Tuesday, August 21, 2007

What Female hair Loss Treatments

Many people think that hair loss is a male problem, but it is one that many females suffer from as well. Hair loss is a very traumatic experience for a woman, even though it perfectly natural to lose your hair as you get older. When young women start to experience hair loss, they start to research the kinds of female hair loss treatments that are available to them. The treatment they find depends on what is causing the hairloss to occur in the first place. Some of the causes may be stress or hormonal changes. In these cases the doctor can easily prescribe female hair loss treatments that have nothing to do with hair growth.

New hair loss treatments are coming on the market all the time, but their validity has yet to be determined. Scientists will tell you that many of the so-called new hair loss treatments may not work for you. Since every person is unique and the reasons for hair loss vary from person to person, there are no one kind of female hair loss treatments that work for everybody.

With the doctor prescribed hair loss treatments for women, the one that has had the most success is a topical solution containing 2% Minoxodil. New hair loss treatments containing higher percentages are still being tested to see if they are suitable for females to use. Female hairloss treatments sometimes vary to male hair loss treatments.

Another of the new hair loss treatments available for men is a hair growth pill. This is not being considered as one of the female hair loss treatments because of the possibility that it may cause birth defects. Pregnant or nursing mothers should never use the prescribed treatments for hair loss because it is not known what effect it could have on an unborn or newborn baby.

Many women are turning to aromatherapy as female hairloss treatments. Some essential oils are said to be beneficial in controlling hair loss. In a study conducted with females experiencing hair loss a blend of essential oils was used as a topical solution for the scalp, The results of this new hair loss treatment were very promising, with 44% showing marked improvement after seven months of the treatment. With aromatherapy oils, as with all other female hairloss treatments, once you stop using them so does the hair growth.

Female hair loss treatments often vary from male hair loss treatments, depending on the cause of the hair loss.

For a website totally devoted to hair loss and hair replacement visit Peter's Website The Hair Replacement Guide, and find out about Female Hair Loss as well as Hair Restoration and more, including Male Hair Loss and Hair Restoration

Hair Care Tips By Nadeem

It's surprising the way some people treat their hair. Instead of giving it the respect it deserves, they tug at it with their hair brush, secure it with plain elastic bands that stick to the hair, lick it, chew it, clean their inky hands with it, stick their pens in it, wipe that excess eye-liner off on it, and while shampooing, rub it, scrub it, pull it and generally bash it around before stuffing it under the full blast of a hair dryer. Phew! It's shameful. Just because they're not going bald in a hurry, they take it for granted. And then they wonder why their hair isn't a shiny, swinging, sexy mane like in the ads, in spite of using the same shampoo! Well, understand the facts of life. Hair is delicate, growing stuff which need to be handled with care. A lot of care.

First, identify your hair type. Is it normal, oily or dry?

So, who's normal? Well, if your hair isn't a constant maze of split ends, doesn't become oily quickly and is fairly well behaved, you could say it is normal. Wash your hair twice a week with a mild shampoo and conditioner for normal hair. Towel dry lightly. Blow dry from at least five inches away, whether your hair is normal, dry or oily.

Stress, hormonal activity (puberty, childbirth), thyroid problems and eating too much fatty food and chocolates are what usually cause oily hair. Oily hair needs to be washed more often but don't scrub too hard while washing. It won't get your hair any cleaner or less oilier. What it will do is further aggravate the already overactive sebaceous glands on your scalp, not to mention cause damage to the delicate follicles. And don't pile hair on the head while shampooing, even though it may look great in the ads. It causes tangling, leading to further breakage. You could add lemon to the final rinse for a great shine. If you don't have time to shampoo every few days or feel lazy and leave it oily, your hair won't just look terrible, but dirt will get lodged under its surface causing breakage and damage not to mention dandruff. This will lead to skin problems such as acne on your chest, back and face. So you need to be careful about washing hair regularly, though you could condition it just twice a month. However, if your hair has been chemically treated, you should condition hair after every wash as chemical strips hair of its natural oils.

If your hair is dry, wash it twice a week with a shampoo for dry hair, followed by a conditioner. If your scalp feels very dry and flaky, use an anti-dandruff shampoo. Be very gentle with the ends of the hair, which are the driest parts and tend to split easily. You may be tempted to use styling products to tame the frizz, but avoid it. Frizz is usually caused by the inadequate flow of sebum from the roots, as it is being blocked by the flaky scalp. Give your hair a good oil massage before washing, to loosen the flakes, and rinse hair extra thoroughly.

Beautiful Hair is an asset for any woman. Some are gifted with naturally beautiful hair while others have to really work hard on it. But essentially everybody has to work on hair either for improving or for maintaining them. Here are some tips to manage your Crowning Glory.

