Alopecia Areata: What It Is and What to Do

Alopecia areata (hair loss in areas) is believed to cause inflammation of the hair follicles which leads to hair loss. It is thought to affect 1 or 2 people in 1,000.

This condition can develop within people of any age, but it seems to be particularly common in young people aged between 15 and 29. According to Bupa statistics, 6 out of 10 people with alopecia see it begin when they are under the age of 20.

Symptoms can include patchy hair loss which are most likely to be found on the scalp, but can affect the eyebrows, eyelashes or beard.

Exposed skin can be smooth and healthy looking but could sometimes be red or scaly. Also, nails may be pitted, split or have grooves running across them.

About 1 in 5 people with this condition also has a family member with alopecia which suggests that genes could be significant, although other factors are known to play their part. For example, those people with conditions which affect the immune system and particular skin conditions like eczema could be more at risk.

Alopecia areata often goes away on its own accord, and in 3 out of 10 people, it can grow back without treatment.

Many of those who suffer from alopecia may use wigs, hats or bandanas to cover the problem, but there are other treatments which can be used to encourage the hair to grow back. The most common treatments can involve steroid creams, ointments and lotions. Corticosteroid injections are also sometimes offered, although these can have side effects.
Alopecia areata is characterized by the appearance of a bald spot. Usually this bald spot comes and goes; that is, it appears on one area of the scalp at one time, and appears on a different scalp area at another. It is mainly considered to be an autoimmune disorder and no cure has been found for it.

Hair Loss: To Worry or Not to Worry

There are a number of reasons that can cause hair loss and it can be a very distressing condition. The good news is most hair loss is temporary and can be treated. The first step is always to identify the cause and then find the best solution.

Illness and surgery
About 3 or 4 months after an illness or major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is only temporary.

Hormonal changes
Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by a treatment for thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your hair loss and this may happen naturally or with help from your doctor.

After pregnancy
Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they’ve had a baby. This loss is also related to hormones. During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth begins again.

Medicines
Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine.

Stress and hair fall
The condition of a person’s hair can tell you a lot about stress levels in their lives. So if you notice your hair is getting noticeably thinner, you might want to look at your stress levels.
Stress can be relieved by slowing down rather than speeding up. Slowing down can be achieved by talking to people about your worries, learning to relax, doing special exercises such as yoga and meditation, having a holiday or just taking it easy for a couple of days.

What Hair Loss Treatments Hold in the Future

Research on hair diseases and general hair biology was a relatively small even about 20 years ago, but that has been changing in recent years. Since balding and thinning hair does not represent the threat of a life-threatening illness or one that’s physically debilitating, it makes sense that it’s less researched than many other medical conditions. But hair loss can have an impact on the lives of those suffering from it, and female hair loss has been devastating for some women.

There are a few reasons we’re seeing more growth with the hair loss treatment industry—partially because we live in a free market economy that runs by supply and demand. There is obviously a strong demand for hair loss prevention products and anything that will help promote hair growth, so that has helped strengthened research. But the more important reason is because the growth cycle of hair—the shedding and regrowth—provides a way to use specific molecular biology techniques like gene therapy and cloning as a new growth cycle begins. As we learn more about a specific area in the body, we usually soon realize this new knowledge can be used in another area as well as everything is connected in some way.

What to Expect

Medications that prevent hair loss continue to improve. One of the main medications available now is finasteride. It helps decrease DHT in the blood which can cause baldness or thinning hair in people with inherited patterned baldness. But there is another medication, dutasteride, on the market that some hope will work even better for more people than finasteride because it’s able to block a higher percentage of DHT. Dutasteride is currently used in men with an enlarged prostate.

In the future, it’s likely we’ll have hair loss solutions that can conceal baldness and will be able to effectively block DHT from getting to the hair follicles at the same time. By directly targeting the cells that are the main cause of hair loss, we would be able to reduce the side effects from medications that are ingested and end up affecting the whole body instead of just the area that needs to be treated.

Other hopeful future treatments include cloning hair follicles, gene therapy, and stem cells. But unfortunately right now, these treatments are probably years away from commercial use.

Ayurvedic Remedies for Baldness

Hair loss and baldness is a most common disorder, mainly caused by our lives’ environment and stress. This hair problem is also catered by Indian herbal medicine, or in other words, by Ayurveda.

Ayurveda health treatments for this generally unwanted disorder are very effective in their results whereas their cure and/or prevention is based on the Ayurveda care herbal tradition of finding the root of the problem and acting against it directly.

