HAIR AND YOUR HEALTH

Hair is a woman's crowning glory. When it starts to fall at alarming rates it becomes a cause of incessant worry. Many believe that baldness occurs only in men but this is incorrect.

Ignoring hair loss can be a big mistake because hair is an indicator of health and losing your tresses might mean there is some imbalance that needs attention. Dermatologists believe that hair loss can be treated in most of the cases with timely medical help.

What is hair loss?

Shedding 50 to 100 hairs is a part of the normal hair cycle. But if you are seeing a gradual thinning of your mane or bald patches on your scalp, consult a dermatologist.

What are the causes?

If you have diffused thinning all over your scalp, you might have androgenetic alopecia. Hormones are the culprit. There can be an increase in male hormones and other imbalance related to ovarian cysts, pregnancy, birth control pills and menopause. Heredity factors might also have a role in it.

If your hair growth goes in to a resting phase, yours might be a case of telogen effluvium. Child birth, malnutrition (iron and protein deficiencies), crash dieting, surgery, infection or extreme stress can cause a lot of shedding of hair.

If you are losing hair in patches, it is called alopecia areata. This happens when the hair roots are attacked by your immune system.

Other reasons for hair loss include:

• Medication
• Chronic illness like renal and liver problems
• Pulling your hair through regular braiding and ponytails
• Thyroid disease
• Improper hair treatments with repeated use of chemical colors or incorrect way of applying hair cosmetics.
  

How can it be treated?

The good news is that most cases of hair thinning can be reversed or stopped with medical help.

When hair loss follows temporary events, it will grow back after you pass that phase. Stress, pregnancy, disease, medication are some of the examples of such temporary events.

If your hair is thinning out because of an underlying protein or iron deficiency, it will grow back when you take a proper diet or supplements.

In cases where tress trauma is caused by hormonal imbalance, dermatologists may prescribe estrogen and progesterone pills or creams. Birth control pills with low androgen levels are also given in a few cases. But a thorough medical check-up is required before taking these treatments.

If you are losing hair in patches, your doctor might give you topical treatments like ketoconazole to treat any underlying fungal infection.

Many a times dermatologists may not be able to help you regrow your hair. In the case of thyroid disease, you might not see your tressing making a comeback even after taking thyroid medication. However, your doctor might be able to stop further hair loss.

There are many companies peddling hair loss cures. Don't let these magical cure companies mislead you with their before-and-after pictures and guaranteed hair regrowth. The solution to your lost tresses does not lie outside. By taking a good look at your body basics you will not only treat your hair but also find a cure for the silent ailments that are attacking your health.