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Did I Inherit A Hair Loss Gene?

Men who start to go bald even before a mid-life crisis may have their mothers to blame, according to a new study. Researchers have found that the main construction manual for a full head of hair is located on the X chromosome, which sons always inherit from their mothers.

This genetic storage space contains the so-called androgen receptor gene, a long time balding suspect. Looking at men who were losing their hair at a relatively young age, a team led by Markus Nothen, PhD, of the Life & Brain Center at Bonn University, Germany systematically examined all of the genetic patterns within the X chromosome to see why certain hairlines recede faster than others. Its not a pretty picture.

The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, claims that a single alteration in the androgen-receptor gene is the major reason why some men end up going bald before their fathers. Nearly half of bald men would not be bald if they did not have this genetic variation. The hair loss in these younger men, he added, was much more severe than in the men who still had a reason to use a comb in their 60s.

The two approved medicines to treat hair loss (Rogaine and Propecia) need to be taken for a long time to see results. With Propecia, doctors sometimes advise their patients not to expect any results before at least six to eight months. And both need to be used indefinitely to maintain its effect. Once you stop, hair loss will continue.

Although there are only two medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat hair loss, many people are interested in other, alternative treatments. The herb saw palmetto has been used for many years in Europe to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate and there is some evidence that it may also be effective in treating hair loss.

Common Causes of Hair Loss

It is very natural for a person to loss 50 to 100 hairs each day under the bodys hair renewal process. But most of the people at least once in their lifetime suffer with heavy hair loss. There may be various reason behind this; like medication, chemotherapy, exposure to radiations and certain chemicals, nutritional and hormonal factors, thyroid disease, skin disease or stress, etc.

In most of the cases hair loss is temporary but in certain cases it may be permanent depending on the severity of disease. Some of the most common causes of hair loss are explained here.

Hormonal

Hormones are stimulant to hair growth and causes hair loss problems. Hormones affect heavily our hair growth. These affect both male as well as female hair health.

Hair thinning is one of the hormonal problems and affects both men and women. Hair thinning in male is specific and follows a pattern from the front through to the crown. Hair thinning in female does not follow any specific pattern.

Hair thinning is caused by androgen DHT or Dihydrotesterone. Everyone has DHT but only some suffers with hair problem, are you wandering, why? This owes to the hair follicles, which have a greater number of androgen receptors for the DHT to attach with. Till date the most effective treatment for the problems of hair thinning is; anti androgens. Anti androgens are preventive drugs that prevent the creation of DHT. In future we may get genes therapy for hair thinning problems.

Childbirth

Many of the females experience hair loss after labor. In such a situation many of the hair enters the telogen or resting phase. Some of the females experiences hair loss within two to three months after giving childbirth.

Hair problem due to pregnancy is temporary and in many of the cases eradicate within time, say 1 to 6 months. This occurs because of diverse hormonal changes that take place within the body during pregnancy.

Birth control pills

The females who are genetically programmed with Androgenic Alopecia, if takes birth control pills at much younger age encounters hair loss. Androgenic Alopecia is caused due to various hormonal changes.

The females who have history of hair loss in their family must consult doctor before taking any birth control pills. This type of hair loss is temporary and may stop in 1 to 6 months. But in some of the cases, it has been noticed that a female cannot regrow some of her hair that was lost due to Androgenic Alopecia.

Deficient diet

A good balanced diet rich in varied variety of nutrients is equally important to your hair health. The person who eats less of proteins or has irregular eating habits suffers with hair loss. Generally to save protein our body pushes growing hair into resting phase. If your hair can be pulled out by the root very easily, then this may be due to lack of a well balanced diet. This condition can be prevailed by eating a diet rich in proteins and other necessary nutrients.

Low serum iron

If some person either may not have access to iron rich food or his / her body may not absorb enough of iron then this may cause hair problems. Women during menstrual period are more prone to be iron deficient. Low iron in the body can be detected by laboratory test and can be corrected by taking a diet rich in iron and iron pills.

However, hair loss problems of any sort are generally temporary and can be solved by taking good nutritious diet and professional help.

Can Female Hair Loss Make Me Totally Bald?

