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| Hair
Loss – a growing problem
Hair
on the head grows about 1 cm a month. In the UK
nearly 8 million men and 1.6 million women suffer from
hair loss problems. In the States, men spend over
£440 million trying to stop hair loss and regrow their
hair. When did you last see a bald President or Prime
Minister?
The amount of hair on your head has a lot to do
with your natural colouring. Blondes have
approximately 140,000 strands; Brunettes have
110,000 strands; Raven haired have 108,000
strands and Red heads have 90,000 strands.
Everyone loses hair at different rates, but
normally you could expect to shed 50-100
hairs from your scalp each day. Hairs usually
grow for 5 years before they are shed, which
is why very long hair can look thinner on the
lower length, because some hair will be lost
before it reaches the required length.
What is normal hair loss?
Worrying about hair loss will only add to the
problem, first you need to decide whether
you really do have a condition and if so, take
positive action. |
Usually, people are alarmed when the plughole regularly seems
to fill with loose hair after washing. However, it is normal
to shed 50-100 strands a day and these become tangled with
the rest of your hair and either clog up your hair brush or
end up in the basin or shower when you shampoo. Often you
don’t notice much hair in the plughole until after you have
conditioned your hair, this is because the hair is smoothed
and the loose strands have nothing to tangle with and so wash
away.
Shedding hair can also increase seasonally, many people find
hair grows more vigorously in the spring and then in the autumn,
tends to fall out a bit more.
If you’re still concerned about hair loss, you can try a gentle
pull test. Get hold of a small group of hairs, about 15 to
20, gripping them between the thumb and index finger. Then
pull slowly and firmly, if more than six hairs come away this
indicates that you may have a problem.
How
does hair grow?
The hair strands themselves are known as the shaft,
each of these protrudes from a hair follicle which is
just below the surface of the skin. Hairs are attached
to the base of the follicle by the hair root, which
is the growth area nourished by small blood vessels.
Hairs are made up of cells like the rest of the body.
The hair is slowly pushed out of the follicle as new
cells form at its root. This pushing process produces
hair growth, while |
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the
cells at the base are close to the blood supply they are living.
The further they are pushed away the less nourishment they
receive and they die, changing into the hard protein known
as keratin. Hair above the skin is dead protein, while the
follicle within the skin is the essential growing part of
the hair process.
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Growth
stages
Hair does not grow continuously
– it has definite stages.
The growing stage – Hair will usually grow at
approximately 1 cm per month, this phase will last for
between 2 and 5 years. At any given time, 85%-90% of
hairs are in the growth stage.
The resting stage – A resting stage then follows,
when hair stops growing for a period of 5 months, known
as telogen. At any given time, 10%-15% of all hairs
are in the telogen phase.
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The shedding stage
– after the resting phase, the hair is shed and the follicle
will start to grow a new one.
If anything happens to destroy the hair follicle, no new hair
will grow.
Causes of baldness
Anything that disrupts the various stages of hair growth can
cause excessive hair loss. If the follicles remain in the
resting phase and then shed, instead of growing new hairs,
there will be a noticeable thinning of hair on the head.
Some anticancer drugs can interfere with the formation of
new hair cells at the root during the growth stage. Follicles
destroyed or damaged by skin diseases, burns, or destructive
hair treatments can result in baldness in that area.
Science
still looking for a cure
The scientists at Columbia University in New York discovered
a gene that could be the ‘master switch’ for hair growth.
They compared the genes of hairless mice from a mutant
breed with the genes of 11 members from the same family
who had lost all of their hair. The discovery in 1998,
is important in understanding hair follicles and how
baldness occurs – it may lead to effective treatment
in the future. |
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True or False
Is it true that some hairstyles
can cause hair loss?
TRUE – Any styles
that put too much tension on hair, like tight plaits, ponytails
(secured by elastic bands), corn-rows or winding too tightly
onto rollers (especially heated rollers), can cause some hair
loss.
Does wearing a wig or toupee increase
hair loss?
FALSE – Only
the hair root is alive and is nourished by blood in the scalp.
So it receives its oxygen in that way and doesn’t need to
breathe as some people think. Hair regrowth after anticancer
drugs is often vigorous and frequently takes place while a
wig is being worn. Wigs and hair pieces only cause damage
if they are too tight.
Will frequent shampooing make
hair fall out?
FALSE – Washing
with shampoo only removes hair that has already fallen out.
Blow-drying and heated brushes
can worsen hair loss?
TRUE – Extreme
heat can damage the hair proteins, increasing the tendency
for hair to become fragile and likely to break off. Brushing
hair regularly when blow-drying. causes more damage as hair
is more easily stretched when wet. Careless use of any heated
hair tools can burn the scalp, leading to permanent damage
to the hair follicles.
Brushing hair 100 times a day
will stimulate scalp circulation and prevent hair loss?
FALSE – Hair
can be injured and hair loss be made worse by vigorous brushing.
Does hair grows faster and/or
thicker with frequent cutting?
FALSE - Because
hair is thicker at the base than it is at the tip, after a
cut hair can feel deceptively thicker. Cutting your hair will
not affect the normal biologically determined growth rate
or overall texture.
Can colour treatment cause hair
loss?
FALSE - Most
hair colouring products contain chemicals that can do serious
harm to the hair itself if not properly used, but the use
of strand tests should highlight any potential problems. Hair
loss only occurs in extreme cases.
Will continued sun exposure contribute
to hair loss?
FALSE - Hair
acts as a shield against the sun. Hair loss appears at the
follicle level and so the sun would have to penetrate at this
depth to do any damage.
Is diet related to hair loss?
TRUE - Poor diet
will cause hair loss to varying degrees. Recently someone
who lived off fruit for just 2 years had clumps of hair falling
out. A balanced diet is the key to healthy hair. Amino acids
have also been shown to promote hair growth.
Stress causes hair loss?
TRUE - Severe
stress or shock caused by surgery or a death in the family,
can shut down hair production, causing temporary hair loss
(alopecia areata). The scalp nearly always recovers though,
and hair grows back.
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