Active Hair Loss

I have just one question. Why is it that men have several different ways to treat their balding problems but for women about the only alternative is to buy a wig or wear a hat. This doesn’t seem fair as hair loss in women is a real and growing problem. In fact, fully 40% of the cases of balding and hair thinning that are reported to physicians are by women and not men. I appears that finally the hair restoration community is taking notice of this problem and moving in the direction of new and powerful ways to treat female hair loss.

One method that has been very successful for men is hair implant surgery. This procedure for scalp baldness was originally developed in the 1950’s with mixed results. But over the years the hair transplantation techniques have been perfected to the point that the hair which is transplanted looks completely natural. Historically, women have not been candidates for this procedure because of the way their hair loss is patterned. For men the lose is usually at the top of the scalp which leaves good hair growth in the back of the head to be used as a donor site. Women, on the other hand, tend to have thinning hair problems over their entire scalp which means there is not an area of good hair growth to be used for donation hair follicles. This fact put a stop to using hair implantation to treat female baldness.

A new medical procedure now makes hair implants for women a reality since it allows for the manipulation of body hair to be removed and then inserted into the balding or thinning areas. This hair is not of the exact texture of scalp hair but that does not seem to be a problem when using the hairs as filler around natural hair. Finally, there is starting to be equality of the sexes around hair loss treatments.

From special shampoos to hair transplant operations to prescription medication, hair loss treatment is a multimillion dollar industry with new technologies constantly entering the fray. Of all the remedies available to help with hair loss, it turns out that one of the simplest is actually one of the best. It may not be necessary to go through the expense, time, and pain of using hair transplant surgery and other dramatic means when you could get good results by simply using vitamins.
While popping a pill may sound too good to be true, in the case of vitamins, it is an option worth exploring. If the cause of your hair loss is a vitamin or mineral deficiency, taking more of that vitamin or mineral should be enough to help get your hair growth back on track fairly quickly. That’s why smart people turn to vitamins when they are experiencing hair loss.
Generally speaking, it is considered safe to take vitamins if you follow the recommended dosages, although if you have specific health concerns you should first consult with your doctor. At any rate, vitamins have very few side effects and do not carry the risks of other treatments such as prescription medications and surgeries.
Vitamins are also very inexpensive. You can usually buy a year’s supply of vitamins for under ten dollars, making it a great value. Vitamins such as biotin have a proven track record in helping promote hair growth. Many people notice improvements within the first month of using these vitamins, but if for some reason you are not successful, your money is not wasted because vitamins have plenty of other benefits for your body and your health.
For information about deficiencies that can contribute to hair loss and specific vitamins that can help your hair start growing again, check out the Vitamins for Hair Loss Guide.

For years men have had all kinds of procedures and products dedicate to their hair loss. In fact, the number one drug approved by the US FDA, Finasteride, is only certified for use by men because of the possibility of birth defects it may cause if ingested by women of child bearing age. During all this time the only option for women was to buy a wig and hope it didn’t slip or fall off at the wrong time. This may have been OK when women were happy to sit in the house but today’s woman is active and wants to be able to treat their hair loss in a way that allows for boating, skiing, or skydiving.

The best hair restoration for women product on the market today is another FDA approved drug called Minoxidil. Minoxidil is usually sold under the brand name Rogaine but there are several generic varieties coming on the market which are cheaper. This particular drug actually stops the process of hair loss by interrupting the attachment of a hormone known as DHT to receptors on the hair follicles. When the DHT bonds to the follicle is causes a slow down in production of hair shaft material. This happens over several months or a few years but eventually the hair shaft will become so thin that it breaks off. At this time the follicle has been weakened to such a degree that it is not able to replace the hair. Once this happens to enough hair follicles the patient develops a bald spot.

If the DHT is not inhibited from bonding with receptors on the follicles then the hair will stop growing and the only way to replace it would be with hair restoration surgery. This is expensive and is difficult to perform if the patient is experiencing thinning hair over the entire head like the majority of women do. The surgery is best performed when a donor area of thick hair growth is present like when men lose the hair on the top of their head but continue to grow thick hair on the posterior of the head.