View the pattern that affects women only. Loss of female hair is not the same as male hair loss determined by heredity. Female hair loss is temporary and is seldom an advance warning of baldness. Transient loss of hair should not, however, be ignored. It is possible for a woman to suffer from hormonal hair loss leading to baldness.

Some of the most common causes are:

1. Pregnancy
2. Severe emotional stress
3. Under medical treatment
4. Hormonal hair loss
Is there a relationship between hair loss and menopause?

The most common cause of hair loss is low thyroid function, which is common among menopausal women.

Other causes include, but are not limited to: changes in hormone levels, increased testosterone, increased stress, which can either be physical stress, or emotional stress, various medications, scalp/dermatological issues and heredity.

Any time sudden hair loss is experienced, one must consider events which took place up to three months prior to the hair loss, as factors affecting hair loss can often take up to three months to have an effect, i.e., were you diagnosed with something new in the past few months? Did you start taking medication during the past few months?

Did you go through a traumatic experience. Subsequently, any treatments for hair loss should be given at least three months to have noticeable effects.

There are of course various ways to solve hair problems, such as:

1. Wig / toupe
2. Hair-weaving (weaving in extra hair)
3. Hair transplant
4. Cosmetic hair treatment courses
5. Therapy

There are only a few products available worldwide which have been conclusively proven to combat hair loss. They are Aminexil, Alopesan 400, Maxilne, Minoxidil and Finasteride.

Its very important for you as a consumer to know this if you are thinking of taking steps to combat your hair loss. Rogaine is another one of the more popular brand names in the hair loss industry.

Biotin and Hair Loss

Falling hair is normal, when you take bath roll in the bed, do combing and such other activities, you lost some of your hairs. It is very natural. But if your hair falls and that too in such a quantity that makes your head poor haired then it is a deficiency, which may ultimately lead to baldness. If this is the case, then you are suffering with hair problems.

The causes may be many and you need to identify them, but ultimately your body is deficient of Biotin. Yes, Biotin, it is the vitamin, which makes your hair healthy, strong and good looking. It is clinically proven, so maintaining a good level of Biotin in your body system is as essential as maintaining other vitamins and minerals. Biotin is necessary for your hairs health and overall well being. Medical specialists advise that the persons suffering with Hair Problems must take Biotin in addition to other medications.

So if you are suffering with hair problems, must go for medications with Biotin substitutes. Foods like eggs. Yolk and liver contains a lot of Biotin, you need to consume these foods in rich quantity to maintain your health and prevent hair loss.
Using a Biotin enriched shampoo may also help in improving your hair health.

Some more foods rich in Biotin are; brewers yeast, green peas, oats, soybeans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, green peas, bulgur and brown rice, etc. Eating these foods and food products will help your body in maintaining a good level of Biotin.

A person who is a patient of heartburn, acid reflux or GERD absorbs less amount of Biotin, and hence may trap into hair problems. This is because; a person suffering with above-mentioned disease takes a lot of antacids.
So now, you will definitely agree with the fact that Biotin is a hair food, and important for good hair health.

What Biotin else does for your body?

Biotin is a member of Vitamin B complex family also sometime known as Vitamin H or Vitamin B7. This is soluble in water, which means, if body has high level of Vitamin H at a certain day or time, it pass out through Urine. This vitamin is produced in the intestine with the help of bacteria in the intestine. Biotin helps in metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins and helps in maintaining steady blood sugar. So, it is good for the persons suffering with Diabetes. Diabetes is a major disease across the globe and affects several men and women.

Biotin do processing of glucose and we know glucose is one of the source of energy of our body to perform work and maintaining wear and tear of the body. Biotin also helps in making of DNA, RNA and nucleic acids and production of fatty acids. Growth and replication of cells depends on Biotin.
Thus on one hand Biotin helps in maintaining good hair health and on the other hand it is important for several bodily functions.

Sources of Biotin

The main sources of Biotin are; liver, kidneys, milk, cheese, butter and other dairy products, egg yolks, oysters, lobsters, poultry, cauliflower, avocados, bananas, strawberries, watermelon, grapefruits, raisins, mushrooms, green peas, blackcurrants, brewers yeast, wheat germ, nuts, beans, lentils, oat bran, whole grains, oatmeal, peanut butter, molasses, and foods like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and herrings (foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids).