women. This condition in men is called male pattern baldness, they can begin to suffer this in their early 20s or late 30s also. It causes a receding hairline and gradual disappearance of hair from the crown and front scalp. But the question is how to determine whether you are suffering from hair loss or not.

Symptoms of Hair Loss

There are many symptoms which started showing when you have hair loss and after monitoring them you can identify if you are having hair loss more than normal.

1) Thinning hair in temples

This is the most common type of symptom in which the hair volume decreases. Hair begins to recede at the hairline on the forehead. Thinning of hair may occur due to any reason, may it be a side-effect of any medicine, your lifestyle habits or genetics.

2) Bald spot on the crown

In this circular bald spots appear on the top of the head, beard, or eyebrows. Your scalp may become itchy or painful before it starts falling out. The size of these bald spots may be small or size of a quarter.

3) Sudden loosening of hair

Continuous tension or pressure for a long time can cause hair to loosen and fall out. While brushing or washing your hair, a lot of hair could fall out. This can also cause sudden thinning of hair.

4) Scaling patches that spread over the scalp

This is a sign of ringworm and is accompanied by redness, swelling, and hair breakage.

5) Dandruff or flaky scalp

In this you may notice itching and dry flakes coming out when you scratch your head. This can also cause fungal infections and can happen due to many reasons like washing your head too much, using chemical products, heat-producing equipment etc.

Causes of Hair Fall

You may be suffering from hair loss due to many reasons. Some of them are:

1) Continuous Pressure for a long time

If you are under a lot of pressure and tension then you may experience some hair loss. If you have experienced an incident that came as a shock to you and you are tensed out because of it then you may see your hair falling out.

2) Unbalanced diet

What we eat reflects our health. Our hair needs protein and many other nutrients to grow and if you are not taking all the essential macronutrients required for hair growth then you will suffer from hair loss.

3) Improper sleeping schedule

8 hours of sleep is important for our overall health, body and mind. If you don’t have an appropriate sleeping pattern then you can experience skin and hair problems. Not getting enough sleep is harmful to our health and can lead to insomnia.

4) Heredity as a cause for hair fall

Hair loss problems can also be genetic and comes hereditary. You may have inherited the hair loss issue from your parents or grandparents if they had suffered from hair loss problems similar to yours.

5) Side-effects of any Medicine

You may be on some kind of medication which may be causing your hair to fall out. Chemotherapy or beta-adrenergic blockers used to control blood pressure can cause temporary hair loss.

6) Hormonal changes in the body

With age or intake of medicines our level of hormones in the body changes and these hormonal changes can cause temporary or permanent hair loss. You may also suffer from scalp infections such as ringworm.

7) Dyeing your hair

Dyes contain harmful chemicals in them and these dyes are harmful to your hair and can cause damage to your scalp. Hair colour damages the hair roots and follicles which causes hair to fall out.

8) Washing your hair daily

If you use a hard shampoo then avoid washing your hair daily. These hard shampoos have chemicals in them which can accumulate on your scalp and cause damage to your hair roots. Use hair nourishing shampoo to wash your hair thoroughly.

9) Not washing your hair after a workout

After a workout, session sweat accumulates on your scalp and it can cause fungal infection or dandruff which can promote hair fall.

10) Smoking and drinking binge

People who smoke or drink daily suffer from hair loss or male pattern baldness. These habits are not good for your health and can cause many other problems.

11) DHT accumulation

DHT(Dihydrotestosterone) is responsible for hair loss in men. It is a hormone that is made of 5-alpha reductase and testosterone. This accumulates on your scalp and causes hair loss

You can prevent hair loss with the help of these remedies.

12) Medical conditions

Medical conditions that lead to hair loss are anaemia, thyroid conditions, and pregnancy. Other ones include autoimmune illnesses, PCOS, and skin problems including psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. Extreme pressure, physical trauma including surgery or severe sickness, rapid weight loss, and an excess of vitamin A are other causes of hair loss.

Nevertheless, there has been evidence linking menopause to hair loss. Some expert believes there is no direct connection. It's possible that menopause and hair loss just happen at the same time in life.

How to prevent Hair Fall?

1) Eating a balanced diet

Our hair is 80-85% protein and needs protein and nutrients to grow. Add some proteins, vitamins and green veggies to your diet. You also add biotin which is a water-soluble vitamin to promote hair growth and for other purposes. Some of the foods can be Eggs, Spinach, Nuts and seeds, avocados etc..

2) Onion juice or ginger juice

Onion juice contains catalase which helps reduce hydrogen peroxide which accumulates in your hair shafts and causes hair loss. You can apply onion juice on your head, do a massage of your scalp and leave it overnight and wash it in the morning.

3) Make yourself tense free

Take out some free time out of your busy schedule and relax and tense free your body from the heavy workload or problems of life. Go outdoors and work out daily just to activate hormones and prevent hair loss.

4) Meditate and do Yoga daily

Yoga and meditation relax your body and mind which makes our blood flow on our scalp and promotes hair growth. There are various yoga poses which can help you in reducing hair falls, such as Adho Mukha Svanasana, Sirsasana, Vajrasana and many more.

5) Essential oils

Massage your scalp with some essential oils to exfoliate and nourish your hair roots at the same time. Exfoliation helps to increase blood flow into the blood vessels on our scalp which prevents hair loss and promotes hair growth.

Take Away

If you are facing hair loss and looking for the best solution to stop hair loss then you can check out our dermatologist-recommended products for hair care, Mino-xidil, Phi-nasteride, Anti-DHT Shampoo and many more at Mars by GHC website.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which vitamin is good for stopping hair fall?

Biotin (B7 vitamin) is good for stopping hair fall.

2. Which fruit is best for hair?

Berries.
Cherries
Apricots
Grapes
Oranges

2. Which shampoo is best for hair fall?

Anti-DHT blocker shampoo is the best for hair fall.

References:

Reproductive Hormones - Endocrine Society, Jan 22
Carol DerSarkissian, April 22

Women and Hair Loss: Possible Causes