PART 1
Very much a highlighted news topic, the stem
cell research controversy continues. Reasons for the "need" of research
include possible help for persons with terminal cancer, Alzheimer's
disease, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury...and hair loss.
Hair
loss is an important subject for the many men and women who experience
it. The careless remarks and gratuitous jokes about baldness made by
people with full heads of hair only add to their humiliation. Some
people even experience anger that their hairline threatens to become as
receded as the waters of the Red Sea for the Hebrews so many years ago.
Countless
people wonder whether or not there really exists a cure for hair loss.
Before we answer that question, we should first answer the questions, "What is hair loss?" and "What causes it?"
What is Hair Loss?
The
term "Alopecia," more commonly known as "baldness," includes various
disorders that involve the lack of hair where it would normally grow;
especially when it involves the head. The most common form of baldness
is a progressive hair-thinning condition that occurs in some adults.
Each
piece of hair has a follicle located at the end of the hair shaft.
Follicles act as the hair's incubator;" it is where the hair is
produced. Each strand of hair has a matrix, located at the base of the
follicle. Cells in this area produce keratin, a tough protein that makes
up the hair shaft, and melanin. Melanin stains the keratin, giving hair
its color.
The activity of each follicle is dependent on
surrounding follicles. Healthy hair follicles continuously grow. About
85% of the hair follicles on a healthy scalp are actively growing at the
same time, and hair loss is not a problem.
Each strand of hair
continues to grow for about 4 years, before going into a dormant period
of about 4 months. On an average, only about 15% of the total amount of
hair follicles on a healthy scalp is dormant at any one time. It is when
a higher percentage of hair follicles stop growing at one time that
hair loss becomes a problem.
What Happens During Hair Loss
Follicles
are nourished by a network of capillaries, bringing nutrients to the
base of the follicle. The amount of blood available to the scalp and to
the follicles is determined by the health of the capillaries in the
scalp, as well as the arteries in the neck and temple.
Problems
develop when hair follicles do not receive proper nourishment. For
instance, some women experience noticeable hair thinning after
menopause, after the production of estrogen slows down or stops. Hair
loss in women is usually more diffuse then in men. Women seldom have
bold spots; a large area of the head may show sparse hair growth
instead. Only about 15% of women are afflicted by such a high degree of
hair loss that it becomes obvious.
In men the hormone DHT can harm
hair follicles, making them shrink, or cause them to prematurely enter
into the resting stage of the hair cycle. When this happens the result
is often the characteristic U-shaped pattern of hair loss at the top of
the head.
What Causes Hair Loss?
Predisposition can
be one factor as to why one person begins losing their hair as they age,
while another person does not. Various other disorders, such as
obesity, allergies, and diabetes can also be attributed to
predisposition. Sometimes hair loss can be the result of side effects
caused by certain prescription drugs. Of course, these factors can often
be countered.
Where you may not be able to reverse
predisposition, you can sometimes contain it. By changing lifestyle,
maintaining a customized healthcare regimen, and eating a well-balanced
diet, many such factors can be alleviated or turned around.
More about Hair Loss
When
it comes counteracting or slowing down the process of hair loss,
products such as Rogaine, Dutasteride, and Propecia can help. Scalp
exercises and massages using special preparations can also help.
Telogen
Effluvium (TE) is a type of hair loss more common in women then men. It
is characterized by high numbers of hairs that enter into the resting
stage of the hair cycle, all at one time. This usually causes profuse
shedding, as opposed to bald patches. This can be an overwhelming
experience for women, especially those who once had luxuriant hair.
TE
can be brought on by prolonged emotional or physical stress, severe
illness, post-pregnancy hormone changes, or crash dieting. Once the
triggering factor has been removed, TE hair loss usually stops. Hair can
grow back in even without treatment, usually in 6 months to a year.
With
proper treatment, hair growth can be accelerated. Some professionals
recommend bringing the level of iron stored in the body up to 70 or 80
ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter). The range of iron normally stored in a
woman's body might be between 12 - 50; the lower end not high enough to
speed hair growth.
Rogaine can also be used for a few months to
start the TE recovery process; once hair does begin to grow back in,
Rogaine use can stop.
As mentioned earlier, crash dieting can
trigger TE in both men and women. As a matter of fact, diets of less
than 1,200 calories a day can trigger sudden hair loss. This is
especially true of diets low in protein. When the body lacks proper
protein it "borrows" by shifting healthy hairs into dormancy to conserve
protein.
Although hair loss resulting from inadequate diets is
most often temporary, it can result in permanent loss of hair in persons
genetically predetermined towards hair loss. Also, extreme weight loss
in men can increase the production of androgens - male sex hormones that
kill hair follicles. Once hair follicles are destroyed, there can be no
re-growth of hair.
