Saturday, February 16, 2008

The Truth of Hair Loss

When it comes to male and female hair loss there are many myths. Knowing whether there is any truth to these myths can help you find ways of preventing hair loss or treating the loss that has already occurred. Consider some of the more common myths.

Hair Loss Myths

Perhaps the biggest myth is that there is no cure for hair loss. While there is no one treatment for everyone suffering from a loss of hair, each person is different and there are some treatment options. Some individuals can stop their hair loss while others may be able to grow new hair. When you talk with your doctor they will discuss your treatment options include Propecia, Rogaine or hair transplants.

Stimulating the circulation through frequent brushing can help prevent hair loss is a piece of advise you have likely heard. The truth is that frequent or heavy brushing of your hair can actually cause even more damage to your hair and make the problem worse. So you shouldn’t do this if you don’t want to lose more hair.

Similar to this is the myth that hair loss is caused by blow drying. While your hair can be damaged by the extreme heat from blow dryers which leads to hairs breaking off at the roots, this typically only affects the hair and not the follicle itself. To prevent this damage to your hair you simply need to use your blow dryer on the coolest setting rather than the hottest.

Another styling myth is that hair loss results from frequent shampooing. The exact opposite is really the truth. Shampooing benefits your hair by cleaning the hair and scalp of any buildup of dirt. Although to remove harmful detergents you should make sure you thoroughly wash out any shampoo in your hair. It is important to use a moisturizing conditioner after shampooing your hair so that you can replenish any lost moisture.

Some say that wearing hats can lead to hair loss. This isn’t true, the follicle is the live part, not your hair. The nutrients from you body flow to your scalp. The oxygen or blood flow to the follicles of your hair isn’t affected by wearing hats, just the hair which doesn’t need to breath oxygen.

You have likely heard the myth that highlights, hair coloring, treatments, hairspray and other special treatments lead to hair loss. This too is false like a lot of styling myths. The hair is affected by these products, but not the follicles themselves. While the hair may be damaged by these chemicals, the damage cannot extend to the follicles.

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