What Causes Hair Loss?

February 18, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Hair Loss

From the time of birth, to a certain stage in adulthood, human body, and the body organs within it, grow. After that, the growth stops, except perhaps in the case of human hair. For the entire duration of his life, a man’s hair keeps on growing, falling off, and growing again. Hair grows about a centimetre a month, for anything from two to six years, rests for about two to three months, and then falls off. Hair is lost routinely in that manner. It is a normal and requisite form of hair loss.

About 90% of the scalp hair is generally in a growing phase and the remainder is in a resting phase. Hair loss problems occur when this proportion changes. Hair loss solution becomes necessary when the proportion of the growing hair is less, and resting hair is more, than the normal pattern.

This discrepancy in proportion, which causes hair loss, is influenced by many factors. Surgery, or other illnesses, which tilts the overall balance of the body, and thereby tilts the balance between growing and resting hairs, is one of the hair loss causes. Such a hair loss could result directly from the deficiency in the system resulting from the illness, or could be influenced by the mental stress which is a corollary to many diseases.

Hormonal changes in the body can also pave the way to hair loss. Problems relating to the activity of the thyroid gland are a very common cause of hair loss. Disproportionate activity of the male hormone testosterone, or the female hormone oestrogen, can lead to male pattern hair loss or female pattern hair loss respectively. The problems of hair loss due to hormonal imbalances are normally amenable to treatment.

Postpartum hair loss is a common hair loss problem among women. About three months after the arrival of a baby, women start shedding more than the normal amount of hair. During pregnancy, female hormones remain extra active. When post-pregnancy, the hormone starts seeking the normal level, hair loses the additional protection it has been afforded, and starts falling off in larger quantities in proportion with the falling hormone level.

The most pronounced hair loss is seen in people undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. Other medicines that are cause of hair loss are anticoagulants, antidepressants, medicines used in the treatment of gout, contraceptive pills, or an over-doze of Vitamin A. Diabetes and lupus are medical conditions that aid hair loss.

Besides all these, even a fungal infection on the scalp is enough to trigger a hair loss problem. While an infection is treatable in almost all cases, in the other cases, hair loss problem stops when the medicine causing it is stopped. Problems arise only when a person cannot afford to stop taking a particular medicine.

Proper hair care is necessary to prevent hair loss. Hairstyles, which pull the hair tightly, promote hair loss by resulting in what is called traction alopecia. Certain chemicals used for perms or hot oils applied to the scalp can aid hair loss. Keeping the hair free of dirt and oil by frequent shampooing, brushing it frequently to aid circulation of the scalp, and leaving hair loose much of the time, can substantially prevent hair loss.

There are several hair loss products that can be used to promote hair growth, and Provillus is one of the best and most effective products that prevent and reverse hair loss, and promote hair growth.