Have you ever heard that alopecia can suddenly become more than a purely cosmetic trouble?

No matter what they say, we all live in a harsh world having very strict standards of attractiveness. Every individual does his or her best to fit into this narrow beauty span and look the way we are supposed to look. Do you really consider it is purely teenager behavior? Sorry to disappoint you, but cosmetic surgeries, beauty saloons and fitness centers are full of grownup individuals who risk their health and spend crazy sums of money to look the way fashionable stars and public people do!

As you can see, our good looks matters a lot these days! Some thing like stylish clothes and posh accessories can be easily purchased, others are part of our looks, that is why it is rather backbreaking to put them straight. You are expected to be blessed with large clear eyes, thick shiny hair, flawless teeth and immaculate skin to become interesting and irresistible for your interlocutor! Recent research demonstrate that good-looking individuals find jobs and make friends easier than plain ones. They have two or three times as much sexual partners, are always trusted and are rarely suspected in committing different crimes. Do you still believe we all are equal?

As you might guess, hair loss is one of the appearance trouble making personalities feel absolutelvery awkward. It is advisable to learn some facts about your hair and find the best way out in case of necessity or to help your relatives and friends face this disappointing situation.

As you might remember, your hair has a normal cycle of life. The period of 2-3 years is considered optimal for your hair to grow and stay on your head. Each tiny hair grows as fast as 1 centimeter a month. Scientists say that about 90% of the hair on the scalp is in the phase of growing. The rest of the hair (about 10%) is in its resting phase. This means that 1/10 of your hair is rather old and after 3-4 months the resting part of your chevelure is going to fall out just to give way to young hairs! As a result you can see a few hairs on you comb, bed, clothes and in the shower - it is a part of usual process. The problem is when your hair loss becomes excessive.

It is generally stated that hair loss is a purely men’s disorder. In reality it is not so - men, females and even kids can experience this cosmetic problem for a number of reasons.

To avoid a certain misunderstanding of terms, let us find out what common baldness is. As a rule this word-combination is used to describe a permanent-pattern baldness characteristic for many men over 30. The medical term for this sort of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia. It is universally believed that sort of baldness is an inherited trait. It is marked by receding hair line and complete baldness on the top of the head. As many cases demonstrate, males who start losing their hair rather early (when they are under 30) in the course of time receive extensive baldness while men who showed no early signs of androgenetic alopecia can enjoy their thick chevelure for the rest of their lives.

Unlike men, women can partially lose their hair over the entire scalp showing no bald spots. Thinner hair without any changes in hair line forms so-called female-pattern baldness.

People can find out they lose hair excessively after some illness or a major surgery. As a rule it happens 3-4 months afterwards. In this case we speak about the stress caused by the disease and have nothing serious to overcome - this hair loss is temporary, the amount of dead hairs will become less with every week.

Hormonal disasters are also often responsible for hair loss. Number one problem here is your thyroid gland - if it is overactive or underactive, your hair will fall out excessively. As soon as you start managing you thyroid disease, your hair will be OK again. Male and female hormones (androgens and estrogens) can also cause excessive hair loss if they are out of balance in the body. See your MD and take a course of treatment for correcting the hormone imbalance and soon you will notice your hair stopped falling out!

The majority of women having a 3 months old baby state they lose hair excessively. There is nothing to worry about here! The point is certain hormones during the pregnancy keep all your hair from falling out. As soon as your hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, your body restores the usual cycle of hair growth and normal hair loss starts anew!

If you take certain medicines for a long period of time, be aware of the fact they can affect your hair! Anticoagulants (or so called blood thinners), anti-gout medicines, medicines for high blood pressure or heart problems, birth control pills, antidepressants and vitamin A in big doses can influence your scalp in a negative way causing excessive hair loss. As soon as you stop taking the pills in question, the normal cycle of hair growth and hair loss will recommence.

Never forget that fungal infections of the scalp cause excessive hair loss, too. The majority of cases of that type are associated with children. The good news is that this kind of infections can be easily and swiftly treated with special antifungal pills.

A chronic disease, especially one connected with your immune system, such as lupus or diabetes, can affect the state and thickness of your hair as well. Be careful, Because, hair loss can become one of the premonitory symptoms of a starting disease and if you report to your MD about it in time you can start your treatment as soon as possible and expect a complete recovery or at least a long-term remission.

Medical practice shows that some hairstyles or treatments cause hair loss, too! If you are a fan of pigtails, ponytails, cornrows and extremely tight hair rollers and you keep wearing them season in and season out, you can end up losing a part of your hair! In fact, you will get so-called traction alopecia. The pleasant fact is that if you give your hair more freedom and stop damaging it, your chevelure will grow back normally, unless you have already developed scars on your scalp. Sorry to disappoint you, scarring causes irreparable hair loss. Remember that you can get scalp scars in the process of hot oil hair treatments and when you have your permanents (usually called “perms”) done. The trouble is that the chemicals used in permanents are ruinous for your hair follicles; they may cause inflammation and swelling which results in scarring and excessive hair loss.

The question if your doctor can do something about your hair loss is quite normal. The answer is “yes”! Be ready to give you MD some information about your way of life and harmful habits, about your diet and meds you’re taking, about your chronic and recent diseases etc. Female questionnaire includes questions about menstrual cycle, pregnancies and menopause. Later you doc will want to give you a physical exam and make several tests like blood test, biopsy etc. This will help you doctor make sure what exactly causes your extensive hair loss.

As a rule, examining and diagnosing is followed by a special kind of treatment. What is the treatment for hair loss like? If you problem is caused by the meds you take daily, your doc can prescribe you a different one. If you lose your hair because of some infection, it will be recognized and cured, and you will soon grow your chevelure back. If you happen to have a certain hormone imbalance certain medical treatment will soon allow you to enjoy your shaggy mane again!

What is more, modern pharmaceutical industry works miracles. This means you can buy a wide range of medications preventing the development of common baldness! Please, remember that some medicines like Rogaine (generic name Minoxidil) are available in any online drugstore no prescription needed and can be used by both genders. Other meds like Finasteride are meant for men only! Keep them away from females, children and pets!

If you decided to grow your hair back and get medications, be prepared to take your meds regularly for a considerable period of time. Usually it takes you up to 6 months to see the results with your own eyes.

Even if no medical treatment is available for you, do not despair! Firstly, you can try alternative medicine. Secondly, your esthetic trouble can be solved with the help of different hairstyles, as well as cosmetic hair transplantation.

Anyway, growing your hair back is a slow process taking a lot of time! Do not become isolated in you own house! If you are a female, top-quality wigs and hairpieces will help you out any time - believe it or not, a lot of celebrities wear them! If you are a male, consider shaving off all your hair - it is fairly considered cool and sex appealing! Give it a proper thought and you will doubtlessly find the best way out!

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