Thursday, September 18, 2008

15 Hair Care Myths

Everyone has a favourite myth about hair care – and we usually never let the truth get in the way of a good legend! This article examines some of the most widely known - and the reality behind the myths.

1. Excessive washing of hair causes hair loss/dryness
FALSE: Frequency of washing doesn’t harm hair. Wash it as often as you like, although the recommendation is three times a week. The right shampoo for your hair type and texture will actually add moisture, body and beauty to your hair.

2. More shampoo = cleaner hair
FALSE: Don’t waste your shampoo! A dollop of shampoo, about the size of a quarter is usually enough for long hair. Very long hair may take a little more.

3. Conditioner helps repair split ends
FALSE: No conditioner can "repair" damaged hair. What it can do is smooth down the cuticle and make hair seem in better condition. A good conditioner can also prevent damage from occurring in the first place.

4. Blow-drying produces hair loss
FALSE: Blow-drying can damage, burn or dry hair, which can cause it to fall, but the hair will grow back immediately. This is not permanent hair loss.

5. Sleeping with wet hair causes scalp fungus
FALSE: Scalp or fungal diseases can’t be caught from sleeping with wet scalps. Scalp infections require prior involvement with infected sources such as humans, tainted hair care tools or animals. Scalp fungus (tinea capitis) mainly affects children, whose immune systems make them more susceptible to skin infections.

6. To get your hair to grow, brush 100 strokes each day
FALSE: Brushing that much can damage the hair cuticle. NOT recommended! Actually, your hair reacts better to a comb than a brush. Brushing it will only lead to split ends and hair breakage.

7. Sharing combs and brushes can spread scalp diseases
TRUE: Lice and other parasites can be transported from scalp to scalp through the sharing of combs, brushes and other hair care tools.

8. Cutting hair makes it grow faster and/or thicker
FALSE: This common misconception comes from the fact that hair is thicker at the base than it is at the tip, so shorter hair appears thicker at first. Cutting your hair does not affect its normal biologically determined growth rate or overall texture. Thin, limp or fine hair will not ever grow thicker in response to a haircut. Plump up your hair by using volume enhancing hair care products, experimenting with a hair fattening blunt cut or getting a texturizing perm or color treatment.

9. Color treatment causes hair loss
FALSE: Most hair coloring products contain chemicals that can do serious harm to the hair itself if not properly used, but it wont instigate hair loss.

10. Salon products are identical to drugstore products
FALSE: Although there are exceptions, salon products generally contain higher quality, more expensive ingredients that are designed to consistently provide more intensive cleansing, moisturizing and conditioning results. The quality ingredients found in salon products are not usually found in drugstore brands. If in doubt – read the labels.

11. Long sun exposure favors hair loss
FALSE: Your hair acts as a shield against the sun. Hair loss appears at the follicle level and so the sun would have to penetrate at this depth to do any damage.

12. Diet is related to hair loss
TRUE: it's important to eat right in order to be generally healthy. However, no individual food has been proven to be beneficial or detrimental to hair.

13. Stress causes hair loss
TRUE: Severe stress (e.g. surgery or a death in the family), can shut down hair production, causing temporary hairloss (alopecia areata). The scalp usually recuperates, though, and hair grows back

14. Wearing tight braids, ponytails or buns causes baldness
TRUE: Traction alopecia is a very real hair loss condition that is quite common amongst older African American women. It results from wearing tight ponytails, cornrows or buns over an extended period of time. Over time, hair breakage or loss as the result of tight, stressed styles, can become permanent. Avoid this potential problem by opting for looser styles that minimize scalp tension.

15. Smoking causes gray hair
TRUE: According to J. G. Mosley of the Leigh Infirmary in Lancashire, England in an article in Science News (January 11, 1997) smokers are four times more likely to have gray hair than non-smokers. Even worse, smoking has been conclusively linked to accelerated hair loss.

SUMMARY

Heard another myth about hair? Do your research – ask an expert! This doesn’t include your grandmother, best friend or local barmaid. Instead, talk to an experienced hairdresser or a trichologist. Always get the real facts before you act on any hair myths – you owe it to your hair.

5 Steps To Conquering Male Hair Loss

Would you like to know how to conquer your hair loss problem?

