How to Prevent Hair Loss
To prevent hair loss effectively and efficiently, it is important to understand what are the causes of genetic hair loss (andro genetic alopecia). The causes of genetic hair loss for men and women include:
- inheritance of the balding gene, and
- the presence of the hormone DHT in the body
Combined, they cause the hair follicle to move closer to the surface of the skin, further away from its blood supply, resulting in thinning of the hair leading to hair loss. Any treatment that seeks to;
1. Lower DHT – and therefore prevent the minaturisation process will help slow or prevent hair loss
2. Improve the quality or quantity of blood supply the reaches the follicle
Three of the most effective hair loss prevention treatments include:
More on Finasteride
More on Minoxidil
More on PRP
Other Hair Loss Treatment Options Include
Low Level Laser for Hair Loss
Low Level Laser for Hair Loss is a hair loss treatment that seeks to aid blood flow to the hair follicle by irritating the follicle and region promoting circulation. With varied results when compared with platelet rich plasma. Most patients are required to consume finasteride and or minoxidil to see any noticable hair loss regrowth compared to using the laser therapy on its own.
Saw Palmetto and Hair Loss
Saw palmetto is a naturally occurring plant extract that has been offered as a more natural alternative treatment to Propecia. Saw palmetto has been beneficial in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a condition that is also treated by finasteride. For this reason, people have also believed that saw palmetto could be beneficial for treating hair loss. However, it has no effect on PSA or prostate volume and therefore no effect as a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor. As such, there is little evidence to support the claims of saw palmetto’s efficacy in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.
Nizoral
Nizoral has been available in Australia as an over-the-counter antidandruff medication for some years. The active ingredient in Nizoral is ketoconazole and it is available as either 1 per cent or 2 per cent. Ketoconazole is beneficial for more than just dandruff, as it is also a powerful anti-androgen. This means that for those affected by male or female pattern baldness, shampooing with Nizoral may be beneficial. The results of a recent study were presented at the American Academy of Dermatology. Investigators found that Nizoral 1 per cent used 2–3 times weekly over a six-month period yielded the following gains:
- Hair diameter increased by an average 8.5 per cent
- Hair shed over a 24-hour period was reduced by 16.5 per cent
- Hairs remaining in the anagen growing phase increased by 6.4 per cent
Hair Loss & Blood Supply
All sorts of myths are associated with hair loss and blood supply. Don’t wear a cap or you will cut off the blood supply to your scalp! Stand on your head for five minutes a day and improve the circulation to your scalp! Massage your scalp to improve your circulation! All Interesting theories, and all baseless.
The hair has withered and died under the influence of DHT. Wearing a cap or massaging the scalp will not affect the amount of DHT that arrives at the follicles. Thirty-five years of hair transplant surgery has shown this to be true, with grafts performed in the 1960s to the top of the scalp growing just as well to this day as the hair at the back and sides.
Hair Loss & Hygiene
Sebum is secreted by the sebaceous gland, which is located near the hair follicle. This surface sebum can be high in testosterone and, more importantly, DHT, which, it has been theorised, may re-enter the follicle and induce or exacerbate androgenetic alopecia. Daily shampooing is likely to be beneficial in reducing surface levels of DHT. Many treatments are based on this theory, but any shampoo from a supermarket will fulfill the role of removing surface sebum.
Clogged Pores
This is another of those plausible theories suggested to people just before they are asked to pay for some special lotion to flush out those clogged pores and induce marvellous, luscious hair. We have all had ingrowing hairs. This phenomenon occurs where a hair literally punches its way through skin where there’s no opening for it, quite often causing a pimple. It is, hard, then to believe that a clogged pore could stop the hair growing.