MANILA, Philippines — In the vast majority of cases, baldness is a natural process. Baldness tends to run in families, on either the mother or father’s side. The usual pattern is for the front hairline to recede while hair thins at the top of the head. In some men, these balding areas eventually meet, and continued thinning may eventually occur over the whole scalp.
Baldness or loss of hair is referred to as alopecia. Alopecia totalis means loss of all the scalp hair. Alopecia universalis means loss of all body hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. When the hair falls out in patches, it is termed alopecia areata.
Factors that are involved in hair loss include heredity, hormones, and aging. Rarely, baldness is caused by some underlying disorder. In certain severe or prolonged illnesses, such as thyroid diseases and iron-deficiency anemia, not only is some hair lost but also the remaining hair becomes fine and lusterless, giving the appearance of extensive loss.
Usually, effective treatment of the underlying disease restores hair to normal. Certain diseases that affect the skin, such as lupus erythematosus or lichen planus, may destroy the hair follicles. Patches of permanent baldness may persist. Some forms of treatment, particularly radiation therapy and chemotherapy used for cancer, can cause thinning or loss of hair. The hair usually grows back after treatment.
In most women, there is a gradual but slight loss of hair throughout life. Women sometimes have the same type of hair loss, but it is not usually as extensive and most often does not occur until after menopause. All women experience some thinning as they grow older, especially after menopause, but in some it begins as early as puberty.
Other factors that promote hair loss include poor circulation, acute illnesses, surgery, sudden weight loss, high fever, diabetes, and drugs such as birth control pills and anticoagulants, stress, poor diet, and vitamin deficiencies.
What should be done?
To keep your hair in good condition, handle it gently and carefully. You should not brush, comb, or dry your hair roughly or excessively. Excessive brushing (100 strokes each night for example) simply pulls hair out at the roots.
Moderate use of cosmetic hair styling will usually not damage your hair seriously. However, tight ponytails, frequent brushing, more than usual curling and straightening procedures, dyeing, and bleaching all damage the hair to some extent.
Washing your hair
One application of shampoo should be enough. You can use mild shampoo designed for your type of hair (oily, dry, etc.) and can usually dilute the shampoo by half. Use warm water rather than hot water, wet your hair completely, apply the shampoo, and massage gently but thoroughly. Rinse with clean water.
Drying your hair
Wrap your dripping hair in a towel to dry it; then remove the towel and comb your hair out gently with a wide-toothed comb. Hand-held or hood dryers are unlikely to damage your hair if used properly, but heated rollers or curling irons should not be too hot or used frequently. The best way to dry your hair is to let it dry on its own.
Supplements for preventing hair loss
Because hair follicles are fed by blood vessels, good circulation is a key to good hair. There are many vitamins, herbs, and other supplements that help circulation. Ginkgo biloba, an herb that improves circulation to the extremities, may just improve your outer beauty as well as your inner brainpower.
Biotin, choline, and inositol are vitamins, or vitamin-like substances, and considered to be part of the B-complex family; they are necessary for growth, and healthy skin, hair, nerves, sex glands, and bone marrow. They also prevent some hair loss and hair from turning prematurely gray. Vitamin E and vitamin C both improve circulation, and the bioflavonoids strengthen the capillaries that feed the scalp. A zinc deficiency can compromise the immune system and contribute to hair loss.
Medical treatment
The only approved medical treatment for baldness is minoxidil. This drug was originally sold as an antihypertensive (it lowers blood pressure), but people who took it began reporting excessive hair growth all over the body. Although minoxidil has been use for hair growth, it doesn’t work very well and never completely restores hair. Men whose hair is thinning can get a small benefit from the drug as long as they take it, but when they stop, the hair will just fall out again.
Surgical treatment
Surgery involves either shifting sections of scalp or transplanting plugs of hair. Experienced surgeons obtain good results, but infection may result.
Recommendations
Eat plenty of foods high in biotin and/or take supplemental biotin. It is needed for healthy hair and skin, and may even prevent hair loss in some men. Good sources of biotin include brewer’s yeast, brown rice, green peas, oats, soybeans, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.
Do not eat foods containing raw eggs. Raw eggs are high in avidin, a protein that binds biotin and prevents it from being absorbed. Cooked eggs are acceptable.
Massage your scalp daily.
Be careful of using products that are not natural on the hair. Allergic reactions to chemicals in these products occur frequently.
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