You need this information if you are starting on the path to treating hair loss. There is so much mis-information out there most people don’t know what to believe. This article is written as a basic resource for people with thinning and balding hair. Before you spend hundreds of dollars on something that may not work, be sure to read this informative post.
Before looking at treatments let’s look at the cause. Men who have early balding will be suffering from male pattern baldness in about 95% of the cases. Male pattern baldness is a genetic condition also called Androgenic Alopecia. Hair loss remedies have been found on the walls of Egyptian tombs which means the problem has been with us for at least 5000 years.
This balding problem can be passed down from either the father’s or the mother’s side of the family which counteracts the old wives tale about your mother’s brothers determining if you will go bald. Male pattern hair loss will sometimes skip a generation or two because the gene is recessive, also, it may not affect all siblings equally. This apparently random affect made it seem like magic for years until the mechanism of recessive genes was understood.
Men aren’t the only ones who suffer androgenic alopecia though. The fact is about 60% of the premature hair loss cases involve women instead of men. This fact is interesting because even though the problem is more common for women than men very little research has gone into female hair loss. This is opposed to the millions spent on hair loss in men. Usually the only recourse women had was to wear a wig.
One treatment that has been approved by the US FDA is the drug Minoxidil. This topically applied drug is absorbed through the scalp and protects the hair roots from the main culprit of hair loss, DHT. It has been found by the US government that if DHT is limited or inhibited from attacking the follicles then the hair growth will be extended longer. This seems to be the key to hair loss treatments.
DHT is formed when the enzyme 5-alpha reductase metabolizes the male hormone testosterone. Although it is called the male hormone it is actually found in both men and women. DHT will bond with the receptors on the hair roots that normally allow for the transfer of nutrients and oxygen for the manufacture of keratin. Limiting the levels of DHT or blocking it from the follicles is the most effective way to treat hair loss.
If you are looking for a natural hair restoration product then you want to look at Saw Palmetto. The extract of this plant has been used by the native people of the South Eastern US for centuries to treat many different ailments. It is derived from a three foot tall bush of the palm family. Saw Palmetto is known as a natural occuring DHT blocker with means it actually inhibits the metabolizing of testosterone into DHT.
There is a DHT blocker that is also very effective for men. Unfortunately, it is not recommended for use by women because of the possibility of birth defects in unborn male fetuses. In particular, it seems to cause a problem with the proper development of the male sexual organs. Because of this concern, women are not even recommended to touch the broken tablets.
If none of these hair restoration products give you the results you desire then it is time to look at hair implants. The hair implantation method of hair restoration for women was not used for years because women had thinning hair over their entire scalps. Men, who had great success with the procedure, usually have a good growth of hair at the back of the head even if the top is completely bald. This provides a very good donor site which means the hair follicles can be removed from this area and transplanted to the balding area.
The hair implants procedure originally gave very poor results but it now can offer a head of hair that looks completely natural. In fact, if you want long term success this is really the best method even though it is quite expensive. New techniques allow hair implants for women as well as for men now and thousands of people have been helped with this remedy.
If you are losing your hair then the sooner you act the better the chances of success. Don’t waste another day. Visit our Hair Restoration Blog to find out about the best hair restoration products.