Hair Loss Treatment Waterloo IA

Heading off Hair Loss

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Good nutrition, low stress and invigorating scalp massages may help you keep your locks longer.

The men in my family have stoically accepted their early hair loss. Finding no suitable alternative, my father and brother compensate by sporting dashing beards. But when my mother’s once thick hair began to thin, around age 50, she anxiously searched for a solution. “My doctor told me my thyroid medication would take care of it, but it didn’t,” she says. “So I picked up a bottle of Rogaine; but after reading the label for possible side effects, I said, ‘No thanks, I’ll leave the facial hair [a potential side effect] to the men.’”

The most common form of hair loss is hereditary (androgenetic alopecia), so my family’s fate could eventually affect me—and more likely my two sons. While men have a 50 percent chance of losing their hair by age 50, up to 25 percent of premenopausal women and 38 percent of postmenopausal women will lose some, too. Men typically lose it from the temple and crown, known as male pattern baldness (MPB), while women lose it diffusely over the front and top of the scalp, known as female pattern baldness (FPB).

New research published in the American Journal of Human Genetics finally identified the culprit—a gene variant related to male sex hormones that is located in the X chromosome, so we really can blame mothers, at least
partially. “The problem is that even if you are in perfect health, you can still lose your hair from MPB or FPB because, no matter what you do, it’s genetically programmed to happen,” says Ted Daly, MD, dermatology director at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, N.Y.

If balding is part of your family history, take heart. Hereditary hair loss happens gradually, so attacking the problem early can sometimes slow the process. In addition, not all hair loss is hereditary, so hair loss that looks like MPB or FPB may actually have a combination of causes—many of them reversible. For example, the root cause of my mother’s thinning hair could be heredity, or it could be her hypothyroidism coupled with certain medications she takes. Dietary deficiencies could also exacerbate it.

Hair loss is a common side effect of prescriptions like oral contraceptives, acne medications, antidepressants, blood thinners and a host of others. Trauma and deep-rooted stress can cause hair to fall out by the handfuls (called telogen effluvium), and an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata causes hair to fall out in patches. In addition, tight hairstyles like cornrows and over-processing such as frequent straightening can damage hair follicles or fibers, resulting in hair loss. Different causes call for different solutions, so see a health practitioner well-versed in hair loss issues for an accurate diagnosis (see “Tress Tests” below).

Feed your follicles

While no one solution exists for every type of hair lossa well-balanced diet is key for normal growth. “If you’re eating too much or too little protein, or i...

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