Well, here are the 5 critical steps that have been followed by every single guy who has ever conquered their hair loss problem...

LISTEN TO ME: If you want to conquer your hair loss, then what do you think you need to do?

That's right, YOU MUST follow these same steps. There is no question about it...

So, without further ado, here goes...

Critical Step #1: YOU MUST understand why YOUR hair loss is occuring. Otherwise, to put it politely – You have no hope!

Critical Step #2: YOU MUST be equipped with the most powerful treatments and techniques on the planet. This is not any easy task – sifting through hundreds of scam treatments to find one or two "real deal" treatments is like finding a needle in a haystack...

Critical Step #3: YOU MUST develop a treatment regime. A treatment regime is a combination approach towards hair loss. See, if you just take 1 approach, you'll be throwing all your eggs in one basket! You also need to choose treatments that you are personally comfortable with using. There are upsides and downsides to every treatment...

Critical Step #4: YOU MUST develop a plan of action, and decide which treatments to include in your regime. Then you need to get hold of these treatments at reasonable prices. And boy, there is a gigantic range in prices for the same ingredients!

Critical Step #5: YOU MUST commit to a plan and then find an effective way to track your results. It's the only way that you'll know whether your treatment regime is working...

The bottom line? Conquering your hair loss problem will take a little effort, but believe me, its worth it...


About the author:
Dave Klein is the author of The Ultimate Hair Loss Solution http://www.HowToStopHairLoss.com

Monday, September 8, 2008

Hair Loss Treatments

The desire to avoid hair loss is not confined to our time. In ancient Egypt, men used to rub fat from crocodiles, snakes, lions, and other animals on their head in hopes of preventing or treating hair loss. Julius Caesar and Napoleon also experienced hair loss and tried to conceal it by growing their hair long in the back and combing it forward over their heads. Today, this motivation to avoid balding is still evident.

There are many available hair loss remedies that include creams, vitamins, hormones, wigs, hairpieces, hair transplants, and scalp-reduction procedures. A report filed recently by the FDA stated that in a nine year time-span, about 300,000 hair loss treatment products claiming to help hair regrowth were investigated.

Non-surgical treatment options also include hair additions such as hair weaves, hairpieces and toupees. These devices are made of human hair, synthetic fibers or a combination of both. Constructed in a variety of ways, these hair loss aides can give you the look of having a full, natural head of hair without the expense of costly surgeries or expensive medicines.

If typical hair loss treatment products aimed to slow down or stop hair loss are ineffective and you have the time and money, there are surgical treatments for hair-loss. Hair transplant surgery is costly and sometimes painful. During surgery, healthy hair follicles are taken from the back and sides of the head and transplanted onto other areas of the scalp where they replace dead follicles. This treatment option typically takes from one to two years to be complete and can have mixed results. It is best to talk to and meet people treated by the doctor you are seeing so you can be sure the results are similar to your expectations before going through with the treatment. 

Hair Loss - Tips for Success

Billions of dollars will be spent on hair loss solutions this year. Much of this money will go to waste. Ineffective products and misleading advertising are only partially to blame. Many consumers are not using these hair loss products in an effective way. Fortunately there are a few simple ways that consumers can increase their chance of success. Following these guidelines will ensure that your money does not go to waste:

Start a Journal

People usually try several different hair loss products before they find something that works for them. Many use two or more products simultaneously. Keeping track of all this information can be frustrating and difficult. The best way to figure out what is working is to keep a journal detailing your progress. You should record all relevant information about the treatment process: when you started, the dosage, cost, and any side effects you experience. This documentation will tell you which products are effective, which ones are not, and allow you to make changes as you see fit.

Take Pictures

Noticing small changes in your hairline over time is extremely difficult. Taking pictures on a regular basis is the most effective ways to track your progress. Always photograph your head from the same angle, in similar lighting conditions. Use a digital camera for best results, most will automatically record the date and time for you. When combined with a treatment journal, these photos provide an invaluable tool that will allow you to judge the effectiveness of products you use.

Do Your Homework

The Internet is flooded with products claiming to cure and treat hair loss. Finding out which ones are legitimate can be a difficult task. When researching products online, beware of those that sound too good to be true. If the company has before and after pictures, examine them closely. If the images were shot from different angles, or in different lighting, be suspicious. These techniques are common camera tricks used to fool the eye, and the consumer. When a company claims their product has a "98% success rate", look for documentation of their clinical study. If the clinical information they provide is vague, or even missing altogether, be wary.

