stop hair loss

Researches from the Yale University have found out recently that fat cells in the skin can initiate hair regrowth by interacting with dormant stem cells in the hair follicles of the bald scalp. Bald people still have stem cells in the roots of their hair follicles that normally grow hair but they are for some reason unable to regenerate hair so that they went to sleep. Researchers have been able to prove that when hair dies, the layer of fat in the scalp shrinks. And vice versa, when hairs start growing again the fat layer grows too and they identified the molecule that is involved in spurring the renewed growth of fatty stem cells in the scalp. They are now working on identifying other factors that play their role in regulating the new hair growth.

There are many known types of hair loss with different underlying causes. Hair loss in some instances can happen suddenly, such as telogen effluvium or in some forms of alopecia areata but in the most cases of hereditary hair loss it takes years to notice you are balding. As a rule of thumb it can be said that you need to lose about 50% of your hair in a certain area to realize you are balding. As there are many types of hair loss there also happen to be many approaches to coping with it. The different types of hair loss treatments include hair regeneration, i.e. employing the use of medicinal (minoxidil, Propecia) as well as alternative and herbal pills and lotions, non-chemical hair loss treatment, applying low level laser light, e.g. in the form of HairMax laser comb and surgical, such as hair transplantation. However, all of them require a certain commitment that can be at times uncomfortable and it always is a lifetime commitment.

The only hair loss therapy that does not sound too uncomfortable to the patient is the hair loss shampoo since we are required to use shampoos to wash our hair for our entire life anyway. Hair loss shampoos often contain the same ingredients as some herbal or natural hair loss treatments but they are only applied to your hair for about five minutes while you wash your hair, which you have to do anyway. So, they are supposed to treat your hair loss at practically no additional effort needed. You wash them down afterwards so they do not make your hair sticky or bad smelling as many topical treatments do. Although it may sound that a miracle would have to happen should they grow you new hair, some of them really seem to thicken the hair and they do this work almost instantly. This is because they contain proteins and some other substances that can expand your hair and make it feel softer, retaining water inside hair shaft. This does the trick and makes people believe in miracles. It is obvious that such shampoos are much pricier than a regular one, but would not you spend a few extra bucks on a product that washes your hair while growing you new hair instantly?

Many women lose their hair after giving a birth. This is not uncommon. Increased hair shedding in this period is due to several factors such as changing hormonal levels, increased stress, changing lifestyle, etc. This type of hair loss is called telogen effluvium and it is typically reversible. It is quite different from regular genetically determined hair loss in that it proceeds much faster and woman can lose quite a significant portion of her hair within weeks after the birth of her child. An accelerated hair shedding is especially visible after taking a bath or in the morning after inspecting one’s pillow case.

This type of hair loss is best known as postpartum hair loss and it affects about 40%-50% of women. During pregnancy women have higher estrogen levels, which enables to keep a higher percentage of hair follicles in the growth phase and their hair usually looks better than ever. Once they give a birth their hairs get back to their normal growth cycle and, therefore, many hairs will enter the resting phase, which results in hair shedding. However, postpartum hair loss is nothing to worry about and it is fully reversible and requires no treatment at all.

Herbal or medicinal pills and topical treatments for hair loss are usually quite good at maintaining the remaining hair but they can hardly bring back the former glory to the most hair loss sufferers. Besides that they have to be used or applied regularly, usually twice a day for your lifetime. Therefore, many hair loss patients opt for surgical or cosmetic methods of hair replacement. Hair surgery stands out as the most satisfactory way of restoring lost hair. It is the only method that can restore a significant amount of hair and it is permanent. But it is also the most expensive method and it is not suitable for many patients. Additionally, it has to be combined with medicinal treatments that have to be taken for life in order to avoid further hair loss, which could result in unnatural patterns of baldness.

Hair systems, hair pieces and wigs are also quite expensive as they need to be frequently maintained and replaced but they do not require commitment to drugs. However, they are quite uncomfortable to wear and can under some circumstances get lose and lead to embarrassing situations. The last option for non-medical hair replacement are cover-ups called hair loss concealers. They thicken your hair either by adding fiber to your remaining hair that clings to your hair like branches to a tree trunk or they thicken the shaft of your existing hair and colour your balding scalp. These cover-ups can be very resistant to external influences such as wind or rain and are more comfortable to wear than wigs. They also seem to be the least expensive option from all three options described here. You can use them permanently or just for special occasions. However, if you do not want you baldness to progress further (as they cannot be used on a totally bald scalp) you must continue using medicinal or herbal pills and topicals. Although it may sound surprising many hair loss concealers allow you to use topical hair loss products.

Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) have earned their reputation for being the most effective treatments for male pattern baldness. Both of these medications have been approved by the FDA for treating hair loss as the only two at the moment. The most immediate candidate that might get an FDA approval for treating hair loss in men is dutasteride (Avodart). This drug is similar in its activity as well as in its side effects to finasteride and its clinical trials have been already completed but no reports have been submitted to public scrutiny yet. Since this medication has long been approved for treating benign prostate enlargement many hair loss patients buy Avodart online and use it instead of Propecia.

The second most promising development in the area of hair loss research is bimatoprost, a medication used to treat glaucoma, which has recently been approved by the FDA as Latisse for extending eyelashes. The preliminary human trials with bimatoprost on human scalp suggest that this medication can thicken and darken the existing hair and it can speed up its growth. And last but not least is Dermaroller, a small device that causes damage to the scalp, which is expected to induce new hair growth. Similar devices are already used to treat wrinkles or skin damages caused by acne. Trials on mice in the past have shown that damaged skin started producing new hair, though its color and texture were slightly different from the regular hair. Dermarollers are already available as cosmetic devices although no FDA approval was awarded to them for treating hair loss.

Provillus has been considered for years to be the No.1 treatment for hair loss, being more effective in treating this condition than the only FDA approved treatments Rogaine and Propecia. Its rise to fame was based on the claim that it was not only more effective but also less harmful than Propecia as it was not supposed to cause any negative side effects. Provillus was and still is among the best promoted hair loss products on Internet and it pays the highest commissions in the industry to its affiliates. However, it seems that despite its great promotion it is becoming less popular over time. But what is the reason behind its falling success? The most likely cause of its falling star were the inappropriate expectations of its users created by the strong promotional efforts. Although there seem to be some ingredients in the formula of Provillus that could be helpful in treating hair loss the promises made by its promoters and marketers seemed unrealistic. So now the question arises of what will replace Provillus. It is quite likely that another product using similar ingredients and arguments may replace this success story very soon, helping desperate hair loss sufferers spend a little money while giving them a big hope.

Rogaine was the first FDA approved hair loss treatment ever and to this day it remains to be one of only two FDA approved hair loss products and the only one that is being applied topically and is practically free from serious side effects. Rogaine contains minoxidil as its main active substance, which can be also bought as generic minoxidil at a fraction of the price of genuine Rogaine. Minoxidil can be used to treat hereditary form of hair loss in men and women and alopecia areata as well. The FDA approved concentration for men is 5% versus 2% for women. The studies have shown that the higher the concentration of minoxidil is the higher the hair regrowth benefits are.

There are two major reasons why women are not advised to use 5% minoxidil mixtures. The first reason is one of its side effects, which is a possible facial hair growth. Although the facial hair is temporary and will fall out once the treatment has been discontinued it undoubtedly is annoying if it happens to a woman. The second reason is the fact that 2% minoxidil mixture is usually ethanol-based and therefore it dries fast and leaves no trail in your hair whereas mixtures with 5% of minoxidil (and more) use propylene-glycol or propylene to dissolve minoxidil and are greasy, dry slowly, while leaving the hair difficult to style. In addition, propylene and propylene-glycol can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions in many individuals, which leads to over-absorption and results in inducing the side effects such as unwanted facial hair growth.

Rogaine foam, however, seems to address these problems. It is not using any aggressive, greasy solvents so it seldom causes skin irritation and allergic reactions and enables you to style your hair as usual. And since there is no over-absorption there is a lesser risk of negative side effects such as facial hair growth. Therefore, some dermatologists and hair transplant doctors recommend Rogaine foam to their female patients as one of the most effective solutions for female baldness although it has not been approved by the FDA for women.

