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Hair Growth and Causes of Hair Thinning and Hair Loss
This website investigates the causes and possible solutions to thinning hair in men and women.
Welcome to the Thinning Hair Secrets site.
Men and women with thinning hair can suffer from both social self-consciousness and internal emotions, feeling less attractive and older looking than their equivalent aged peers. In the initial stages of hair loss it is more likely that you notice the thinning and nobody else does!
We hope to advise you on your hair growth in it’s normal cycle, what can disrupt this naturally occuring cycle and how to avoid or recover from the hair thinning and hair loss that is a result of this disruption to this natural hair growth cycle. Most of the ’secrets’ are either processes or products that will work on restoring this natural cycle and then maintain the quality of the hair and the scalp. This long first page may help you identify with your particular problem.
The Hair Growth Cycle
From birth, all your hair follicles are present and during your lifetime, each follicle will grow and shed single hairs – fine flexible strands of protein (keratins) – in a repetitive cycle of growth and resting phases. There are three of these phases – quickly outlined here – and each individual hair will follow this cycle.
Anagen= growth phase;
Anywhere from 2 years to as long as 8 years! Rapid growth of cells in the papilla producing the shaft grows out of the follicle and the follicle matures by growing deeper into the dermis. Healthy scalp and hair growth is at approximately ½ inch per month.
Catagen= degradation phase;
Between 2 and 4 weeks. The follicle stops growing but remains intact. It will actually shrink in length and the papilla degenerates and breaks away.
Telogen= resting phase.
This lasts two to four months. The follicle is in a resting phase with no hair growth. Shedding of the hair follicle occurs on return to the next growth cycle phase (anagen) begins and a new hair shaft begins to emerge and pushes out the old one. At any one time upto 15% of the follicles are in this resting state, leaving about 80 to 90 percent of follicles growing.
At this transition point of telogen to anagen there is on average about 50-100 head hairs shed per day. This is normal hair loss and what you see in the shower plug hole and from combing or brushing your hair. These hairs will normally regrow on a scalp in good condition.
Why Does Thinning Hair and Hair Loss Occur?
Several factors, either individually or in combination, can affect the hair growth cycle and cause temporary or permanent hair thinning or hair loss (alopecia). While many are discussed on this site, here are some – but it must be understood that you should always consult a medical authority to discover possible underlying heath problems rather than hereditary.
Androgenic or Androgenetic Alopecia
MALE HAIR LOSS
This hair loss is typical giving “male pattern baldness” – a receding hairline that may also have thinning hair on top of the scalp. Approximately 95% of hair loss in men is down to this and it is more prevalent with age. This type of hair loss results from three major factors;
- Male hormones (androgens) – testosterone, androsteinedione, dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
- Genetic predisposition
- Aging
The odds are stacked against men as DHT occurs naturally with testosterone combinations and the older you get the more DHT is available and creates an environment in the scalp which results in a general reduction in growth of the follicle. Eventually the regrowth of that hair becomes shorter and thinner – until it fails to grow at all!
In the hair cycle it’s this shortening of the anagen phase that starts to show as hair thinning and hair loss. Scattered patterns of variable-diameter hairs in the affected area of the scalp cause a visible thinning of hair density. To address this hair loss, scalp and hair administrations such as Provillus Hair Loss Treatment with FDA approved ingredients inhibit the excess DHT and allow the hair regeneration to continue instead of faltering.
FEMALE HAIR LOSS
Also called “female diffuse thinning” and like men, it is the more common reason for female hair thinning and hair loss. “Female pattern baldness” has a different pattern of hair loss with the hair becoming thinner all over the head, occasionally with a more visible triangle of thinning hair behind the front hair line fringe which does not recede. A rarer condition than that in men, the hair follicle gradually becomes thinner and brittle and finally results in no new follicle formation. It may appear in the late 20s and reach its peak after the age of 50, increasing greatly following menopause as it is related to hormone levels in the body. It seems to affect Caucasian women more than others and may have genetical links inherited from one of the parents. It is less certain that sex hormones play a role as in male hair thinning as most of the women having this condition test for normal androgen levels in their bloodstream.
