Health Beauty & FitnessHealth, Beauty, Fitness Tips

It’s obvious that most people aren’t quite happy with hair loss when it occurs. Of course, there’s a large number of people who are completely cool about balding and don’t find it tragic at all, but most men are quite sensitive about their hair and become worried when the hair loss process takes force. And to make things even more unpleasant, there are actually many different factors that may become the cause of hair loss in each person individually.

In most cases hair loss results from unpleasant factors of nutritional, hormonal, genetic and environmental nature. Although, all of these factors tend to mix up in a unique with every person, there’s nothing really exceptional about them at all. They all are known for disrupting the natural nutrition of hair follicles resulting in decreased rates of natural hair growth and eventual hair loss.

Typical causes of hair loss in men

There are many different conditions and circumstances that may be the actual cause for hair loss in men, and it’s crucial that you define the actual factors in your case. Things like surgery, injury or even psychological trauma can lead to hair loss too. It is important to understand that any stress, whether everyday or an exceptional situation, can lead to the disruption of natural hair nutrition and subsequent balding problems. Things like skin infections and diseases that affect the scalp directly are another set of factors that are quite common candidates for hair loss initiators.

Loss of hair can also be a consequence of certain treatment or medication intake, especially of drugs that affect hormonal levels. Chemical and radiation therapy used for treating certain types of cancer quite often leads to partial or full hair loss. Still, one of the most common causes for hair loss in men, especially of the so called male pattern hair loss, is the excessive amount of DHT production coupled with individual genetics. At first, it was believed that genetics are the main cause for baldness in men. However recent discoveries in this problem have put the genetics a bit further from the forefront of the hair loss development process. Today, most scientists see DHT (dihydrotestosterone) as the main cause for baldness and hair loss in men of different age.

The secret behind DHT

DHT is a powerful androgen that is the primary cause for male pattern hair loss. It affects the hair follicle by shrinking it and making less hair grow instead of lost one. Thus the balding occurs. DHT is formed from testosterone and if there would be a way to prevent this formation than it would be easier to control and reverse hair loss. Propecia and similar drugs work by blocking the formation of DHT, but they are required to be taken on a regular basis in order to provide substantial effects. Once you stop taking Propecia you are quite likely to lose all the restored hair.

Some researchers state that there are natural compounds found in green tea that provide the same effects as Propecia – stopping the formation of DHT that ultimately leads to baldness. However, there’s not much proof to that and the effectiveness of these compounds is still unknown.

One of the most commonly suggested causes of hair loss in both men and women is a genetic defect. The fact it may be inherited means it is not your fault when your hair thins and falls out and, perhaps more importantly, the condition is not necessarily something that can be cured. Of course, there is some evidence that hair loss does run in families, but there is more evidence that our lifestyles and medical decisions can be even more important factors in deciding who loses hair and how quickly. We will ignore the cultural effect of changing hairstyles where too much traction in pulling the hair back into a ponytail or comparable style may accelerate hair loss, the effect of a general anesthetic for surgery (curiously, many who undergo gastric bypass surgery often lose the most hair), increased levels of anxiety and stress, and both chemo- and radiotherapy for cancer. The most consistent cause surrounds the level of different hormones in the body.

In women, for example, the level of estrogen drops during and after pregnancy, and during the menopause. This has been directly linked to both the thinning of hair and its loss from the scalp. Some women also lose hair as a reaction to particular oral contraceptives. For obvious reasons, the level of hormones naturally occurring in the male body tends to be more stable. But, in both genders, thyroid problems can affect the production of hormones and produce early baldness in men. Similarly, for a number of reasons, the levels of the hormones may be affected artificially. The most consistent causes stem from the use of steroids which are commonly used for a variety of strictly medical, e.g. to control asthma, and other purposes, e.g. as supplements to promote growth and for strength while weight training. As an adverse side effect, many weight loss products affect the thyroid and hair suffers. Finally, it is not just athletes who discover some diet and other supplements affect the level of testosterone in their bodies. Many who take “natural” dietary and nutritional supplements find out the hard way that some “natural” chemicals affect hair growth and retention.

This should give you pause for thought. Because there are many possible causes of hair loss, you should not guess what is affecting you and self-medicate. The research evidence shows the majority of people are completely unaware that their own lifestyles or the drugs prescribed to them by physicians may be responsible. Always get a formal diagnosis from your regular healthcare professional. If he or she confirms your hair loss is an adverse side effect of drugs or supplements you are using, the remedies will be clear. But, if male pattern baldness is confirmed, propecia is the tried and tested response (albeit not for Olympic athletes like Zach Lund who were banned from competition if they took this drug). Because this drug was developed some time ago, you will now find both the branded and generic propecia (also called finasteride) freely available from most of the online pharmacies. This will save you some serious money while enabling you to both slow hair loss and often encourage some regrowth. However, two small facts should be borne in mind. Propecia works best when it is taken early in the cycle of hair loss. Secondly, hair loss restarts once you stop taking the drug.