Hair Wash

The best way of washing hair is with Aritha and Shikakai Powder. It does not have any chemicals or any other side effects. Aritha and Shikakai powder is available at any General stores or even a banyan shop.

Shampoo

Dry Hair - Egg, Herbal shampoo or any shampoo for dry hair. Normal Hair - For normal hair fruit shampoos or henna shampoo is good.

Oily Hair - Lemon Shampoo

Hair Oil

Oil your hair at least once in a week. If you have dry hair then oil it twice a week. Hair oil gives the necessary moisturizers to your hair. Herbal hair oil provides you the necessary nourishment along with the moisturizers. Hair Conditioners

Henna

Henna conditions and colours your hair.

Dry hair - Add some milk, water and 1-2egg yolks in henna. This mixture will not dry your hair and will make it soft and manageable. Apply it monthly.

Normal to Oily Hair Add water, lemon, egg yolks in henna. You can apply Henna fortnightly.

Home made conditioners

Add cup of vinegar in bucket of water. This will give a good shine to your hair. Mix curds and egg yolks together and apply it for 1hour.

Hair Tonics Try tonic Hair Oils powder - Put 4 tsp of this powder in water, boil it and after cooling down apply it on hair. This will stop hair loss, rejuvenate and nourish your hair.

Quick- fix hair tips

If you want instant luster just before a big night, beat an egg without the yolk, squeeze half a lemon into it and apply to hair avoiding the scalp than rinse and wash in another half an hour. Be sure to give your hair a last rinse with some rose water because we don't want you going out smelling like an egg.

Henna soaked in water of used tea bags, coffee powder, amla powder and onion peels can make for a excellent conditioner giving your hair the much needed boost.

There are a dozen of hair accessories available in the market today. Use clips, pins and bands to give your hair a different style and an added touch of color.

Nadeem, holds the national record (limca book of record holder) in Candle hair cut, blindfolded hair cut, hair cut with glass and papercutter. He had featured in various TV channels, Newspapers and he was also appreciated by Guiness Book of world records. He works as a hair stylist at REX Salon, Chandigarh (INDIA). Recently he conducted a seminar on hair styling and Japanese rebonding, It was very successful various hair dressers & beauticians from the region participated and appreciated his work.

free lance writer

Hair Loss Information Resources

Medical hair Restoration

Medical hair restoration in the literal sense includes the hair loss treatment which depends upon the use of medicines.

Unusual hair loss both in men and women is caused by the alterations in the androgen metabolism. Androgen is a male hormone which has a major role to play in regulation of hair growth or hair loss. The dermal papilla is the most important structure in a hair follicle which is responsible for hair-growth. It is the dermal papilla, the cell of which divides and differentiates to give rise to a new hair follicle. The dermal papilla is in direct contact with blood capillaries in the skin to derive the nutrients for the growing hair follicle. Research has shown that dermal papilla got many receptors for androgens and there are studies which have confirmed that males have more androgenic receptors in dermal papilla of their follicles as compared to females.

The metabolism of androgen involves an enzyme called 5 alpha reductase which combines with the hormone androgen(testosterone) to form the DHT (Dihydro-testosterone). DHT is a natural metabolite of our body which is the root cause of hair loss.

Proper nutrition is critical for the maintenance of the hair. When DHT gets into the hair follicles and roots (dermal papilla), it prevents necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals from providing nourishment needed to sustain life in the hairs of those follicles. Consequently, hair follicles are reproduced at a much slower rate. This shortens their growing stage (anagen phase) and or lengthens their resting stage (telogen phase) of the follicle. DHT also causes hair follicle to shrink and get progressively smaller and finer. This process is known as miniaturization and causes the hair to ultimately fall. DHT is responsible for 95% of hair loss. Some individuals both men and women are genetically pre-disposed to produce more DHT than the normal individuals. DHT also creates a wax-like substance around the hair roots. It is this accumulation of DHT inside the hair follicles and roots which is one of the primary causes of male and female pattern hair loss.

Blocking the synthesis of DHT at molecular level forms the basis for the treatment of MPHL ( male pattern hair loss) and FPHL ( female pattern hair loss). There are many natural DHT blockers and a number of drugs which are used for medical hair restoration.

Let us see the main drugs which are available for medical hair restoration in men and women.

Minoxidil

Minoxidil has the distinction of the first drug being used for promoting the hair restoration. This medical hair restoration treatment drug was used earlier as an oral antihypertensive drug, but after its hypertrichosis (excessive body hair) effects were noticed, a topical solution of the drug was tested for its hair growing potential. Minoxidil was then approved as medical hair restoration treatment drug for men by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1988 as a 2% solution, followed by 5% solution in 1997. For women, the 2% solution was approved in 1991. Though 5% solution is not approved for women, it is used as a medical hair restoration treatment by many dermatologists worldwide. Both solutions are available without a prescription in the US.