If you follow these steps during your treatment, your chances of success are excellent. One last tip - any successful regimen requires dedication. Whatever the treatment is, carefully follow the instructions from your doctor or the product manufacturer. 

Hair loss causes – baldness triggers and treatments

Baldness is a problematic condition for a large majority of the male population. Find out how to effectively identify different hair loss causes and how to remove their negative effects by finding the appropriate treatment.

Hair loss causes – hormonal imbalance

Hormonal problems are often known to cause hair loss issues, especially if the thyroid gland becomes overactive (or even under active). Certain hair loss products are focused on balancing your hormonal levels, and it is important to make sure that you have correctly identified the hair loss trigger before starting treatment. Other hormonal imbalances might trigger hair loss: androgens and estrogens are essential male and female hormones and their imbalance can cause multiple physical changes, including falling hair. Your hair loss product should be specifically designed to work in particular hormonal problems – make sure to consult with your doctor in order to identify the causes precisely.

Drug effects on hair loss

After different illnesses or surgery procedures, hair loss is a common side effect. This might be due to the chemical composition of the drug treatments used for treating the illness. However, hair loss might also happen because of stress and anxiety related to the illness. In such cases, finding the right hair loss product or treatment should consider the triggering cause. Different drugs, like anticoagulants, chemotherapy or excessive A vitamin intakes may trigger hair loss. In accordance to the trigger, your hair loss product should aim specifically at reducing excessive hair falling while not interfering with the effect of other drugs. Your doctors should help you make a correct decision in this case. Here are the most common hair loss related diseases and conditions:

Toxic alopecia

This is a temporary infection of the scalp, caused by various diseases such as diabetes, syphilis, poor digestions and different hormonal problems. Different mineral and vitamin deficiencies may also lead to male hair loss through alopecia. This is especially true for the A vitamin deficiency. The infectious disease can last up to four months and is one of the most brutal and severe hair loss problems.

Male hair loss and scarring alopecia

A variation of the above mentioned disease, scarring occurs after the scalp tissue becomes inflamed and begins to decompose. Various causes may lead to scarring alopecia: physical trauma, injuries, burns, prolonged x-ray exposure. Other causes might be of infectious nature: deep ulcers, sarcoidosis, syphilis, or tuberculosis, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, lichen planus, chronic deep bacterial or fungal infections. Male hair loss through scarring alopecia is severe ad re-growth is usually not expected without medical intervention.

Alopecia areata - another male hair loss problem

This form of infection is also known to have rapid effects and produce sudden male hair loss. Although less severe than the infections mentioned previously, alopecia areata is still a problem some men have to face. The number of patients affected by it is very low and treatment is sometimes unnecessary, since the hair re-growth process starts on its own.

Trichotillomania

This is not a physical hair loss condition, but rather a psychologically induced one. It is a habit of pulling out hair and is often left undiagnosed. Although it starts during childhood, the condition often continues to adulthood, becoming one of the male hair loss problems.

For updated baldness treatment and hair loss information please visit our website: www.hairloss-expert.com 

Hair Loss: Know The Cause, Know The Cure

Don’t you envy those young men in the streets with full heads of hair? Hair has always been considered a man’s crowning glory, while hair loss has been regarded as signs of ageing and unattractiveness.

So, losing hair has always been a problem for many men.

Well, it no longer has to be a problem! If you know your hair problem, you can find out the cure easily. In this article, I hope to present to you the major causes of hair loss, and the things that you should do if you have such a problem.

Of course, you may also want to take a look at my book:
http://www.myhealthweekly.com/presents/hairloss/

Cause 1: Genetic Balding
This is seen in men and women alike, and this constitutes the majority of cases of hair loss. The most commonly used cure is treatment with 2% topical minoxidil. However, only around 30% of users show noticeable improvement, and stopping the use of the drug might result in loss of the newly grown hair. When 0.05% retinoic acid solution is added however, a higher percentage of users show moticeable improvement. Consult your doctor about using these drugs.

