Hair Loss

Regaining Control with Methods of Hair Loss Prevention

Hair loss can be an upsetting and embarrassing problem for men and women alike. Once the hair loss has begun, there is often very little that can be done to effectively treat or reverse the condition. A better choice would be to try to prevent hair loss before it occurs. The good news is that there are some simple steps that you can take to help prevent hair loss, and keep your beautiful mane as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Many of these steps in hair loss prevention simply involve lifestyle or diet changes, so there is no reason why you can’t get onboard with steps to keep your hair intact today.

Diet for Hair Loss Prevention

It is interesting to note that the types of foods that are healthiest for your body will also keep your hair in the best shape possible. Even if you are not primarily concerned with hair loss prevention, you can help your mane to look its best by eating certain types of foods. Make sure that your diet consists of plenty of fruits and vegetables that offer necessary vitamins and antioxidants, whole grains, nuts and seeds for essential minerals, and lean meats for protein and iron. Water will not only keep your body hydrated, it will also give your locks a healthy shine, so stick with those eight glasses every day.

Avoiding the Culprits of Damage

Many folks, especially women, put forth plenty of effort to style their locks in the latest looks. Unfortunately, these “do’s” often require tools like curling irons, heated rollers or blow dryers to get the desired effect. While you are styling, you are also drying out and damaging your hair to some extent. Daily use of these tools can eventually result in hair that breaks easily or even begins to thin. Chemical treatments like perms and color can further damage your precious strands. Hair loss prevention includes cutting back on as many of these styling aids as possible. Air drying and avoiding the curls some days can help significantly.

Proper Care for your Hair

Another method of hair loss prevention is to use care when brushing your hair every day. First, use a brush that will not tear your strands as it goes through them, such as a natural-bristle brush. Never brush your hair while it is wet and fragile, since this will pull on strands and cause them to break. It is also important to brush from your scalp to the tips of your locks, in order to distribute the natural oils of your scalp throughout your hair, giving your mane additional shine and preventing dry ends. Your hair is your crowning glory of your looks and style. With proper care and steps in hair loss prevention, you will keep that gorgeous mane for a long time.

Treating Hair Loss After Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most wonderful periods in a woman’s life, as you prepare for the baby and observe how under your eye he or she grows everyday. However, along with the growth and development of the baby, a woman’s body undergoes tremendous changes to accommodate him or her and some of those changes affect her negatively, such as hair loss after pregnancy.

Understanding Hair Loss After Pregnancy

During pregnancy a woman undergoes significant hormonal imbalances that may provoke mood swings but will promote hair growth and also will prevent it from falling. However, immediately after childbirth the same hormonal imbalances will activate and accelerate the hair regeneration process, which basically will manifest by the woman losing significant amounts of hair at the same time.

First and foremost hair loss after pregnancy is a normal occurrence therefore there is nothing to panic about but it will help if you understand how it works in order to help it regenerate and grow back. There are two phases of hair growth and they are: the anagen phase that usually last between 3 to 6 years and promotes hair growth of approximately half an inch a month and the telogen phase where the follicles rest; the telogen phase usually lasts anywhere between 3 to 4 months before it starts all over again.

Everyday we lose approximately 50 to 100 hairs, as the new hairs push their way out forcing the old one to fall out however, the hair loss after pregnancy occurs at an accelerated rate because first there was no normal hair loss during pregnancy and secondly because the regeneration process (the second phase) will not kick in for at least 3 to 4 months, which will leave the woman temporarily with thin hair and probably some balding spots.

Other Causes Of Hair Loss After Pregnancy

Another cause of hair loss after pregnancy is the fact that the stress level will automatically raise even if you are not aware of it, with the arrival of a new baby; less sleep, poor eating practices and vitamin deficiency can also lead to weak immune system and more causes of hair loss.

Helpful Tip

To improve hair growth after pregnancy a woman should simply use targeted products that will improve the hair from outside and inside, such as, shampoos, conditioners, masks as well as a nutritious, balanced diet with additional supplements of vitamins and minerals. There is no treatment to accelerate or avoid hair loss after pregnancy however, it is possible that some women may not offer as significant hair loss as others.

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Not All Hair Loss Is Permanent

About 90% of the hair on a person’s head will be growing at any one time. The rest of their hair will stay in a resting state for two to three months before falling out and then start the growing process from the start. People will shed their hair at a rate of about 50 to 150 hairs a day with a new hair growing from the same follicle at a rate of about a half inch each month. People are considered having hair loss when the rate of loss exceeds the rate of re-growth.

There are many causes of hair loss including hereditary, medications and an underlying medical condition. Many times the hair loss is temporary and it will grow back. Some conditions, such as Androgenetic alopecia, which is hereditary, affects men more than women, although women also suffer from this due to its hereditary nature. Some researchers believe people are targeted by nature to suffer Androgenetic alopecia and a trigger event begins the process. It is possible for the hair to fall out and then grow back, several times.

Androgenetic alopecia is considered an autoimmune disease, triggered by a virus or some environmental occurrence setting it in motion. People with a family history of hair loss will most likely experience it. How they handle it will be up the individual as some accept it and lets it run its course, while others turn to medications and even surgery hoping to reverse the course of the condition. Others may use dyes and the technique called the comb-over to hide the hairless spots on their scalp.

External Forces At Heart Of Some Hair Loss

There are some conditions that can attribute to hair loss such as diabetes, lupus and thyroid problems as well as poor nutrition. Lack of iron, protein and fad and rapid diets can also affect your nutrition, sparking hair loss in many people. A recent high fever may attribute to losing hair as will a severe flu or surgery. Some medications can put your re-growth on hold while shedding still occurs. Over time, the balance will return and your hair will grow back.

Certain drugs used to treat common ailments are also known to cause hair loss. Drugs for gout, arthritis and high blood pressure may have the unappreciated side effect of causing hair loss and some women will lose hair while taking birth control pills. Undergoing chemotherapy will usually cause hair loss, but once treatment ends and the chemicals work out of the body, the hair typically grows back.