Let’s evaluate, together with Ayurveda herb’s proven theology, the causes of hair loss and hair damage that finally result in hair loss (partially or completely).

Hair problems are mainly caused by the pitta doshas in the body. Excessive consumption of tea, coffee, alcohol, and smoking increase the presence and consistency of pitta in the body, thereby causing weakening of the hair follicles.

Also, eating too much fried food causes the same effect on the pitta together with excessive consumption of the following food: greasy, spicy, oily, sour and acidic.

Take a look at the following list of other things to avoid as much as possible in order to have healthier hair together with other causes of hair disorders:

• Too many chemical medicines
• Blood circulation disorders
• Anemia
• Recovery period after illness
• Stress, mental tension and anxiety
• Hormonal imbalance
• Dandruff and lice
• Chronic diseases

The first step anyone should take once he notices he is experiencing hair problems is to try to point out the root cause that is incurring this problem by increasing the Doshas.

Once the main cause is targeted, this home remedy in Ayurveda’s family of therapies suggests cutting out on those habits causing the disorder. If a culinary imbalance is the cause, then a balanced Ayurveda diet is suggested or reducing the quantity of food that is causing the problem.

The following are hair care tips that are best added to your regimen:

• Always use herbal nutrition shampoos and soaps.
• Oily and general scalp massages are also highly beneficial for the hair’s health.
• A regular bowel function is also important for the hair’s condition.

Natural herbal medicine suggests a culinary diet including the following:

• Green vegetables including sprouts
• Milk and buttermilk
• Salads and fruits
• Wheat, yeast and soybean

Ayurveda therapy also suggests that one should rub his scalp vigorously after washing his or her hair.

Lettuce and spinach juice is also good for the scalp and hair, as is also alfalfa juice mixed with that carrot.

Coconut oil mixed with lime juice and applied to the hair is also a well-known prevention and remedy for general hair disorders. Try also green coriander leaves’ juice.

Wash your hair with a mix of cooked black beans (Urad Dal) and methi (fenugreek) two to three times a week.

For bald patches, you can make a paste of licorice ground in milk and apply directly to the patch for hair growth. Lemon seeds and black pepper made into a paste may also be used.

This particular natural remedy can be used to avoid premature graying of hair and to improve the overall health of the scalp: a mixture of bhringraj (eclipta elba) and amla, corals, and iron together with sesame seeds is required to achieve the needed paste that has to be applied to the hair.

Female Hair Loss Solutions: How Minoxidil Works for Women

As the only FDA-approved female hair loss solution, minoxidil for women has demonstrated its effectiveness in promoting hair regrowth during clinical trials. Many women have also experienced success with it. In this article, we look at how this topical solution could fit in with your treatment plan to gain back your hair growth.

Minoxidil for women is one of the most popular female hair loss solutions. This has been used to treat male pattern baldness for years and has shown great success. Currently, it is available in a less concentrated form of treatment for women’s loss of hair. Since it is the only FDA-approved treatment for hair thinning and loss in women, we know that there are positive clinical trials backing up the product’s efficacy.

While there are many causes for loss, minoxidil is often prescribed across a wide variety of causes. Like any type of medication for loss of hair, it does not always work 100% of the time, even with the clinical trial data backing it up. That is why although the solution is available over the counter, a visit to a doctor or dermatologist for a professional diagnosis is recommended. He or she may be able to provide additional tips and guidance.

Sometimes other forms of treatments are also needed if a patient’s scalp does not respond. Here are some of the leading causes for loss and the treatments where minoxidil could be applied.

Pattern baldness is what is most often seen in men, and it also afflicts women. The symptoms are less severe in men than in women. For men, the minoxidil solution is 5% in concentration, for women, it is more diluted at 2% in concentration. Minoxidil for women is more diluted than for men to suit a lady’s sensitive scalp.

Loose anagen alopecia is a disorder seen when women comb their hair and an excess of hair becomes accumulated on the comb. In this case, if not caused by an underlying disease, topical solutions have been known to be successful in certain cases.

Also, minoxidil could help thicken the hair for those suffering from androgenetic alopecia. This form of hair shedding is often caused by genetics. It could also arise from hormonal imbalances in the body.

An autoimmune alopecia disorder could cause a woman’s hair to fall out either slowly or in patches. Obviously some of the solutions will not work without treatment. Depending on the amount of loss and corrective treatment for the problem, minoxidil for women can be of assistance for the hair and is sometimes prescribed alongside other female hair loss solutions.

