Archive for the ‘hair loss’ Category

Relationships and hair loss

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

My husband has been losing his hair since before we met. What little hair he had left, he was coloring because he was also prematurely gray.

He believed he would never find a girl near his age if he did not color his hair. Lucky for him, I believe in leaving things alone. His hair loss did not bother me, and as the colored hair grew and was cut off, his gray hair revealed the life experiences he already had. His gray hair matched who he was and losing the colored hair helped me see him more clearly.

Do we think that people will feel a certain way because we would feel the same way in a similar situation? Good thing I was not losing any hair, and the gray is cleverly hidden among the strawberry blond. I really want to just buzz my hair off, but my husband seems to think I need hair.

We all know someone that says they would not marry someone with or without (fill in the blank) or something along those lines. What if a person can not get past their spouses’ hair loss?

Can hair loss actually end a relationship? Sadly, hair loss has been blamed for ending relationships, but I am sure the problem was much deeper than that.

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How Long Do Hair Loss Treatments Take

Friday, September 18th, 2009

How long do you think you should wait before you start to see results from your hair loss treatment. Of course, it does depend on the type of treatment you are using.

Did you know that for most drug supplemented hair follicle treatments, doctors recommend that you give a treatment a year before you see appreciable results. A YEAR! That sure does seem like a long time.

With that being said, you should seek treatment for hair loss as soon as you notice it. The longer you wait to begin treatment, the longer it will be before you see any result from treatment.

Of course, some hair loss is not treatable with medications, and other therapies, such as hair transplants, hair pieces or seeking no additional treatment may need to be considered.

I was surprised to see “a year” as the time frame to wait to see any results, but considering the cycle of growth for human hair, it does make sense.

As with any kind of treatment or therapy, use common sense when making decisions for your care. In most cases, hair loss is not life threatening. Weight the pros and cons of seeking treatment and what the side effects of treatment may be before starting a hair loss remedy program.

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Alopecia areata

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Alopecia Areata is a hair loss condition that causes the hair to fall out spontaneously. It is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the body attacks the hair follicles, causing them to fall out and keeping new hair from growing.

Alopecia usually starts in childhood, but can start in adulthood. Approximately 5 million people in the United States have Alopecia. It does seem to have a genetic link as well. Twenty percent of people affected with Alopecia have a family member that has it also.

There is no known treatment for this disorder. Steroid creams may be applied to the scalp, but no treatment has been proven to work. The FDA has not approved any medication for the treatment of Alopecia.

It usually starts as small areas of hair loss on the scalp. Sometimes stressful events can trigger the hair loss. Sometimes the hair does grow back, but usually the hair loss is permanent. Some sufferers experience total body hair loss, including eyelashes, eyebrows and all other body hair.

Some people with Alopecia opt to use wigs. Some have embraced their hair loss and chose to be bald.

There are support groups for people with Alopecia. It is a great source of encouragement and advice.

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Home hair loss remedies

Friday, September 11th, 2009

I was surfing the internet and typed in “hair loss remedy”. The first site under the sponsored ads was a site that talked about a home remedy using herbs and oils applied to the scalp.

The first couple of things stated were very interesting.

1) Too much Vitamin A in the diet can cause hair loss.

This is the first I have ever read that, but this is also the first time I have looked for this specific topic.

2) That hormonal changes can cause hair loss. Although I already knew that, it felt good to see some one else agree with me.

The next part made me wonder:

A recipe for a “habbit”.

I’m not going to give the recipe, but I will tell you that there are a few ingredients that I have not heard of before and can not buy locally. As I continued to read the recipe and the procedure for putting this stuff on the scalp, I wondered why anyone would go to these great lengths to regrow their hair.  And then i wondered if it actually works and finally i realized that this web site is at the TOP of the search.

Remedy for hair loss is a hot topic.

Remember to test out any ingredients on a small patch of skin on the inside of your arm before you place them on your scalp to see if you have an allergic reaction to any ingredients.

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Is Bald Attractive?

