Hair Loss Signs

Most people notice hair loss when looking at themselves in a mirror.  It could either be a sudden shock one day or perhaps they have noticed it over a period of time.  Sometimes people found out when it is brought to their attention by other people.

Some people will notice hairs on their pillow in the morning or find that after brushing their hair more and more hair is left on their hairbrush or comb.

The thing about hair loss is that it can occur in anyone, men and woman, and at any age.  Hair loss is not restricted to middle-aged men.

The Signs of Baldness in Men

Hair loss in men tends to occur on the front hairline and forehead and on top of the head  The first sign of hair loss in a man is mainly a receding hairline.  This would seem an obvious sign that you may be in the early stages of hair loss but because hair loss is a gradual process, it may take a while before you may notice it or even realise it has happened.

Hair loss can also present itself as thinning hair.  It is not noticeable that hair is falling out but you may notice that your hair is getting gradually thinner.  This is normal as a result of shrinking hair follicles. You may notice that your hair is getting thinner as the gap between your hairs widens.  Widening areas between hairs can slowly reveal more of the scalp and this is an indicative sign of thinning hair which could lead to hair loss and possibly eventual baldness of the crown.

The Signs of Hair Loss in Women

There is generally only one early sign of women’s hair loss and that is thinning hair.  Unlike men, women do not experience a receding hair line and rarely will a woman go bald. Hair loss involves the thinning of hair in general, all over the scalp but mainly at the crown. A woman may therefore notice a decrease in the size of her ponytail or the widening of her parting.

Because women’s hair is generally longer than men’s, concerning forms of hair loss can be hard for a woman to detect because even normal hair loss is so obvious. A woman may therefore notice the changes more effectively by looking at her hair brush.  If you are noticing more hair on your brush quicker than before, or you find that you have having to clean your brush more often that you used to, this could be a sign that you are losing your hair more quickly.

Is Hair Loss Hereditary?

Most people are of the opinion that hair loss runs into the family.  Children look at their parents who may be balding and assume that this is their future.  In a vast majority of cases, hair loss is hereditary, passed down the genes from either side of parentage. Some studies indicate that baldness from the maternal side has a greater chance of it being passed along to a male offspring

Whilst in many situations hair loss does seem to be hereditary, there are, of course, some exceptions to this, but they are not incredibly common. 

You may therefore be wondering, what exactly does cause hair loss then? Is it genetically already predetermined that you will lose you hair? The answer is yes, and no! Hair loss is affected genetics but it can be caused by factors that can be controlled or even reversed by outside forces or products.

Hair loss is caused by an increase in DHT in the scalp. A human body is programmed to produce an enzyme known as 5 alpha reductase. When the Androgen hormone in the scalp produces testosterone, which mixes with 5 alpha reductase, it produces Dihydrotestosterone or DHT.  DHT is not well received by male (and some female) hair follicles, cutting off blood supply which is critical to growth of new hair.

Thinning and or balding process begins when this occurs, in other words DHT related hair loss.

DHT is not the only cause of hair loss.  Dirt and oil on your scalp can also lead to an increase in the rate of hair loss, as can malnutrition and poor circulation. Lucky for you, plenty of products on the market right now can cancel out the effects of these problems and ultimately allow you to keep your hair.

Even if there are many family members who are presently balding, or indeed are bald already, this may not be your future.  You can start as soon as possible to take the right supplements and use the right products to prevent any future hair loss. In the long run you will be glad you did. Even if you have already started to lose your hair, there are some great hair loss products out right now that can really turn things around for you and help you re-grow hair you have already lost.

Stress and Hair loss

Your hair has a way of telling you if your body is in balance.  If you are healthy - physically as well as emotionally - your hair will be radiant and shining and your scalp pliant and moist.

If you are not well physically, or if you are upset emotionally, your hair becomes dull and lifeless - it will begin to fall out, and your hair will become waxy with the overproduction of your traumatised sebaceous glands.

If your hair is thinning or you are experiencing baldness and it seems abnormal either because you are young or female, it is more than likely that stress is the culprit of hair loss.  Your hair is one of the first places your body shows distress. Illness, medication and imbalances in nutrition all show up in you hair and scalp.

Usually, it is not mild job or life stress that triggers hair loss, more likely it is extremely serious stress to the body that causes hair to stop growing and fall out. These types of stress can be initiated by some types of medications, diabetes, thyroid disorders and even extreme emotional stress, but also can be caused by commonplace life events like childbirth, miscarriage and surgery.

