Understanding Hair Loss
Hair loss is a common condition that affects men and women of all ages. There are many types of scalp hair loss which makes finding a direct cause challenging. The most common causes are predetermined genetic factors and the overall aging process.
To understand hair loss, we must first understand what hair is and how it grows. Hair is made up of ‘keratin’; a protein that is produced in the outer layer of skin known as hair follicles. As the hair follicles produce new hair cells, they push the old cells through the surface of the scalp. New hair follicles produce at an average rate of six inches per year. Meaning, that the hair coming out of your head is a string of dead keratin cells. The average adult head contains 100,000 to 150,000 hairs and in one day a human head can lose up to 100 hairs.
Causes of Hair Loss
Doctors have yet to figure out why certain hair follicles have shorter life spans than others. However, science has told us that there are several factors that contribute to hair loss. Hair loss in more than 80% of men is hereditary and it is passed on genetically. Whereas only 30% of women’s hair loss is hereditary and passed on genetically.
The main factors leading to hair loss are:
- Autoimmune disease
- Cosmetic procedures (perms, dyes, etc.)
- Medical conditions (thyroid disease, eating disorders, diabetes, etc.)
The Impacts of Hair Loss
Emotional Effects and Loss of Confidence
For many men and women, hair loss can cause a decrease in self-confidence, dissatisfaction with appearance and overall emotional stress. It can also affect the social health of an individual, making them more reserved and less outgoing, and impacting activities and tasks.
We often associate hair loss with growing older. This is because hair frames the face, helping direct the eye towards facial features instead of your scalp. For this reason baldness and/or thinning hair, can add years to a person’s appearance.
How to Prevent Hair Loss
There are several ways to prevent or slow hair loss and each case is different. Depending on your degree of hair loss, your age, your desired outcome and other factors, any one or combination of a number of treatments might be right for you.
You may benefit from either a medicinal or surgical solution or a combination of the two. You also may be a great candidate for laser therapy, whereby your hair follicles are stimulated by low level laser diodes. We will provide you with a plan upon completing an in-house consultation.