Avoid   Baldness

Nioxin might sound like a chemical, but it is not. Instead, it encompasses a full brand of hair care products which apparently utilize ground-breaking scientific insight to treat common hair problems such as hair loss. Made by Nioxin Research Laboratories Inc., Nioxin products are fairly price heavy and can be bought at either a salon or specialty stores. The product itself is not promoted as a solution for thinning hair but is considered to be one of the best solutions for the problem.

The Nioxin product line is fairly extensive, and each one carries different benefit claims. Some of them include that of wiping out any signs of aging hair, healthier scalps, added volume, and some that assist male pattern baldness. Certain Nioxin products are targeted at only certain problems, while others help solve one or more hair related issues.

Nioxin’s effectiveness depends on the product and what it is supposed to do. It also depends quite heavily on what each consumer expects from it. Products for extra volume, healthy scalps and styling control seem to work quite well and do achieve the purpose - and thus the fact these products are fairly expensive is justified.

As for curing baldness however, Nioxin’s effectiveness is not that great. In the sense that the Nioxin product gives your hair more volume and buffs it up, giving the appearance of more hair but does not really promote new hair growth. If you are suffering from acute male pattern baldness, then Nioxin is not for you. It will not stop your hair loss problem nor will it promote the growth of new hair. Rogaine or Propecia are way more effective than Nioxin in treating hair loss problems, and therefore it is advisable not to spend a fortune on such products unless you are sure they will give you the expected results.

Skin experts warn that women with hair extensions run the risk of developing bald patches, which could be permanent. This statement was made after new research revealed that a certain percentage of women started to experience hair loss in a week after getting hair extensions.

According to dermatologists, hair extensions can cause traction alopecia - which is caused by tension on hair follicles located on the scalp when the false strands are attached to real hair using glue, braiding or weaving. This causes hair follicles to become inflamed, which inadvertently leads to hair loss. This damage caused to hair follicles cannot be remedied, leaving women with permanent bald spots.

The British Journal of Dermatology publishing the research insists that the hair loss problem caused by hair extensions could be more widespread than reported.

Dermatologists from the University of Miami, USA and Bologna University, Italy said that according to their research, even if hair loss was not experienced due to hair extensions, considerable damage had been done to the scalp.

Baldness caused by hair extensions was initially brought to attention when Victoria Beckham was spotted sporting a large bald patch after quite a few years of having hair extensions. Other stars noted with thinning hair after the use of extensions include Christina Aguilera, Kate Beckinsale and Britney Spears.

Based on the research findings, hair experts called for hair extensions to be banned permanently. The increasingly popular accessory costs as much as £300 - £1,000 depending on the hair quality and the attachment technique used.

Hair care products are probably the easiest way to deal with thinning hair. There are large varieties of hair care products that are designed to give volume to your hair. From shampoos to conditioners, conditioning rinses, mousses, styling spritzes and leave-in volumizing lotions - they will all aid any issues you have with thinning hair.

1. Encouraging hair growth

Medication that can stimulate hair growth is available, with most of them targeted at men. However, some of them can be used by women as well.

One of them is Rogaine, also known as Minoxidil, which was initially used to treat high blood pressure. When doctors noticed that it also stimulated hair growth, it quickly became popular as a hair loss treatment. Its drawbacks are that it requires continuous use in order for hair re-growth to take place and continue. The hair Rogaine grows is also fuzzy and is a lot finer than the hair you used to have.
Cortisone shots work only for a small percentage of people when it comes to hair re-growth. Side effects are in abundance unfortunately, and some of them include weight gain, moodiness and water retention.

Another drug commonly used to combat hair loss is Propecia. Like Rogaine, it requires a continuous intake and takes up to a year to show results.

2. Hairpieces

Partial hairpieces, wigs and ‘hair integration units’ can all be used to cover up a visible scalp. The good part about these options is that they are not medical and thus have no harmful side effects. The cons of resorting to this option is that the hair pieces in most cases look anything but natural, are very expensive and could possibly fall off at the most inconvenient times.

3. Surgical options

Hair transplants are generally recommended only for men - as they are the gender who most commonly suffer from bald spots. Women rarely have bald spots with a large percentage suffering from an over-thinning of hair. This situation however does not make a hair transplant procedure possible.

Hair loss is caused by varied factors. One of them is hyperthyroidism. Others factors include poor dietary choices, hormonal changes, vitamin deficiencies, surgery, certain medication and medical conditions - one of them being thyroid disease. If your hair loss is caused by thyroid disease - then here are ten steps you should take in order to deal with the situation as best as you can.

Step One: Get an evaluation - Visit a dermatologist and have him evaluate your hair loss - this is important in order to exclude any other possible causes.

Step Two: Be patient - If you have just embarked on hyperthyroid treatments, then you will just have to be patient and wait for hormone levels to stabilize and get back to normal. This could take anything from a few weeks to a few months. Hang in there.

Step Three: Understand the types of hair loss - Hair loss occurs in three ways. Normal shedding of hair is one of them, like when you take a shower or brush your hair - which is the most common type of hair loss with hyperthyroidism. The next is linked with fungal infection (autoimmune alopecia) - which results in circular bald patches and has nothing to do with thyroid disease. The final one is male pattern hair loss.

Step Four: Make sure it is not your thyroid drug - If your thyroid medication includes Levothyroxine as a replacement for your thyroid hormone, and hair loss continues - then you might need to go back to your doctor.

Step Five: Make sure you are not undertreated - Hair loss could also result from being undertreated. You might want your doctor to test you for optimal levels and then reconsider your medication.

Step Six: Find out if you need a second drug - Some people react better to a combination of T4 and T3 instead of only T4. Ask your doctor.

Step Seven: Consider an alternative treatment - Primrose oil can counter the conversion of testosterone to DHT on your scalp. You should try it.

Step Eight: Look at other alternatives - Studies reveal that 90% of women suffering from thinning hair had iron and amino acid lysine deficiencies. Consider including more meat, eggs and fish in your diet and perhaps even lysine supplements, as it is one of the most difficult nutrients to get in the food you eat.

Step Nine: Consult a doctor for prescription treatment - Check with your dermatologist for recommended drug treatments like Rogaine, Propecia or even scalp injections.

Step Ten: Talk about it with others - Hair loss is not only frightening but also affects self-esteem. It is best to discuss this with close friends and family, especially those dealing with the same problem.

Hair transplants for women are quite possible, but it does have its limits. Hair transplants are popularly advertised for men, as men are the gender most affected by hair loss.

For a woman to be able to have hair transplants, the hair loss needs to be androgenetic alopecia, scarring alopecia, traction alopecia, alopecia due to cosmetic surgery faults, accident trauma caused alopecia or cosmetic correction needs such as deficient eyebrow hair growth. These types of hair loss are permanent and thus qualify for hair transplant procedures.

Doctors will first remove and/or transplant all the affected sections. The only issue with women being treated with hair transplantation is the availability of a good donor area from which healthy hair follicles can be taken. Another issue is that women expect to regain a full head of hair following a hair transplant procedure however, this is impossible to achieve. With hair transplantation, hair follicles are merely redistributed and this does not mean that new hair follicles will grow. The procedure will of course improve the density of hair, but achieving the original density will depend on the level of alopecia and the available donor hair area on the scalp. This means that the larger the affected scalp area, the more limited will be the donor area - making the task that much harder and in regaining the original density of hair impossible.

Therefore, it is important that you take the careful advice of your surgeon before you decide on opting for a hair transplant, as you will need to assess the success rate and understand fully the limitations of such a procedure.