Unfortunately, for women who are suffering from some sort of trauma to the head, such as scarring or having been burned, the hair follicles may be so damaged that they cannot be stimulated for healthy hair regrowth by a topical solution like minoxidil. Surgical treatment and perhaps transplants may have to be done. In this case, you want to discuss with the physician on whether minoxidil for women would help or if other kinds of solutions would come into play.

When it comes to finding the best female hair loss solutions, minoxidil for women has been demonstrated to work in many cases, based on clinical trial data and user testimonials. You may not see immediate results as it could be several months to work. You may also want to consider searching out a specialist who can discuss your particular needs and help tailor an individualized treatment plan to suit your body and scalp conditions.

Are Hair Loss Product Reviews Useful?

Websites containing product reviews of hair thinning products be of assistance in finding the best treatments and solutions for your scalp and hair problems. Thinning hair in men differs from that in women. You should seek out items that fit the category or type of hair problem you are experiencing. Products are further classified into the type of action or result that they can provide. There are remedies that can reverse the process of hair loss, prevent further thinning of hair, or obtain hair regrowth. Review websites allow you to compare and contrast similar hair loss products.

Treatments are produced by various companies. The components vary, but review sites will compare the typical quality of the products and how your crowning glory will look and feel after the treatment. It is a fact, though, that some review sites write about product assessments that are not based on actual usage or application of the product. Some product reviews are merely written by the manufacturers themselves.

There are numerous review sites for shampoos indicated for thinning hair of hair loss. Shampoos can simply be meant for cleaning the tresses and scalp without the presence of harsh chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). A safe alternative of SLS is SLES (sodium laureth sulfate). Shampoos formulated with SLES can provide gentle cleansing of the scalp and hair and improve the thickness, fullness, or volume of the hair. Several shampoos also contain ingredients meant to regrow hair and prevent further hair loss, such as saw palmetto extracts.

Another type of hair loss product that usually appears in review sites is hair loss concealer. This type of hair loss product conceals the thinning and balding areas of the scalp. Concealers are more efficient if there is still some hair left; they can make the remaining hair look thicker and arranged in a manner that makes the bald spots completely undetectable or hidden.

Some other products for hair loss that are constantly reviewed range from laser hairbrushes to therapeutic treatments. Massage techniques, hair vitamins, and dietary supplements for hair thinning are often found in product review websites, with a demonstration of application tips and results for you to check out.

Product review websites of numerous hair loss products also feature videos which may serve as the reviews themselves or an advertisement. Try to see if the videos or ads are genuine or paid reviews or testimonials. Look for factual opinions or standards of rating.

Product reviews can be extremely useful in coming up with an informed decision in choosing a hair loss treatment that can prove to be useful or plain buzz. Aside from review websites, you can consult your dermatologist for suggestions regarding the efficiency of a variety of hair loss brands.

Essential Oils to Obtain Hair Growth in Babies

Essential oils are nature’s remedy for hair growth in babies. They have the ability to turn an infant born with little or no hair into a child with a head full of lush curls with proper hair care and maintenance. Massaging essential oils into the hair and scalp is one of the safest ways to aid hair growth for babies.

How Essential Oils Help Grow Hair

Essential oils are oils found in plants, and are found to benefit hair growth. Studies have shown that these oils are the building blocks of hormone growth and reproduction. They promote hair growth at the cellular level by cleaning, nourishing, moisturizing and strengthening the hair follicle and shaft. They also stimulate the hair follicle and encourage faster hair growth.

Essential oils are concentrated and it is important that they not be applied directly to the hair, scalp or skin; they should be thoroughly mixed with a carrier oil, such as sesame, almond or soybean. Though essential oils are gentle, you should stop using them if your baby has an allergic reaction and contact a pediatrician if there are side effects.

Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil has healing properties that are beneficial for hair growth. It is one of the best oils to use if your child’s hair is damaged or breaking. The oil provides moisture to the scalp and hair while creating a protective buffer that locks moisture in. Jojoba oil is hypoallergenic and safe for a baby’s delicate skin. You can apply this oil to virtually any type of hair. Apply to towel-dried hair and leave on for 30 minutes for best results.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is one of the most popular essential oils for hair growth. It has moisturizing, healing and cleansing properties. It minimizes scalp oil production, has antimicrobial properties and is effective in preventing dandruff and cradle cap.

Caution: Some people have reported skin irritation as a reaction to tea tree oil applied topically. More care should be taken with infants.

Lavender Oil

Lavender oil treats a variety of conditions, including hair loss. A study of 86 people with alopecia found that they experienced significant hair regrowth when they massaged their scalps with lavender and other essential oils for seven months, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.