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Hair Loss

 CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS

  • Female Pattern Hair Loss: the most common cause of hair loss in women. This is a hereditary condition also known as female pattern balding which is genetically inherited. You inherited your baldness from your father AND your mother.

  • PCOS

  • Stress: When you’re experiencing something stressful or traumatic, something big and life-altering like death, divorce, job shifts, or a big move for example—you may experience a temporary halt in hair growth as your body puts its resources toward getting you through that stressful event. The same thing can happen with physical stress and trauma, like having a big surgery, being hospitalized, losing a significant amount of weight quickly, or being sick.

  • Perimenopause and menopause 

  • Sleep disorders: cause hair loss due to circadian rhythm disruption.

  • Insulin level abnormalities

  • Thyroid abnormalities

  • Alopecia areata: an autoimmune condition that causes bald round patches on your scalp.

  • Fungal infection, psoriasis, or contact dermatitis: is your scalp inflamed, itchy, and flaky?

  • Medications: certain medications cause chronic shedding. Examples include certain blood pressure medications, anti-depressants, cancer medications, and drugs used for rheumatoid arthritis.

  • Nutritional deficiencies: in particular, deficiencies in iron, zinc, vitamin B3 (niacin), and protein.

  • Overprocessing your hair, pulling your hair back too tightly or heat styling too frequently

  • Pregnancy

  • Anemia: symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include: brittle nails, extreme fatigue, or lack of energy, fast heartbeat, pale skin, shortness of breath. 

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SYMPTOMS 

  • Seeing more hair fall out daily either on your brush, on the floor, in showers, on your pillows, or on the sink.

  • Seeing noticeable patches of thinner or missing hair, including a part on the top of your head that gets wider.

  • Having smaller ponytails.

  • Seeing hair break off.

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TREATMENTS

STRESS REDUCTION:

Get stress under control

Eat right.

Sleep right.

Decompress.

Detox from your digital apparatus.

Go for a walk in nature.

Get a massage. Meditate. Breathe.

Stop eating crap. Eat your veggies.

Don’t smoke.

Hydrate

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FOOD:

Reishi mushroom: Blocks an enzyme (5 a DHT) that converts testosterone to the more potent DHT hormone. Reishi has many other health benefits. It boosts your immunity and calms your stress hormone (adrenal) pathways. 

 

Sweet potatoes: Rich source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene aids cell growth, prevent hair thinning and can even reduce dullness in hair. ... If you want to prevent hair loss, make sure sweet potatoes are a part of your diet.

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Tip: How to make Simple Sweet Potato Toast:

Slice the sweet potato lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices

Place the sweet potato slices in a toaster on high for about 5 minutes

You may need to toast multiple times depending on your toaster settings.

Top with desired toppings and enjoy!

Sweet potato toast slices can be stored in an airtight glass container for up to 1 week.

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Other foods that may boost hair growth include:

  • Eggs: These contain protein, which is essential for hair growth. They also contain biotin, a B vitamin that may boost hair growth, though research results are mixed.

  • Brazil nuts: These are a source of selenium, a mineral that may improve hair health.

  • Fatty fish: This is a good source of omega-3, which may also improve hair growth.

  • Walnuts: These also contain omega-3.

  • Pumpkin Seeds: A great source of zinc and they help prevent testosterone from converting to DHT, which is the form of testosterone that is responsible for male pattern baldness.

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 VITAMINS and SUPPLEMENTS

Zinc: improves hormone estrogen balance, reduces androgens levels and increases progesterone (a natural testosterone blocker). You may see improvement in 8 weeks. RECOMMENDED DOSE: 30-50mg taken after dinner (take with food to avoid nausea).

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​Nutrafol: vitamin targeted for hair nutrition.

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Green tea: can prevent 5-alpha-reductase from producing that more aggressive androgen DHT that kills the hair follicle.

 

Peony and Licorice extract:  Chinese herbs that help reduce testosterone-related hair loss. 

