Is your hairline fast receding? Do you worry that you may wake up one day with no more hair to comb?
Your hair doesn't really disappear overnight although you may notice that your hair may be thinning quite fast. During a person's mid-twenties, hair usually starts to grow more slowly and this is true for both men and women. The lack of or diminishing estrogen production is usually the reason for hair loss in women.
Currently there are two medications available on the market that will slow down hair loss and these are effective to almost half of their users. These are Minoxidil (Rogaine) and Finasteride (Propecia).
Minoxidil is the only medication that is approved for both men and women suffering with hair loss. This is readily available over the counter without prescription. Treatment should be done continuously with minoxidil otherwise the benefits will be lost. Minoxidil should be applied before any major hair loss has occurred to get the most favorable result. However, minoxidil doesn't promise good results neither does it improve a receding hairline. This works best with balding spots only. Studies conducted by the company that makes Rogaine, a brand of Minoxidil states that about a quarter of men between age 18 and 49 have shown significant hair growth especially on the crown of the head after four months of using the product.
Finasteride under the brand name Propecia is only available with a doctor's prescription. This is a pill only available for men. Continued usage is also the key to gaining successful results from the usage of this medication. This medicine however is reported to lower the user's libido.
Today there are a number of drugs that are still under development. Among which are Tricomin and Diazoxide. Reports show that tricomine stimulates the growth of hair follicles and the existing follicles are kept active. Diazoxide on the other hand causes the blood vessels in the scalp to dilate, a similar action produced by Rogaine.
The thinning of hair is usually inherited from either a person's mother or father side contrary to the popular belief that hair loss is inherited from the father side alone. The more relatives you have who are balding, the more chance that you too will lose hair. It is also not true that hair loss is mostly a male problem. Half of men who reach the age of 50 will usually experience some hair loss either at the temples or the crown of the head. At the same time about one out of four women will also experience a generalized thinning of hair because of the diminishing estrogen production, a condition accompanying menopause.
A common belief that brushing the hair 100 strokes every night can help increase hair growth does not hold any truth to it; on the contrary it can even encourage hair loss.
You should consult your dermatologist if you suddenly experience severe baldness. Your dermatologist should determine whether the abrupt condition is caused by an illness, stress or hormonal changes. Some medications may also be causing the sudden hair loss and your dermatologist will be able to check the abnormality. Other possible causes may be an excessive vitamin A intake or even alopecia areata an uncommon disorder resulting in small bald patches.