The use of low level light therapy for reducing pain, inflammation, promoting of wound healing, healing of deeper tissue and nerves, and preventing tissue damage has been known for almost 40 years since the invention of lasers. Laser caps can be today found in almost any hair transplant clinic to help heal the wounds after the surgery. The HairMax LaserComb is a hand-held lower level laser therapy device that contains a single laser module that emulates beams at a certain wavelength. The novelty that this device introduces is a technique of parting the user’s hair by combs that are attached to the device. This improves delivery of distributed laser light to the scalp. The combs are designed so that each of the teeth on the combs aligns with a laser beam. By aligning the teeth with the laser beams, the hair can be parted and the laser energy delivered to the scalp of the user without obstruction by the individual hairs on the scalp. This makes the delivery more effective.

The aim of the recent study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of the HairMax LaserComb device in the promotion of hair growth and in halting of hair loss in males diagnosed with hereditary baldness. This was a double-blind, sham device-controlled, multicentre, 26-week trial randomized study with male patients with Norwood-Hamilton classes IIa-V. The sham device used in the study was identical with the studied device except that the laser light was replaced by a non-active light source. Of the 110 patients who completed the study, subjects in the HairMax LaserComb treatment group exhibited a significantly greater increase in terminal hair density than subjects in the sham device group. Consistent with this evidence, significant improvements in overall hair regrowth were demonstrated in terms of patients’ subjective assessment. The HairMax LaserComb was well tolerated with no serious adverse effects reported. The results of this study suggest that the HairMax LaserComb is an effective, well tolerated and safe laser therapy device for the treatment of hereditary form of hair loss in male patients.

Hair loss in women can have several forms and causes just like the men’s hair loss. Female loss of hair can be due to alopecia areata or its many different forms, it can be stress induced (such as telogen effluvium), it can be caused by hormonal changes during and post menopause or after giving a birth, but the main cause of hair loss in women is the metabolite of the male hormone testosterone – dihydrotestosterone – also known as DHT, attacking and destroying the hair follicles. It may sound strange but female bodies also produce the male hormone testosterone that is being converted into the follicle harming DHT. This type of hair loss affects about 25% of women and it is hereditary and usually becomes most pronounced after menopause. However, it can start as early as in the teens. The main difference between the male and female form of baldness is in its shape – women lose their hair around their whole scalp, so that their hair loss is less focused and less noticeable since it is diffuse.

When it comes to treating hair loss in women the available treatments are in a short supply when compared to men’s options. Although women can use Rogaine (minoxidil), usually only 2% strength of minoxidil is recommended in order to avoid undesirable facial hair growth. However, women may not use the men’s most powerful hair re-growth pill Propecia (finasteride) as it could cause irreparable harm to the male fetus should they be or become pregnant shortly after they came in contact with this substance. Nevertheless, there happens to be at least one medication available, which can be used by women that has been shown to be quite effective in treating female pattern baldness. It is a chemical substance called spironolactone also known as generic Aldactone. Generic Aldactone apart from being a diuretic is also used to treat acne and excess body hair in women. Its hair growth promoting properties are due to the same factor as those of the men’s most potent hair loss pill Propecia. However, spironolactone though widely used so, has never been approved for treating hair loss. Despite that many doctors prescribe spironolactone to their female hair loss patients as the treatment of the last resort with good rates of success. Male patients should avoid this medication because of its strong feminizing effects. Spironolactone is actually used by transvestites for its feminizing qualities.

Most hair loss patients have no faith in existing hair loss treatments and this statement mainly applies to men. They know that male baldness has been accompanying men for thousands of years and do not bother trying to change it. In addition, they know that most treatments are ineffective and often just being a scam. However, there are two medications that have been approved for treating hair loss in male patients not only by the US health authority FDA but also by many national health authorities in different countries around the world. These two drugs known as minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia) have been used for little more than two decades (Propecia even less than two decades) and though not being the ultimate cure for baldness, they have proved to be the most powerful hair loss treatments available, especially when used together.

Rogaine is the trademark of the first hair loss product that used minoxidil as its main active substance. Minoxidil is now available in many different products. It is always applied directly to the scalp and it comes in liquid form or as a foam. Minoxidil is also suitable for women, especially the Rogaine foam. You can find minoxidil lotions in almost any pharmacy and it is usually very cheap, especially if you decide to buy some generic product.

Propecia is probably the best known male hair loss treatment today and probably also the most effective weapon in the fight against male pattern baldness. Propecia contains finasteride as its sole active substance and besides the branded, relatively expensive product, generic Propecia is widely available at discount prices in numerous online pharmacies. Propecia is once a day pill and it requires a doctor’s prescription. It may not be used female hair loss patients.