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

How many of the actors you admire have suffered from hair loss?  Do you look at them and feel sorry for them?  I don’t.

What we do with our hair changes our appearance. I know that seems like a “duh” comment, but think about it.  Can you imagine what Captain Picard would look like with hair?  How about Yul Brenner (the king in “The King and I”)?  They would be totally different men and probably not placed in those roles had their hair been different (or present).

As for the women: Demi Moore looked pretty good with a buzz cut in G.I Jane. Kirstie Alley was fabulous as a Vulcan with no hair in “Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn”.

We seem to want what we have no control over.  Can you control your hair loss?  Is that why the loss itself is bothering you so much?  How does your spouse feel about your hair loss?  I happen to think my husband looks even more handsome with his hair buzzed short!

I know we need to feel good about ourselves, but did we decide if we don’t feel good about our hair loss because we don’t have any control over it, or it really looks bad.  Chances are it does not look bad to anyone else.  We need to stop being so critical of ourselves.

Take some time to decide why you feel why you do about your hair loss.  You may find that it has nothing to do with your looks and everything to do with how out of control you are of the loss.

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Haircuts For Thinning Hair

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

Even though you may be struggling with hair loss, you still need to take care of the hair that you already have. The following is based on my own personal observations.

A Flattering Style

Pick a style that lets you move through your day without a lot of maintenance. You really don’t want to be looking for a mirror every chance you have.  I personally chose a style that allows my hair to be combed in such a way that the focal point on my head is on the opposite side of my thinning area.

Pick a Color

I am a big believer of leaving things the way G-d gave them to you, but in the case of thinning hair, coloring can actually draw attention from your thinning problem.  Try to color or highlight your hair to be closer in lightness or darkness to your skin tone on your scalp.  Your thinning area will be less noticeable.

Use clothing and accessories to draw attention from your thinning area if possible. Maybe even use hats when appropriate to bring your whole “look” together.

Be balanced

No one sees your hair loss as much as you do.  They see you as a whole person. Try to stay balanced. Try to ask for a trusted person’s opinion before trying a new style for the first time.

Good luck!!

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Facts About Hair Loss

Monday, August 31st, 2009

What is “Baldness?” I realize that it is hair loss, but do you really have to have exposed patches of skin to be considered “balding”? No.

Gradual Loss

When I was a kid, my hair was so thick that my mom could not get a rubber band around the end of my braid.  I don’t have that problem now.  I had never really considered if some hair loss is to be expected as we get older.

Why we feel the way we do

Why do some people pursue hair loss remedies and some people choose to accept their balding as it comes? Does it come down to how we want to present ourselves?  Is our hair WHO we are?

Receding Line

Maybe we need to take a step back and talk with our loved ones and our doctor before we decide on a treatment to stop or reverse hair loss. Obviously, hair loss is a big thing that affects how we feel about ourselves. We will have a terrible time being objective about the steps to take and when to say we have tried enough.

Accepting

While you are pursuing hair loss treatment, remember that you are not your hair loss! Your loss does not reflect on who you are as a person, nor does it determine how others see you as a person.

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Is There A Cure For Hair Loss

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

Is there a cure for hair loss? In some cases, yes!  Your doctor may be able to help you figure out if your hair loss is reversible.

Is it genetic?

Baldness seems to be the classic example used when explaining genetics in biology class.  Do you remember the “B” and “b” in the Punnett squares?  How many of use figured out we had a 75% chance of becoming bald that day?

Is your baldness caused by infection?

Is your scalp red and inflamed? There are some infections of the scalp that can contribute to baldness. Most of these infections are treatable.  Your hair growth may resume after treatment if your baldness is caused by a skin infection.

Are your medications causing you to lose your hair?

This is a question worth having answered. Don’t pull your hair out finding it, though. Your doctor or pharmacist should be able to help you know which medications have this possible side effect and see if there is a suitable substitute.

Stimulus package for hair growth

There are topical medications that can help stimulate your hair to grow again. These also are worth looking into. Check with your doctor to make sure none of your current medications will effect or be affected by a topical hair growth preparation.

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