Most of us take our crowning glory for granted. We only worry about bad hair days, about whether the latest and greatest advertised shampoo will result in good hair days, glossy hair and no more hassles.
Men are more likely to experience this difficulty and have a much higher chance of premature hair loss and or baldness.
Hair Loss
Losing about a hundred hairs daily is considered normal and on average we have about 100,000 hairs on our scalp. A hair follicle regenerates every two to six years, and it is when these follicles die off and fail to produce new hair that baldness starts developing as a slow but continuous process.
Causes of Hair Loss
Both men and women tend to lose their natural thick hair as they age. More men are effected with ‘pattern baldness’, with about two-thirds of men being bald or balding by age 60.
Temporary hair loss can have several causes such as:
- Hormonal changes in women, especially during pregnancy or after menopause.
- Hypothyroidism which affects every cell in the body including hair follicles.
- Dysbiosis caused by undiagnosed low stomach acid may lead to leakygut and chronic malabsorption. When this is combined with stress and bad eating habits this could lead to other problems, hair loss being one of them.
- Vitamin deficiencies: Vitamin B6, B12 and Biotin are vital, for healthy hair and skin, and a deficiency could cause hair loss.
- Short term acute illness; either a severe infection or a surgical procedure.
- Long term chronic illness such as cancer or liver disease.
- Certain medications such as blood thinners, oral contraceptives, prescription acne medication, anticoagulants or beta-blockers (used for treating high blood pressure).
- Family History of hair loss or androgenetic alopecia.
- Male- and female-pattern baldness can be caused by oversensitive hair follicles which are linked to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Too much DHT causes hair to become thinner and decreases the growing period of hair which causes it to shed quicker.
- Rapid weight loss, veganism, vegetarianism andeating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa.
- Iron deficiency anaemias.
- Traction alopecia caused by tight braids, rollers and pony tails.
Health Issues
Our bodies are very complex and any change in the balance of our system can lead to malfunction and eventually disease. The more obvious ones are diabetes, thyroid issues, psoriasis and auto-immune problems like lupus.
Other potential causes of hair loss that must be investigated as well would be anaemia, stress (including bereavement such as death or divorce), fungal infections or chemotherapy.
With more serious problems such as hypothyroidism, hair loss can develop over a longer period of time and once diagnosed, the hair loss is likely to stop. As always, the sooner the problem is diagnosed and treated, the better and faster the recovery.
A problem like Leaky Gut Syndrome can cause malabsorption of nutrients (zinc and magnesium) essential for hair growth and cause hair to weaken and fall out. In addition, any food particles that ‘leak’ into our system can be interpreted as foreign by the body’s antibodies. These antibodies can attack healthy tissue, which in the case of hair, can cause Alopecia.
Stress is a less obvious cause, but can cause severe hair loss as it stimulates certain responses in our system that will affect our health and eventually hair growth. Short-term stress is unlikely to cause a problem, but when it becomes chronic and one’s health is affected, it will cause a negative effect on our overall health and well-being.
Another possible cause for hair loss could be toxic metals, which are naturally occurring metallic substances that disrupt vital bodily functions. Most toxic metals are considered "heavy metals" and include substances like mercury, cadmium and lead.
Treatment
If you are concerned that you may be experiencing abnormal hair loss, a consult with a highly trained doctor at Health Renewal, as well as specialised testing is the only way to determine the cause and correct internal factors.
Once the internal cause of the problem is corrected and treatment initiated, the healing process of your hair restoration can start in conjunction with in-office treatments at Body Renewal.
At Body Renewal we have several treatments specifically designed to help with hair re-growth:
- Photo Dynamic Therapy™ (PDT) stimulates the hair follicles.
- Carboxytherapy™ increased circulation in the treated area which then stimulates the hair follicles added to increase collagen and protein synthesis.
- Mesotherapy™ is a series of micro injections to the scalp to revitalise the area. The healthy "meso" cocktail contains growth factors, peptides, vitamins, minerals and various nutrients needed to stimulate healthy hair growth.
- Botulinum injections are used to improve circulation in the scalp area, which in turn improves circulation to the hair follicles. A healthy follicle can once again produce beautiful and healthy hair.
- There are various topical treatments such as lotions, shampoos and conditioners in the Pelo Baum range that contains all the elements needed to stimulate hair growth. In addition there are oral supplements that contain organic Sulphur and Biotin, as well as prescription products that will all promote regrowth of one’s hair.
Hair loss is truly one of those problems where prevention is better than cure and abnormal hair loss should be addressed as soon as the first signs appear. If this is left untreated and the follicles die off, no new hair can grow which will result in thinning hair and eventual baldness.