Hair Follicles | Health And Wellness Tips

New Research Links Causes Of Hair Loss To Nutritional Deficiency

Whilst it may be comforting to know that humans are not alone in suffering hair loss (primates such as monkeys also experience thinning on their head) – understanding the causes of hair loss means we can take proactive action. Even though genetics does play a part, new research has uncovered a nutritional deficiency link in both men and women. And other factors, such as stress, and poor hair care, are well within our capacity to change.

The genetic link in hair loss has been well studied. It is associated with male and female pattern hair loss, or alopecia. In these individuals there is an increased sensitivity to the sex hormone, DHT. DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone, and is a powerful metabolite of testosterone. It contributes to men’s unique gender characteristics, as well as facial and body hair, and the deepening of men’s voices at puberty.

DHT causes the growth cycle of hair follicles to shorten, which in turn reduces the size of the hair shaft. Increasingly narrower hair is grown, sometimes as fine as fluff, and in more extreme cases, there is complete hair loss in that area.

In women, estrogen usually counteracts the effects of testosterone. But when women go through menopause, or suffer hormonal imbalances, the reduction in estrogen can lead to female pattern baldness. Fortunately, this is not as drastic in its hair loss effects as male pattern baldness. Instead the hair tends to thin, and the crown parting becomes wider.

But a very interesting study by L’Oreal has linked an iron deficiency to hair loss, in both men and women. This was a placebo controlled, double blind study in which 13,000 healthy men and women took a supplement, and had the ferritin (iron) levels in their blood measured and cross referenced with information on their hair loss.

The results showed not only a link between hair loss and iron deficiency, but they were able to estimate the risk of hair loss in a certain level of iron deficiency. For example, women whose blood ferritin levels dropped from a normal 70g/l to 40g/l, had a 28% higher chance of severe hair loss. The post menopausal women in the study who had severe hair loss all had much lower levels of iron than the women who didn’t have severe hair loss.

The problem with iron supplementation, however, is that excess iron builds up in the body’s tissues and becomes toxic. It has been associated with an increased risk of developing chronic illnesses. Iron levels can be tested by a doctor, so if hair loss is a concern, its best to get your iron levels tested first before taking iron supplements.

Other potential causes of hair loss – or at least, contributing factors are stress and poor hair care practices. Not brushing hair regularly, or washing it regularly, can affect the normal hair growth cycle.

When hair that is naturally at the end of its life cycle is removed through brushing, it allows another hair to grow underneath it. Regular brushing naturally removes dead hair that is ready to fall out. Not removing that hair means new growth cannot occur, as the old hair smothers the new growth. Dirt and oil build up can have a similar effect, so its important to wash hair regularly.

Stress can affect the circulation of nutrients and oxygen to the scalp, by causing the muscles in the scalp to tighten. If this happens over a long period of time, premature hair loss can occur. This cause of hair loss is distinct from male pattern baldness (which is hormonal), but it can certainly exacerbate the condition. And stress reduction techniques are simple things that can be added to a daily routine, to prevent hair loss, and improve the overall quality of life.

References:

1. Nutraingredients

2. Wikipedia Health

Easy Hair Loss Cure

Hair loss and baldness is a common problem in our society. A number of men and women are facing hair problems and seeking for help. Hair problem badly affects ones social activities and especially the women. About 90% of men and women are suffering with hair problems, some time it is thinning of hair, sometime it is falling of hair and some time it is becoming bald.

In general, a person with less hair on his / her head is considered as less smart / beautiful as his / her counterpart who has hairy head with healthy hair.

Hair loss is clinically diagnosed as the deficiency of Biotin a vitamin of Vitamin B Complex group in the body. Vitamin B7 and vitamin H are other synonyms of Biotin.

It is said that, prevention is better than cure, so a person need to take vitamin H rich diet to maintain his / her body and hair health, as biotin is also important for other bodily functions. But no problem comes calling in life, so if you are being in hair problems, then you need to take necessary steps to prevent further loss and ultimately baldness.

Now, you definitely be interested in knowing, what are the steps, one has to take in case of Hair Problems??

Here is little Easy Hair Loss Cure advice, which you will like to follow, if you are facing Hair Loss Problems.

Different types of lotions, various medicines and shampoos in different fragrances are available in the market stores to prevent your hair. You can buy these hair loss products from a medical store in your locality. There are the products, which you can by only after a physicians prescription. The choice of selecting a hair loss product totally depends on the level of suffering you are going with.

The clinical root cause of hair loss may be any, like hereditary, hormonal imbalance and aging etc. And hence an individual need to receive medications accordingly. The blocking of hair follicles is found one major condition for hair problems. A hormone called dihydro testosterone in excessive quantity does the blocking of hair follicles, which ultimately results into hair problems. Dihydro testosterone is also pronounced as DHT. The effect of DHT in hair follicles can be neutralized using 5 alpha reductase, which is an inhibitor.

Nugen HP, Revivogen, and Hair genesis are some of the common hair loss products available in pharmacies and drug stores. All these medicines help in reducing the level of DHT and thus help in control of hair loss and promote healthy hair.

Nugen HP controls your problems naturally. This blocks the DHT in follicles and thus cures your hair problems. If you are facing hair problems, you must have to take proper nutritious balanced diet. Take a diet full with proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Hair genesis is very effective in hair problems. It is a natural DHT blocker and prevents hair loss in males.

Many more products are available in the medical and pharmacy stores, but while using any product, taking diet rich in nutrition is also equally important.