Any major change in our lives can be reflected in the condition of our hair, scalp and skin.  We reflect our health and well-being in the condition of our hair and scalp.

But how does stress actually effect hair loss? Well hair grows in repeating cycles. The active growth phase lasts around two years and is followed by a resting phase that spans three months, after which the hair falls from the scalp. Normally, every strand of hair in your head is at a different point in this cycle, so the shedding is barely noticeable: a few strands in the shower drain, some more on your brush, a hair or two on your pillow. A normal head sheds at most 100 strands of hair a day.

However, when the body undergoes extreme stress, as much as 70 percent of your hair can prematurely enter the resting phase. Three months later, these hairs begin to fall out, causing noticeable hair loss.

The person will not become completely bald and the thinning will be fairly unnoticeable. However, it is this three month delay and the fact that the trigger seems so unrelated that causes confusion on the part of the patient concerned about hair loss.

Fortunately, in most cases hair will begin to grow back within six months. However, some people may face further periods of severe stress that may trigger the whole process to being again cause more hair loss resulting in a more long-term problem.

What Causes Hair Loss

Men and women experience hair loss for similar reasons.

Hormonal Changes

Men, unfortunately, experience a more dramatic, specific pattern of hair loss commonly termed "Male Pattern Baldness." This loss is caused by dihydrotestosterone (DHT).   DHT is a hormone linked with testosterone. DHT binds to receptor sites on the scalp and hair follicles, interacting and interrupting the normal chain of events involved in continual healthy hair growth.

Woman, experience many hormonal changes throughout their lives which can lead to hair loss. In general, women may lose hair after a pregnancy, or during menopause. But it is not limited to just these. Any number of hormonal imbalances can trigger hair loss in women.

Hormonal changes in both men and women can cause hair loss by directly affecting the cells responsible for hair growth or by affecting the level of nutrients and blood flow to the follicle. The hair follicle cannot maintain a healthy growth cycle without proper nutrients and may eventually fall out and die.

Stress

Stress affects the hormone balance and it will transmit signals to the hair follicles.  The hair follicles then undergo a resting stage. Usually it occurs 3 months after the stressful event has occured and it may take 3 months after the stress period has ended for the hair growth to resume. If the stress continues or is repeated the onset of genetic hair loss may worsen existing hair loss.

Supplements

A series of other factors can cause hair loss, including diets, the use of certain bodybuilding supplements, and environmental factors.

Hairstyle

Chemicals used for dying, tinting, bleaching, straightening or perms can cause hair to become damaged and break off if they are overused or used incorrectly. Also using excessive heat either by use of your normal hairdryer, straightners or curling tongs can lead to hair thinning.  Overstating and excessive brushing also can cause hair to fall out if the hair shaft becomes damaged.

SUMMARY: As you can see there are many factors that can cause hair loss in both men and women but they all have one underlying theme in common, hair follicles that are affected by hormonal "clogging" agents and poor blood and nutrient circulation are less likely to experience a healthy growth cycle.

What is DHT?

Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is the leading cause of hair loss.  Whilst we know what the leading cause of hair loss is, unfortunately there is no miracle cure to completely block its effects and solve the problem of hair loss forever.

DHT is a hormone. DHT is directly related to and affected by the level of testosterone in the bloodstream. DHT blocks the growth of hair in men and is the cause of most baldness. And even though this is a male hormone, women also have a small amount that runs through their blood, some higher than others. When a female inherits hair follicles that are supersensitive to DHT, they start to lose hair just like men do.

The most important structure of a hair follicle is the dermal papilla, which is responsible for hair growth. DHT cause the hair follicle to shrink and restricts the follicles ability to produce hair growth. This is how DHT is responsible for about 95% of hair loss. In addition to all this, DHT tends to create a wax like substance around the hair roots and it is this accumulation of DHT in the hair follicles and roots that gives rise to male and female pattern hair loss.

DHT is responsible for more than just hair loss in males as well. It plays a major role in the growth of facial hair, the deepening of the voice during puberty, sex drive, and muscle growth. Because of the important role it plays in helping men look and act like men, the hormone cannot be completely blocked or eliminated in the body.

The production of DHT in the scalp is the primary problem for men and women experiencing hair loss, which means that it is actually possible to have plenty of DHT to keep your body in balance, while at the same time virtually eliminating hair loss as a problem.