Telogen Effluvium
As it’s name suggests, this hair thinning and loss is in the resting phase of hair growth where a hair remains until pushed out by the growth of a new hair (in the anagen growth phase). As discussed earlier, only about 15% of hairs are in this state at one time. Whatever triggers the condition will cause this percentage to increase so a larger ammount is seen to be falling out.This is general hair loss and thinning throughout the scalp and may appear as random, small, circular patches of hair loss on the scalp and the body. This common problem is usually caused by a very stressful event in a persons life at any age – such as bereavement, childbirth, psychological stress, illness and drug related reactions. The good news is the hair loss is temporary in most cases and will grow back when the hairs enter the anagen phase again because telogen effluvium is related to the time in the growth cycles of hair. It may take up to six months.
Alopecia Areata
This affects men and women equally and while it is not known exactly what causes this condition – it is thought to be auto-immune related and treatments may involve suppressing the auto-immune response through medication such as steroids. Stress and family related are also possible factors. This doesn’t show as thinning of the hair, but drops out in recognisable, random circles or oval patches of baldness, which leaves smooth skin with no hair. In approximately 80% it is an isolated event and the hair re-grows. In 20% of cases the hair loss becomes permanent. The condition is known as alopecia totalis if all scalp hair is lost and alopecia universalis if all body hair is also lost. More severe loss of hair throughout the scalp generally is termed as Alopecia Totalis.
Anagen Effluvium
Sudden hair loss resulting from cancer therapy. Certain types of chemical and radiation therapy result in this type of hair loss. , such as the hair loss that results during certain types of Chemotherapy or Radiation Treatment. This hair loss is usually temporary and the hair will regrow once completion of the therapy is accomplished.
Scarring or Scar Tissue Alopecia
Inflammation of the hair follicle following an infection to the surface of the scalp. Connective tissue disease in the form of Systemic Lupus which causes a scarring and plugging of the follicles and results in follicular death. Bald patches may also be due to Scarring Alopecia, which can be the result of local radiation therapy, injury, or various medical or dermatologic conditions such as lupus and lichen planus.
Infections and Illness Causing Hair Loss
Fungal infections such as ringworm or piedra cause hair loss in areas in which the individual hair fibres are infected by a fungus. Ringworm leaves a patch of bald, scaley skin which may be itchy and inflamed. Piedra is indicated by the development of hard nodules on the hair fibres. Folliculitis is a local inflammation of the hair follicles, caused by a virus, yeast or fungal infection. This causes small rings of inflammation around the opening of the hair follicles and often causes the hair to fall out. Treatment of folliculitis may require antibiotics. Seborrheic dermatitis is a skin disease causing irritation and inflammation as a result of excessive sebum and yeast production. If seborrheic dermatitis occurs on the scalp or other areas of body where there is hair, it can also cause temporary hair loss or hair thinning. Hair loss can also be caused by hormonal problems, for example if your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, or by a disease such as lupus or diabetes. Therefore it is very important to diagnose the cause of the hair loss, so that any underlying conditions can be treated.
Treatment of Thinning Hair
Thinning hair may be an indication that the root of the hair does not have a sufficient supply of nutrients. Certain shampoos such as Nioxin Hair Products can also help to create more volume in the hair. In the case of a fungal infection, your GP may prescribe a topical application, or anti-fungal drug, in order to treat the infection and allow restoration of the hair. An infection may also be treated with medicated shampoos, or with a corticosteroid cream or lotion which may be used to control the immune response.
One medicine that may help hair regrowth is Minoxidil which is available without prescription as a lotion applied directly to the scalp. However studies show that only about 20 percent of women have moderate regrowth, while 40 percent report minimal regrowth using minoxidil. These figures are for younger women aged 18 to 45 with early hair loss.
If hair loss is caused by an underlying illness, such as thyroid problems, treatment of the illness will usually halt the hair loss.
Good Luck with getting your hair thinning resolved!
www.ThinningHairSecrets.com