You also can use hair conditioners to prevent hair loss. Revivogen, Folligen, Tricomin, and Nisim are some of the hair conditioners.

Minoxdil is a drug, which is effective in case of youngsters hair problems.

So no matter, if you are facing hair problems, a no. of drugs, and conditioners are there to help you and prevent your hairs. But be cautious, take the advice of your doctor and have food enriched with vitamins and minerals and proteins. Hair loss is curable and with little extra effort you can have healthy hair on your head.

Find Out What Really Causes Acne

All of the factors that affect acne are not completely understood. However the main cause of acne is well known. Excess production of an oily substance that helps keep the hair and skin soft is a prime ingredient. This oil is Sebum, during adolescence the amount of sebum produced by your body is greatly increased.

This sebum when combined with naturally occurring dead skin cells can block hair follicles which then turn into an acne lesion.

Not only will this mixture block pores it also provides a growing environment for bacteria. It is the growth of bacterial that causes what is commonly called a pimple.

The male hormone testosterone is what causes your body to create excess sebum. Testosterone is produced by both males and females. During puberty the increase of testosterone causes the body to have an abnormal reaction which manifests itself with the excessive production of sebum. This excessive oil is commonly found on the facial skin, as well as back and shoulders. In most people the testosterone levels have normalized by the time they are 20 and any acne issues will clear up.

Recent studies seem to indicate that acne is at least partially hereditary. In many cases though it is not possible to determine why some people are susceptible to it and others are not.

Other contributing factors can be; stress, diet, skin irritation, hormonal changes and some medications.

When it comes to diet skim milk seems to be a substantial contributing factor. Many people believe that chocolate, dark soft drinks and greasy foods will cause acne outbreaks. There is not statistical evidence supporting any of those beliefs.

Acne can also be induced or aggravated by medications such as; lithium, barbiturates, anabolic steroids and androgens.

Recent studies of acne may have found another cause of acne, narrowing hair follicles. These narrower hair follicles can prevent dead skin cells from being expelled from the pore. These trapped skin cells then mix with sebum and bacteria on the skin to form the acne lesions. The are several different issues that can cause the narrowing of the hair follicle, excessive shedding of cells within the follicle, abnormal cell binding and water retention.

It is commonly believed that you should squeeze a pimple to remove the blocking sebum as well as the bacteria. This can actually make the problem worse by spreading the bacteria to other areas of your skin as well as possibly causing scarring. This scarring if severe enough can be permanent.

In reality touching the area that has acne can actually make it worse as you transfer some of the oil from your hands to an area that already has excessive skin oil. Your hands can also carry bacteria which will aid in the spread of the acne.

Your hair can also exacerbate the acne problem by adding oil to areas it touches. It is important to keep your hair clean so it will not contribute to the problems. You should also try to avoid wearing hats and sweatbands as they will help trap the skin oils and just cause more problems.

Treating Back Acne

Although acne is more frequently found on the face, there are instances when acne skips that part of the skin and goes to other parts of thee body such as the back, the chest and the buttocks. There are still no clear explanation why this happens except that maybe oil glands in affected parts of the body are more active than those in the face.

The cause of acne is actually the same as the causes of acne on the face. Often, eruptions are caused by the over activity of the oil glands that produce excess sebum on the skin. Experts believe that this is mainly due to changes in the body brought about by the male hormones testosterone and androgen. When there is overproduction of oil on the skin, hair follicles on the face, dead skin cells on the lining of the pores and dirt from the surrounding areas all combine to trap the sebum into the pores causing the swelling.

When this happens, resident bacteria that are normally found in the pores are activated, thus causing the skin eruptions. There are also times when bacteria outside come into the picture and settle on the pores of the skin. To fight off the attack, the body send white blood cells on the area. This then results in further swelling.

Still, many believe that body acne, particularly back acne is more of a hereditary problem than a hygienic one. People who have family history of acne are more prone to develop this kind of acne problem. There are also evidences that perspiration and tight fitting clothes may also help develop the problem. This is perhaps the reason why a lot of really active people, especially those that deal with a variety of sports have back acne.
Spandex for instance traps perspiration and dirt on the skin. When these two mixes with the natural oils produced by the body, acne can come about. Blemishes in the form of whiteheads, blackheads, papules and postules may appear.

Compared to facial acne, back acne and other types of body acne is harder to treat. They also do not respond well to scarring treatment. This is why it is important that one nip the problem in the bud before it spreads to other areas of the body. Aggressive treatment is often called for as this problem can be really stubborn.

Often, dermatologists will prescribe oral medicines, antibiotics, to help fight the problem. Medicines such as tetracycline or minocycline can often be found on the prescription paper. Retin A and benzoyl peroxide are also other options. If the problem still persists, accutane is often prescribed as a last resort because of its side effects.

Milder cases of back acne is treated with salicylic-acid cleanser. Patients are advised to wash the area every day for optimum results. They are also asked to take a shower after perspiring so as to minimize the development of the acne problem. Benzoyl peroxide is also applied on the problem area. Benzoyl has been proven to be quite effective in fighting off the problem. This is followed by a moisturizer made from alpha hydroxy acid. This will help exfoliate the skin while making sure that it does not dry out. Salicylic acid and Benzoyl peroxide are also used to treat the pimples individually.

As pieces of advice, people dealing with back acne or other forms of body acne should avoid wearing spandex clothes. As much as possible, they should wear cotton and should keep dry all the time. Apply powder or antiperspirant to prevent excessive sweating. Being hygienic and clean all the time will also help minimize the problem.