Mechanism of action

Minoxidil is thought to have a direct mitogenic effect on epidermal cells, as has been observed both in vitro in vivo. Though the mechanism of its action for causing cell proliferation is not very clear, minoxidil is thought to prevent intracellular calcium entry. Calcium normally enhances epidermal growth factors to inhibit hair growth, and Minoxidil by getting converted to minoxidil sulfate acts as a potassium channel agonist and enhances potassium ion permeability to prevent calcium ions from entering into cells.

Thought the exact action of minoxidil preventing the formation of DHT has not been shown but the drug has been shown to have a stabilizing effect on the hair loss. The result of the drug takes about few months time to be evident since it is the time which is necessary for restoring the normal growth cycle of hair fibers.

Use of Minoxidil has approved by FDA for men (Norwood II-V) and women (Ludwig I-II ) older than 18 years. It is used as a medical hair restoration treatment either for frontal or vertex scalp thinning. It brings about an increase in density which is mostly caused by conversion of miniaturized hairs into terminal hairs rather than a stimulated de novo re-growth. The hair loss becomes stabilized after continued use of drug, which takes about a years time for the medical hair restoration treatment to show its complete results.

Hair loss restoration treatment with 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate and 5% topical minoxidil are found to be superior to minoxidil alone. Topical minoxidil is very well tolerated and adverse effects are mainly dermatologic. The most frequent adverse effect is an irritant contact dermatitis.

Though minnoxidil does not have any effect on blood pressure, it should be used with caution in patient with cardiovascular diseases. It is also contraindicated in pregnant and nursing mothers.

Finasteride

The drug finasteride was earlier used as treatment for prostate enlargement, under the medical name Proscar. But in 1998, it was approved by FDA for the Medical hair loss restoration in MPHL.

Mechanism of Action

Medical hair restoration treatments with Finasteride depends upon its specific action as an inhibitor of type II 5α-reductase, the intracellular enzyme that converts male hormone androgen into DHT (Dihydro Testosterone). Its action results in significant decrease in serum and tissue DHT levels in even in concentration as low as 0.2mg. Finnasteride is able to stabilize hair loss in 80% of patient with Vertex hair loss and in 70% of patients with frontal hair loss. Most of these patients are able to grow more hair or retain the ones they have. The peculiar thing about Propecia is that its effect is more pronounced in crown area than in the front. The hair that grow after the medical hair restoration treatments are better in texture and are thicker, more like the terminal hair.

The best thing about medical hair restoration treatment with the finnasteride is that it is well tolerated and has minimal side effects. Sexual dysfunction (decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and decreased semen volume) are observed in about 3.8% of cases. But these side-effects subside within few months of Medical hair restoration treatments or disappear within a weeks time as soon as the treatment is stopped.

It generally requires about 6 to 12 months for the m edical hair restoration treatment to be apparent but the side effects appear earlier. So even after the medicine is stopped, there is no possibility of loosing the hair that has been gained, but the side effects are sure to disappear. Many hair restoration surgeons find Propecia (finasteride) to act as an excellent adjunct to the surgical hair restoration. There are several benefits of this kind of combination therapy. As the Medical hair restoration with Propecia brings about a hair re-growth in the crown area, it has a complementary action; it allows the surgeon to have more donor hair to be available for frontal hair transplant and design the hairline at his own will. Since finasteride has no effect in the frontal area of the scalp, it does not have any interference with the surgical hair restoration.

Combination Therapy

There are reports which say that use of finasteride and topical minoxidil combination therapy as a Medical hair restoration treatment is of more advantage in cases of mild to moderate MPHL. Further studies are in progress. Many hair restoration doctors have already started the use of combination therapy in order to obtain better hair growth.

Anti Androgen Therapy

For women with hyperandrogonism( with increased levels of androgen) who do not respond well to minoxidil, antiandrogen therapy is another option of Medical hair restoration. In UK the most commonly used anti-androgen for women is CPA (cyproterone acetate), which is used in combination with ethinyl-estradiol.

However, in United States, where CPA is not available, the aldosterone antagonist spironolactone is the alternative choice of hair restoration doctors.

Flutamide

Medical hair restoration with flutamide has shown improvement as hair loss restoration treatment in women with hirsutism. For hyperandrogenic premenopausal women, flutamide is a better medical hair restoration agent than both the CPA or finestride.

Hair loss restoration management is a structured process which depends upon many factors along with the medical hair restoration. For more details on the topic you can refer to section medical hair restoration or article on male pattern hair loss or female pattern hair loss at our site hairtransplantadvice.com.

Ben Stewart