Hair Loss Facts
Understanding Hair Loss Facts & Treatments for Hair Loss
To understand hair loss treatments and how they can work for you, you may first want to understand these hair loss facts.
There are many causes of hair loss. You can see Common Causes of Hair Loss here. The primary cause is both male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness. This affects almost 50% of adult males and 25% of adult women. This cause of your hair loss is directly related to changes in your hair’s nutrition, levels of DHT, and scalp hygiene.
The Basics of Hair
Your scalp is composed of three basic layers of skin: The epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous layer. Within these three layers, you have blood vessels, nerves, muscles, glands, and hair (or keratin).
Your hair is supported by blood flow, which in turn requires oxygen and nutrients to promote cellular activity and new growth. As your hair grows in the follicle, it is lubricated by the sebaceous gland that secretes oil in the follicle, coating the hair for smooth growth and creating a healthy luster and sheen.
Good hair nutrition is vital for healthy hair, requiring that blood and nutrients reach the papilla area. When fewer nutrients reach the papilla, your hair cells will reproduce at a much slower rate. Slower cellular activity produces thin, poor-quality hair.
The Basics of Hair Loss
DHT, or Dihydrotestosterone, causes 95% of all hair loss. DHT miniaturizes your hair follicles by shortening the anagen (growth) phase and/or lengthening the telogen (resting) phase of your hair. This causes your hair follicles to slowly shrink and die, especially if DHT is involved. The net result is an increased number of short, thin, fine hairs that are barely visible above your scalp. For healthy hair growth, DHT-inhibiting is needed once increased hair loss occurs. The interaction of DHT with androgen receptors in your scalp’s skin and follicles appears to cause male and female pattern baldness.
Sebaceous oil build-up causes sebum. Sebum collects in your hair follicles and hardens, causing a sebum plug that hinders your hair growth. This, along with existing weak hairs, causes an increased reduction in your hair growth.
The good news is, that even when you have thinning, fine hairs, there is still life in the follicle! So we can help you repair it with a proven regimen of proper hair nutrition, DHT-blocking, and good scalp hygiene.
How will you know if you still have life in your follicles or if there is sebum blocking your hair from coming up? You can come in to a New England Associates® location and let us have a look at your hair and scalp under a microscope. It is part of a free analysis and no-obligation consultation that we do. This is the first step in determining if you have a problem and what the root of it is. Once we do this, we can help you with the many options that are available for you to take care of the problem. So don’t wait and contact us today!