Are you bothered with clumps of hair each time you have a shower? Found a thinning patch on your scalp? Let’s discuss what you can do about it.
Clumps of falling hair, a sign of hair loss, is often distressful to men of all ages. Although it is common for men approaching their late 30s, some experience it even younger. Losing that hairdo does not mean you will look like Homer Simpson. We will explore what are your options for thinning hair.
Thinning hair is a cause of distorted self-perception and poor well-being. It can be so damaging that it can drastically change the way you look at yourself. It is absolutely normal to feel disturbed and be in horror as you examine the broken strands of hair in your hands. Resolving hair loss is needed so you can get your self-confidence back.
You have to know how hair loss occurs. Each strand of hair has living and non-living components, with the hair root being composed of living cells and the strands that you actually see made of dead ones. The hair grows inside the follicle, which is the primary structure that makes hair a hairdo. The follicle is supplied by tiny arteries, and it is somewhat sensitive to everything happening inside and outside the body.
The hair does not just grow continuously as most believe. The growth cycle of your hair follicles has phases; anagen (rapid growth), catagen (transition), and telogen (rest). Hair growth from follicles in their anagen phase can take many years, with thicker strands and an onion-shaped hair root. After that is the catagen phase, causing slower hair growth that is noticeably thinner . The next is the telogen phase where the hair does not grow and the follicle becomes dormant. Around 10% to 15% of all the hair follicles in the body are in the telogen phase, with ones in your scalp lasting for up to a year.
What Causes of Hair Loss?
Sometimes, having a lot of hair follicles in their catagen phase might cause the appearance of hair thinning. The hair follicles and scalp are sensitive. Smoking can cause the hair to fall out because it restricts blood flow and causes damage to the hair follicles. Conditions like stress, sickness, thyroid problems, and vitamin deficiency can cause hair follicles to undergo catagen phase, while stress can push them to undergo the telogen phase.
Medicines such as anticoagulants, beta-blockers, antidepressants, and cancer-treatment drugs can cause much of your hair to literally fall out. You cannot simply stop these treatments. If you take these medications for health reasons, consider methods to hide or manage thinning hair. On the other hand, hair loss can also be caused by a deficiency in riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12. These vitamins are present in peanuts and liver meats. If you have thinning hair, consider adding these food items to your everyday diet.
Although testosterone is blamed for thinning hair, that might not be true. There is considerable research showing that males suffering from baldness tend to have normal testosterone levels. There are also health conditions, such as thyroid disorders, alopecia areata (an autoimmune disease), scalp infections, and trichotillomania (a compulsive hair-pulling disorder), that directly affect hair growth.
In most cases, you just have to blame your genes. If your grandfather and father suffered male pattern baldness in their younger years, you will too. It is easy for hair loss can easily get worse, so consult a specialist doctor for the best results. A dermatologist can easily examine your scalp and see if you have skin conditions that result to loss of hair.
Hide It, Treat It, or Embrace It
Note that hair loss is something that recent society has been aware of and accepted. If you only have small thinning or bald patches, you can opt to hide them through the use of toupees, wigs, and even crown weaves for men. These options are easy to apply and effectively hide hair loss, and good ones look so natural that it is hardly noticeable.
There are treatments for hair loss, like finasteride and minoxidil. Finasteride, an oral drug also used to treat enlargement of the prostate, causes the scalp hair to grow as long as you take the medication. It can take up to 3 months for finasteride to cause the hair to grow, so it takes up some time and you have to be patient. Minoxidil, on the other hand, is applied on the skin and may work by causing added blood flow to the hair follicles that cause the hair to grow. A lot of the topical solutions like shampoos and foam for hair loss contain minoxidil as an active ingredient. Stopping minoxidil can cause hair to shed in 12 to 24 months. A recent finding demonstrates that a special laser therapy can cause dormant hair follicles to start growing hair again.
In some cases, treatments and wearing wigs just do not cut it. It is acceptable today to just simply embrace baldness and accept the fact that your head does not have any hair. Just look at Hollywood actors such as Bruce Willis and Jason Statham.
To most people, the hair is viewed as a crowning glory, but losing it does not make you less of a man. The point is that it is perfectly okay to deal with hair loss in your terms.