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Posts Tagged ‘Alopecia Areata’

Male Hair Loss and Tips

Hair loss usually develops gradually and may be patchy or diffuse (all over). The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp and can be the result of heredity, certain medications or an underlying medical condition. Baldness or hair loss is typically something need to worry about. Hair loss during adolescence can mean a person’s sick or maybe just not eating right. Some medications or medical treatments, like chemotherapy treatment for cancer, also cause people to lose their hair. Some hair loss sufferers make use of clinically proven treatments such as finasteride and topically applied minoxidil (in solution) in an attempt to prevent further loss and regrow hair. Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they’ve had a baby. This loss is also related to hormones. During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine.

People with hair loss may sometimes be more likely to have a negative body image than those without hair loss. The infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines. Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Both men and women tend to lose hair thickness and amount as they age. Inherited or “pattern baldness” affects many more men than women. Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners. Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children. About 25% of men begin to bald by the time they are 30 years old, and about two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60. Male pattern baldness (also known as genetic hair loss or alopecia androgenetica) is the most common form of hair loss in men. Men – and some women – lose hair as they grow older. Male pattern baldness represents about 90% of all hair loss cases. The result is either a receding hairline or thinning hair at the crown of the head. Androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) has a characteristic pattern of hair loss; it begins with a slight recession at the front hairline and is followed by thinning on the crown of the head.

Alopecia Areata is an extremely common condition and will affect 1% to 2% of the population at some point in their lives. Men with male-pattern hair loss may have an expectation of hair loss if they have male relatives who lost hair in a recognizably male pattern. For men who are experiencing thinning hair, their follicles on the top of the head are genetically vulnerable to baldness. Over time, these genetically vulnerable follicles are acted upon by the hormone DHT. This hormone binds with the receptor sites of these vulnerable follicles and causes a miniaturization of the hair shaft and follicle over time. Male pattern hair loss (Androgenetic Alopecia) is an inherited condition manifested when androgens are present in normal amounts. The gene can be inherited from the mother or father’s side. The onset, rate, and severity of hair loss are unpredictable. The severity increases with age and if the condition is present it will be progressive and relentless. Hair restoration surgery works by relocating the bald resistant hair follicles from the back of the head to the balding areas on top.

Male Hair Loss Treatment Tips

1. Wigs and hair transplants are, obviously, the most direct form of treatment.

2. Herbal preparations that contain zinc, magnesium, iron, vitamin E and other substances in various combinations can help.

3. Minoxidil is a lotion available from the pharmacist that you rub on to the scalp.

4. Finasteride (Propecia) is the latest drug treatment.

5. Rogaine, or minoxidil, which is a topical product, liquid, which is applied directly to the scalp twice a day.

Hair Transplant Complications

At our Orange County Hair Transplant Clinic, we received an email from a patient who already had a hair transplant from another clinic. He writes: “I received hair restoration surgery… and my hair never grew in the area and I followed all the directions carefully.” He then asks, “Is there any other solutions to bring back my hair?”Hair transplant surgery can seem as a simple procedure but there are certain factors that can cause suboptimal growth of newly transplanted hair. It is OK for any patient who is considering or has had a hair transplant procedure to be concerned about the survival of their newly transplanted hair. These issues can be categorized into two factors:

Both can potentially determine what the outcome of your hair transplant procedure will be.Technical Issues

Patient Factor

Results are usually more evident after about one year so we recommend having your hair reevaluated by a good hair transplant surgeon if there is any doubt. Once a reevaluation is completed your hair transplant surgeon can help you treat the disorder that caused your less than desirable growth results and even tell you what may have caused your condition.

US Hair Restoration Weblog posted the original blog titled Unsuccessful Hair Transplant

Buying a Hairpiece

December 9th, 2009 ClipHairExtensionsPro No comments

A hair system can be any type of borrowed hair in the form of a full wig, hairpiece, weave, hair extension or a toupee, which replaces your own missing hair. Hair systems are often the only remaining option to replace the lost hair and to regain the appearance of a full head of hair. The quality and the price of hair systems depend on a variety of factors, such as the type of hair used, the production process used to weave the wig, the foundation of the hair system and how it is attached to the scalp.

The type of hair is the first thing many buyers will ask about. Both natural and artificial hair can be used. The natural hair can be of human or animal origin. Some hair systems blend human hair with animal hair to save on cost. The human hair can be of Asian origin (the least expensive option), Indian origin or European origin (the most expensive option). Asian and Indian hair must be often bleached, which makes it brittle and less durable. Considering the harvesting methods, virgin hair is the most expensive and hair gained from combs and hairbrushes the least expensive option. Human hair requires more care than artificial hair but it looks much more authentic, lasts longer and is more comfortable to wear. Its downside is its higher cost and the fact that it can lose its colour when exposed to direct sunshine for long hours or break, as normal human hair does.

As far as the manufacturing process is concerned, hair systems can be hand-tied or machine-tied. Hand-tied wigs can also be custom made, which happens to be the most expensive alternative. The foundation of a hair system can be either a polymer or a mesh. The polymer foundation is a more affordable but also a less comfortable option. A mesh structure breathes better than polymer structures and is therefore more comfortable to wear but, besides being more expensive, it is also a less durable alternative and more difficult to maintain. Mesh is suitable for creating authentic-looking hairlines, so many wigs combine both technologies, mesh for the hairline and the polymer structure for the inside of the wig.

The method of attaching a wig to your scalp and blending it with your existing hair is an immensely important factor (more info: http://www.greyhairloss.com/hair-replacement.html). There are semi-permanently attached hair systems that are either glued to your scalp or woven into your existing hair and these can only be removed in a hair salon once every five or six weeks for cleaning. These systems cling tightly to your scalp and can be unhealthy and uncomfortable to wear after a couple of weeks of use. The temporarily-attached hair systems use double-sided sticky tape or clips to fix the hairpiece to your scalp and existing hair. They can be removed and cleaned any time you wish but can also be easily and unexpectedly removed, leading to embarrassing situations.

The final, determining factor when deciding on buying a hair system is the price. Any hair system is temporary in nature, it will not last for ever like hair transplants do. Nevertheless, they can be quite expensive. Hair transplants can cost as much as ten thousand dollars or more. Although you can get a wig for a few hundred dollars, the more authentic pieces cost a few thousand dollars and require regular maintenance costing a couple of hundred dollars a month. In addition, you have to buy at least two identical pieces, one to wear while the other is being maintained by your hair salon. Though not cheap, hair systems are often the only option to replace the lost hair for many alopecia areata patients, as well as a large percentage of female hair loss sufferers.