While many people get nervous at the very mention of the phrase “hair loss,” the truth is that people lose hair every single day—around 80 strands on average. This happens due to normal grooming routines such as hair brushing, washing, blow drying, and other strains like tying hair up into a ponytail or bun.
You may be wondering, if I lose 80 strands of hair a day, why does my hair never look any different? The reason healthy hair doesn’t appear any thinner from normal daily hair loss is due to the fact that our hair follows natural growth cycles in order to replenish the hair lost. When hair follicles, or the tiny pockets in our scalp that hair grows out of, become inactive for one reason or another, that’s when serious hair loss begins to occur.
Male and Female Pattern Balding: Is It Reversible?
The vast majority of people that experience hair loss have a genetic predisposition to androgenetic alopecia, or pattern baldness. Pattern balding is characterized in men as the receding of the hairline, and as the separating of the hair part in women. This phenomenon occurs because the follicles in these areas are no longer producing hair.
Though slowing or stopping the advancement of pattern baldness is difficult and depends on how long you’ve been losing hair, it’s not impossible. There is a wide variety of treatment options for genetic hair loss on the market today that have yielded meaningful results for a wide variety of people. Here are a few of the best options to support regrowth after hair loss:
Laser Hair Caps.
When it comes to hair regrowth after experiencing symptoms of androgenetic alopecia, laser hair growth devices are one of the most productive methods of treatment. They utilize low-level light therapy, or LLLT, an FDA-cleared treatment that drastically increases blood flow to the scalp and energizes the hair follicles, supporting new hair growth.
Thousands of satisfied users have reported increased hair growth from using LLLT laser hair caps. Plus, they’re incredibly easy and convenient to use at just 30 minutes of wear required every other day for optimal results.
Topical medication.
Pretty much any topical hair growth treatment you’ll find on the shelves today contains minoxidil, which is the industry standard ingredient for topical hair loss products.
Minoxidil is FDA-approved and proven to yield noticeable results in users of all ages. Additionally, most topical hair regrowth products contain vitamins, minerals, and other compounds that work to strengthen hair and keep it soft and shiny while also supporting new hair growth.
Oral medication.
If you are suffering from pattern baldness but would prefer treatment in the form of a pill as opposed to a topical cream, you’re not alone. Also FDA-approved, all credible oral medications for hair regrowth on the market today contain the compound finasteride.
Finasteride is designed to inhibit the production of DHT, the hormone that is linked to the internal destruction of follicles caused by male or female pattern baldness. By doing this, users can reduce the internal damage of their follicles and support healthy hair growth; however, this type of treatment works best when used in the early stages of pattern baldness.
Reduce stress.
Though pattern baldness is, at its core, caused by genetics, its internal processes can be sped up by the influence of a high-stress lifestyle or a singular extremely stressful event. Excessive stress is known to affect multiple aspects of health and wellness from weight to hormone balance to happiness levels, and your hair is no exception.
If you don’t have any kind of self-care routine in place, it’s time to start one. Making time for yourself each day to meditate, journal, exercise, or simply do something you enjoy free of distractions can not only have a huge effect on your mental health, it can drastically slow the progression of your hair loss.
Stop using heat treatments.
Most people know that excessive use of heat-based hair treatments such as hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons aren’t great for our hair or scalp. However, since these items can be so convenient in a pinch, many people end up using them more often than they should.
If you want to slow the progression of your hair loss and keep the hair that you do have looking thick, shiny, and healthy, you should reduce your use of heat-based treatments as much as possible. When paired with a good hair care routine that includes nontoxic shampoos and conditioners, you will notice a huge difference for the better in the appearance of your hair.