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N-Acetyl cysteine (NAC): Improves insulin resistance.  

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Seed cycling may relieve some of your symptoms if a hormonal imbalance is present. Seed cycling is not really new but it is newly trendy.

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 SHAMPOO

2% ketoconazole: If you can’t get the prescription strength then look for extra strength Nizoral over the counter. Use 2x a week. 

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 MEDICATION

  • Minoxidil (2-5%) is FDA approved for this condition. It is thought to increase your hair’s growth phase. The biggest problem is that hair loss comes back once you stop using it.

  • Nioxin is designed to strengthen, nourish and repair thinning hair.​

  • Spironolactone is an androgen receptor blocker. It occupies the receptors on your hair follicles to prevent hair follicle shrinkage. It has a varied side effect profile because it also acts as a diuretic and can impact your blood pressure and electrolyte levels. It can take 3 to 6 months to work. You should not take this medication if you are planning to become pregnant. Spironolactone may cause birth defects or miscarriage. 

  • ​​Birth control pills work by increasing certain binding proteins in your liver that can take androgens out of circulation. It takes about 4 to 6 months to slow hair loss. It is important to note that large amounts of hair loss may occur when you stop birth control pills.

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 SURGERY

  • Hair transplant surgery: Small pieces of the scalp with hair follicles are taken from the back of the head and moved to slits in the areas of baldness. Potential problems with this treatment include the usual risks of surgery like infection, such as folliculitis, and shock loss—where the hair falls out in the transplant area. In cases where the bald areas are large, there might be trouble trying to find enough hair to transplant. In addition, the surgery can be costly and is usually not covered by insurance.

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  • Injections of something called protein-rich plasma (PRP) have also been done to encourage hair growth. PRP is generally made from blood drawn from a patient. The platelets are removed and concentrated and then added back to the blood for injection.

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Long Hair Model

HAIRCARE TIPS

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  1. Wash and condition your hair without traumatizing it. Hair that's thinning or falling out is fragile and easily damaged. Here's what dermatologists recommend for their patients who have hair loss:

    • Use a gentle sulfate-free shampoo. Some shampoos can strip moisture from your hair.

    • Apply a moisturizing conditioner after every shampoo. Conditioner coats your strands, which reduces breakage and split ends.

    • Once a week use sulfate-free baby shampoo instead of your regular shampoo. 

    • Wrap your hair in a towel to help it dry. This helps reduce the time you spend blow-drying.

    • Forgo hot-oil treatments. These heat up the hair, which further damages fragile hair.

  2. Stop at-home coloring, perming, chemical straightening, and relaxing. If you want to use these, find a salon that specializes in the service you want and has professionals who know how to examine your scalp and hair in order to find the product most suitable for you. Make sure the salon uses a moisturizing conditioner afterward.

  3. Limit your use of curling irons, flat irons, and hot combs, using one only on a special occasion, such as a wedding or job interview. These heat up your hair, which can weaken it.

  4. Use the lowest heat setting on your blow-dryer. When possible, let your hair dry naturally rather than using a blow-dryer. To repeat, wrapping wet hair in a microfiber towel can help dry your hair more quickly.

  5. Don't wear your hair tightly pulled back in a bun, ponytail, pigtails, cornrows, or braids. Frequently wearing a hairstyle that pulls on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. In time, anything that pulls on your hair can cause permanent hair loss. You'll find styling changes that can help you prevent this type of hair loss at Hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss.

  6. If you have a habit of twisting your hair around your finger or pulling on it, try to stop. These habits can further weaken already fragile hair, causing more hair loss.

  7. Brush or comb your hair gently, and only enough to style it. Tugging on your hair while brushing or combing it can lead to hair loss.

  8. If you smoke, stop. Smoking causes inflammation throughout the body, which can worsen hair loss.

  9. Eat healthily. If you're not getting enough of some nutrients, such as iron or protein, this can lead to hair loss.

  10. Eating too few calories every day can also cause significant hair loss.

  11. Use a brush made of boar hair. 

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