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Advice on how to identify the causes of hair loss and treat baldness successfully.
Treat Baldness
The choices facing men and women wishing to treat baldness are greater today than ever before. The purpose of this site is to help you make some sense out of the options to treat baldness currently available.
Access to the internet has enabled hair loss sufferers to research their condition and assess the hair loss treatments available. Conversely the same medium has encouraged the proliferation of products and services promising to treat baldness successfully.
The challenge confronting potential purchasers is how to differentiate between genuine hair loss treatments and those which are not. In this section I'll attempt to offer guidance on the types of treatment available and how to choose one that can successfully treat baldness.
The first thing you need to do is identify the cause of your hair loss. The most common hair loss cause is androgenetic alopecia, or pattern baldness, which can affect both men and women. Other types of hair loss include telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, trichotillomania (hair pulling), cosmetically-induced and disease-related baldness. Ask your physician to help diagnose the cause of your hair loss as only then can you start considering what form of treatment is appropriate.
The second thing you need to do is decide what type of hair loss treatment you are prepared to consider. To an extent this will be influenced by the type of baldness you need to treat, but the most common forms of baldness can be tackled in a variety of ways. In the next section we'll look at some of the more popular ways to treat baldness.
Access to the internet has enabled hair loss sufferers to research their condition and assess the hair loss treatments available. Conversely the same medium has encouraged the proliferation of products and services promising to treat baldness successfully.
The challenge confronting potential purchasers is how to differentiate between genuine hair loss treatments and those which are not. In this section I'll attempt to offer guidance on the types of treatment available and how to choose one that can successfully treat baldness.
The first thing you need to do is identify the cause of your hair loss. The most common hair loss cause is androgenetic alopecia, or pattern baldness, which can affect both men and women. Other types of hair loss include telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, trichotillomania (hair pulling), cosmetically-induced and disease-related baldness. Ask your physician to help diagnose the cause of your hair loss as only then can you start considering what form of treatment is appropriate.
The second thing you need to do is decide what type of hair loss treatment you are prepared to consider. To an extent this will be influenced by the type of baldness you need to treat, but the most common forms of baldness can be tackled in a variety of ways. In the next section we'll look at some of the more popular ways to treat baldness.
Ways To Treat Baldness
Many hair loss sufferers opt for a surgical approach to ensure a quick fix. Hair transplantation methods have advanced considerably in recent years with increasingly satisfactory results. There is still a degree of pain and inconvenience involved while the prohibitive costs deter many patients.
Propecia (finasteride) remains one of only two hair loss treatments approved by the FDA and it boasts an 83% success rate. It works by inhibiting the formation of DHT which is the main contributor to androgenetic hair loss. Women should take Propecia only under the direction of a physician as the drug presents dangers to unborn babies.
Minoxidil is the only other FDA-recognized hair loss treatment and is approved for use by women. It is applied topically in solution form and works by overriding the symptoms of hair loss thus stimulating regrowth. Many patients simply prefer not to take strong pharmaceuticals or apply chemicals to their scalp and look instead for a natural solution.
It is in the area of natural and herbal hair loss treatments that the majority of dubious claims are made. There are however some treatments that offer hope to hair loss sufferers. The best advice is to check the ingredients of the product carefully. You'll find that many of the natural products designed to treat baldness will include DHT inhibiting ingredients such as saw palmetto and hair -friendly vitamins including B-6.
Some of the more recent hair loss treatments offer exciting possibilities. ApplePoly for example produces a treatment based on Procyanidin B-2, extracted from apples, that has been shown to grow hair in clinical trials. There is increasing scientific evidence to support the view that Procyanidin B-2 seems to promote hair growth by downregulating PKC in both the anagen (active growth phase) and telogen (resting phase) of the hair follicle. When the anagen phase is prolonged, and the telogen phase is shortened, increased hair growth results.
Propecia (finasteride) remains one of only two hair loss treatments approved by the FDA and it boasts an 83% success rate. It works by inhibiting the formation of DHT which is the main contributor to androgenetic hair loss. Women should take Propecia only under the direction of a physician as the drug presents dangers to unborn babies.
Minoxidil is the only other FDA-recognized hair loss treatment and is approved for use by women. It is applied topically in solution form and works by overriding the symptoms of hair loss thus stimulating regrowth. Many patients simply prefer not to take strong pharmaceuticals or apply chemicals to their scalp and look instead for a natural solution.
It is in the area of natural and herbal hair loss treatments that the majority of dubious claims are made. There are however some treatments that offer hope to hair loss sufferers. The best advice is to check the ingredients of the product carefully. You'll find that many of the natural products designed to treat baldness will include DHT inhibiting ingredients such as saw palmetto and hair -friendly vitamins including B-6.
Some of the more recent hair loss treatments offer exciting possibilities. ApplePoly for example produces a treatment based on Procyanidin B-2, extracted from apples, that has been shown to grow hair in clinical trials. There is increasing scientific evidence to support the view that Procyanidin B-2 seems to promote hair growth by downregulating PKC in both the anagen (active growth phase) and telogen (resting phase) of the hair follicle. When the anagen phase is prolonged, and the telogen phase is shortened, increased hair growth results.
More Information
You can find out more about the herbs, vitamins and minerals that can help you beat baldness at this Hair Loss site.
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by rickyman1
Hi and welcome to my information page about how to treat baldness. You can find out more about the types of herbs and vitamins that help combat hair l... (more)