Cause 2: Fungal Infection
Fungal infection often causes patchy hair loss, and red scalp, scaling (dandruff) and pus is often seen. This type of infection can be easily treated with a few months’ course of anti-fungal agents, used simultaneously with anti-fungal shampoo.

Cause 3: Major illness/surgery
After you have undergone a major illness or surgery, you might experience this type of hair loss. This type of hair loss can also follow stress or childbirth. However, such hair loss is temporary, and hair will regrow in a matter of months.

Cause 4: Drugs
There are various drugs that can cause hair loss, such as vitamin A, chemotherapy, blood thinners, and thyroid medication. However, hair will also regrow soon after the discontinuation of the drug. Alternative medication can be prescribed by the doctor if this is the cause of hair loss.

In conclusion, hair loss, though distressful, is not life threatening. Medication provided by the doctor can solve most of the problems, and in severe cases, a local injection onto the scalp will cause hair to grow back.

Hair loss

Male Pattern Baldness:
On average, there are 90,000 to 150,000 hairs on the scalp. The hairs grow from roots called follicles. Blood vessels at the base of each follicle provide nourishment vital for hair and hair growth. Hair growth in each root occurs in a cycle independent of each other. At any time about 90 percent of the hairs on the scalp are in the growth phase, while the other 10 percent are in the resting phase. The growth phase can last an average of up to five years, after which the follicle goes into a resting phase, which can last upto four months. At the end of this phase, the hair falls out and is replaced by a new hair. This is all a perfectly normal part of the growth cycle. In fact, on a typical day, up to 150 hairs can be lost. Baldness occurs when hair is lost at an unusually high rate and hair replacement occurs at an unusually slow rate and/or when normal hairs are replaced by weaker, smaller ones.

What is Male Pattern Baldness?:
Almost all cases of hair loss is the result of Male pattern baldness (or androgenetic alopecia). Male pattern baldness occurs much more frequently in men than in women. Even in mild cases It affects roughly 50 million men in the United States. Balding may begin at any age after puberty. While some types of hair loss is reversible, male pattern baldness tends to be permanent. It occurs in a very typical pattern on the scalp. Hair loss usually begins at the temples and at the top of the head toward the back, causing a receding hairline and a bald spot. Sometimes progressing further until the two sections become joined,leaving a horseshoe pattern on the sides and back of the head. Male pattern baldness progresses slowly and is not associated with any physical discomfort.

What causes male pattern baldness?:
Male pattern baldness is thought to be a combination of hormonal and genetic factors. Testosterone and its more potent derivative dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are the contributimg factors of the degree of balddness. Whatever the exact causes of male pattern baldness may be, it is hereditary. A tendency toward baldness on either side of a man's family(mother or father) indicates The speed, pattern,and degree of the balding. Usually, the earlier it begins, the more severe the hair loss will be. Balding is not caused by wearing a hat, you cant regrow hair by Massaging or brushing, or excessive shampooing stimulate hair growth. These are thought to be false. Stress may contribute to a form of hair loss, but normal everyday stress does not contribute to balding.

What are the treatment options for male pattern baldness?
-Herbal Shamppos
-Herbal Remedies
-Specialty Shampoos(for example Helsinki Formula)
-Wigs
-Transplants
-Medication(Propecia,Minoxidil etc)
-Home Remedies
-Others

Hair transplantation:
In hair transplants, healthy live follicles are removed from a donor site on the scalp and transplanted to the balding area. The follicles are commonly taken in "plugs" of one hair to two hairs (micrografts) from the sides or back of the head and moved to the balding area, with the hairline being slowly reconstructed. Larger plugs may be used. Donor sites with full hair make transplants more successful. Some scarring may occur. Transplanted follicles are usually permanent. Synthetic hair has also been used for transplants but has been known for to have a high rate of infection and has been been banned.As with any surgical procedure, hair transplantation present certain risks. If you are considering a transplant, consult your doctor.

Wigs:
A hairpiece can be custom made to cover a balding area. Hairpieces may fade and over time. It is important to clean the scalp under the hairpiece regularly. Another option is a weave, in which fake(synthetic) hair is sewn into existing hair.
This just a quick run down of what happens when most men reach a certain age. Here are a couple of sites that we have found that will educate and inform and give you everything you want to know about Male Pattern Baldness. The reviews are very positive and even might give you possible solutions to this problem that has afflicted almost every man for generations.