Why and how hair loss happens

By: Cheryl Gregory

Hair loss can occur at any age and there are many factors that contribute to this problem including genetics, disease or medication. Women may be going through hormonal changes. A lot of women have the best hair of their life while they are pregnant. Once the baby is born, their hormone level changes dramatically and they can experience hair loss.

It certainly is no myth that over styling can cause hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in perms may cause inflammation or (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss. Over-bleaching your hair or even tight ponytails or pigtails will damage the hair follicle causing you to lose your hair.

Scalp hair grows about a half inch per month and does slow down a bit as we age. There are about 100,000 hair follicles on our head with 90 % of these in growing stages. 10% are in a resting phase which lasts about 2 to 3 months. At the end of this time your resting hair will shed. On a typical day doing normal activities such as shampooing, combing or brushing, you will lose anywhere from 50-100 hairs. Fortunately, when one hair is shed, a new hair from the same follicle will replace it.

If your hair is shedding in large amounts, go and see your physician. Although usually genetic in nature, extreme hair loss may signal a disease process. Your doctor will ask you about your diet, which also may contribute to your hair loss. He also may ask you if you have had any recent illness or surgery. Sometimes a few months after surgery, patients may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This is due to the stress of the illness and is temporary. Again, excessive hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease such as diabetes or possibly lupus, so it is very important to find the cause in order to treat it.

Hair Replacement Restores more than just your Hair

Hair Replacement isn't only about replacing hair that has been lost. It's about restoring the quality of life of those who suffer from hair loss, be it men or women. Though more men lose their hair than women, forcing more men to seek out hair replacement options, make no mistake, the emotional toll of hair loss is every bit as devastating for women as men. In fact, because society puts such a high value on women's hair, for them, the dilemma of hair loss can be even worse.
For retail cosmetics manager, Emma Wiseman, her hair loss condition was sudden and unexpected. Emma suffered from a condition known as Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes people's hair to fall out. There is no known medical Alopecia treatment. Alopecia is most prevalent in women and young children than in men. After a lifetime of normal, healthy hair, her hair suddenly began to fall out in handfuls. Soon, she had very little left. Her friends at work refrained from talking about it, but Emma's confidence disappeared.
The store manager was empathetic, but less understanding as Emma began missing work, unable to face her clients or the world. Doctors told her there was no real cure for her hair loss condition, which might or might not ever resolve itself in the next few years. Emma felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Her job required her to look good and being bald was not in her job description. She took a leave of absence to figure out her next move, but soon realized she was hiding from the world. She soon began looking into nonsurgical hair replacement as an option to restoring her hair and self-confidence.
She visited a clinic that specialized in hair replacement for women and was fitted with high-end nonsurgical hair replacement prosthetic called a "hair system". These were not your normal "wigs" made of fake hair that doesn't adhere to your head and limits your physical activity, but a real, human hair prosthetic built on a weightless mesh base that kept her scalp cool.
The hair replacement specialist took all the time necessary to study the natural tendencies of Emma's hair, including hair texture, color, length, the part of her hair as well as her hair loss patterns. They reproduced the section of her hair, perfectly matching all the characteristics of her own, natural, growing hair. The hair system was totally undetectable to both sight and touch and even Emma couldn't feel the hair system on her own head because it was so lightweight, yet durable.
Unlike with a wig, she could do all the things she normally would do with her nonsurgical hair replacement solution. In her hair system, she could swim, bathe, exercise - and work. She could sleep and shower without having to remove her prosthetic, like she would have had to with a wig. Her thoughts were no longer dominated by worry that people could see her hair loss. She was no longer timid with customers and clients and most importantly, she looked and felt beautiful. Even though there is no medical cure for Alopecia, nonsurgical hair replacement was, by far, the most effective Alopecia treatment available.
Hair replacement for Emma was like a miracle. She came out of her shell, faced the world again. Not just at work, but with her family and friends, whom she withdrew from because of her lack of self-confidence. Hair replacement was not something she'd ever wanted, but having new hair had changed everything for her. Far from hiding from her life, Emma jumped back in it, grateful to have the chance to not be the object of criticism and stares, but of admiration instead.

By: Travis M. Keeler