Archive for February, 2009
Friday, February 27th, 2009
What Is Hair?
Hair is composed mainly of protein. Like skin, it is alive. However, it has no blood vessels or nerves. Except in albinos, all hair contains pigmentation. Each hair shaft actually has several layers that bond together to form a strand of hair. The cuticle is the top layer of each strand. It holds the other layers together and prevents damage.
The hair follicle is a miniature sac that holds the root of each hair. Follicles are below the surface of the skin on your scalp (and your body). Blood vessels in the hair follicle supply nutrients to your hair through its roots.
Days in the Life of a Hair – Hair phases
Anagen – the hair is growing. Barring any illness, trauma, and damage, it will continue to grow for an average of five years.
Catagen – the hair is resting, but has not fully retired. This phase signals the transition from active life, the end of the growth phase.
Telogen – the hair is dead. It cannot grow any longer and it will soon fall out of the scalp.
What is Normal Hair Growth?
The average person has more than 100,000 hairs on their head. About 100 of these die each day. Shedding a few hairs daily is normal. Within six months, a new hair will replaces each of the ones that died.
Most people’s hair grows a half inch to one inch per month. After a hair is one foot long, its growth rate drops to 50% of the initial rate. Each hair that lives five years could be 20 inches long before it dies. Females between 16 and 24 have a faster rate of hair growth than anyone else.
Help Your Hair Keep Growing
Avoid excessive handling of your hair and harsh shampoos. Your hair does not have a job, so you really do not need to wash it with laundry detergent!
Hair feels rough, instead of smooth when dry, a symptom of cuticle damage. Your hairdresser cannot repair cuticle damage, commonly called split ends. Get a haircut. Remove the damaged ends.
Condition your hair regularly. This helps it hold moisture and retain flexibility. More flexibility means less cuticle damage. Less damage equals more growth.
Tags: Anagen, Catagen, cuticle, damage, follicle, Hair phases, nutrients, protein, resting, root, split ends, Telogen
Posted in Natural Hair Growth | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
The bald brotherhood just keeps gaining ground and getting new members. Actually, this brotherhood includes some women; so perhaps, the politically correct term is bald nation. Many historical figures were bald by the time they took their dirt nap. Some suspect that the wig obsession in Europe might have been less of a fashion statement than a defense against the public humiliation that notables associate with their hair loss. Europe’s poor just sucked it up and went bald with no way to hide.
Fast forward to the twenty first century and you will find that there is a real website named the bald brotherhood. Its members offer support and encouragement to hair loss victims. They may make suggestions about coping with the trauma. Mostly they choose to cope with hair loss by celebrating baldness. This is one way to cope with something that people believe is beyond their control. Surprisingly, some of this website’s members are voluntarily bald! No hair loss involved. At least that’s their story and they are sticking to it.
The popular comedian, Steve Harvey, recently caused a stir when he shaved his head. He has declined to explain if this was a proactive strategy, his defense against what he believed to be inevitable, or just a phase. Rumor has it that Steve had a hair weave for many years. Gossipers also claimed that he dyed his hair, to boot. Oh my!
Baldness, voluntary or otherwise, CAN help a man’s career. Some people are sexier with bald heads. People who hate musicals watched The King and I because of Yul Brynner. Of course, the hottest man on the planet also had a package of triceps, biceps, and plexes that made his chrome dome work for him. Telly Savalas, Lou Gossett, and Mahatma Gandhi all joined the brotherhood and never missed a beat.
Thinking about giving up on hair restoration? If you decide to join the bald brotherhood, you’ll have to pray that your head is suitable for a transition to zero hair. What if your mom didn’t get the memo about massaging your head into a smooth round shape while your bones were still soft?
More people than not want to keep their hair as long as possible. Celebrating baldness is okay, if that’s your only option. Take a page from history, hair is always fashionable, especially when it’s your own!
Tags: bald, bald brotherhood, baldness, hair loss, hair restoration, hair weave, Lou Gossett, Mahatma Gandhi, Steve Harvey, Telly Savalas, wig obsession, Yul Brynner
Posted in Female Hair Loss, Hair Loss Products, Natural Hair Growth, Vitamins | Comments Off
Saturday, February 21st, 2009
Changing jobs may save your hair. Healthcare and industrial workers often experience occupational hair loss. Nurses, doctors and medical assistants are affected by toxins in their environment that people who do not work in a hospital setting are not normally exposed to every day. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, monitors occupational health hazards. This agency has gathered evidence that exposure to many industrial chemicals can be linked to many serious illnesses and hair loss.
Healthcare workers who treat cancer patients with chemotherapy drugs (antineoplastic medications) have a higher than normal incidence of abnormal hair loss. These anti-cancer agents are already known to cause temporary hair loss in people who receive treatment with them. However, repeated exposure from handling these drugs has side effects that have only recently come to light.
Evidence that NIOSH collected from studies conducted since 1988 suggest that dermatitis, rashes and hair loss are common among healthcare workers, including pharmacists, who handle these drugs. Other occupational side effects include reproductive problems, along with kidney and liver damage. The beneficial effects of these drugs for the patients outweigh their side effects. However, the medical community must grapple with the problem of protecting healthcare workers from the unintended consequences of this occupational hazard.
Investigators have found that many workers who inhale and handle chloroprene during manufacturing experience dermatitis and temporary hair loss, along with serious illnesses like cancer and kidney disease. this chemical is formed by processing of the ingredients used to make synthetic rubber, neoprene. DuPont introduced neoprene in 1931. Polymerization of butadiene produces chloroprene. Natural rubber made from rubber tree sap does not contain the toxic chemicals produced by neoprene.
Since the federal government became aware of the significance of this exposure, most workers have been required to wear respiratory masks. Isolated incidents still occur due to accidents and spills. Wholesalers and retailers who stock large volumes of sporting goods products may put inventory workers at risk of excessive exposure.
Consumers who purchase synthetic rubber products have not reported the same adverse symptoms that affect industrial workers. Outside the automobile industry, the most common uses of neoprene in consumer products are waterproof wetsuits, waders, gloves, and boots. With the exception of waders, direct skin contact occurs during use. Irritation from prolonged skin exposure has been reported, but studies of dermatitis and hair loss in consumers are not conclusive.
Consult your physician for a diagnosis and find out if your occupation plays any role in your onset of bald spots or thinning hair.
Tags: antineoplastic medications, automobile industry, bald spots, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chemotherapy drugs, dermatitis, DuPont, industrial chemicals, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, neoprene, occupation, occupational hair loss, rashes, synthetic rubber, thinning hair, waterproof
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Thursday, February 19th, 2009
The Food and Drug Administration recently issued stringent new guidelines that require the testing of all herbal supplements. Compliance with this ruling will be phased in through 2010. The FDA does not regulate herbal supplements, since they are not considered to be drugs. However, in recent years, there have been some notable cases that linked severe illness and even death to some herbal supplements. In most instances, the herbs were not the culprits. The FDA and other independent researchers found that the manufacturers’ formulations were at fault.
In 2007, the Occupational Medicine Clinic at University of California Davis reported on the case of a woman who started taking kelp, fish oil and other supplements to relieve menopause symptoms. Over a two-year period, she suffered from fatigue, memory loss and severe alopecia. Since she was self medicating, her physicians were at a loss to find the cause of her symptoms.
At one point, she doubled her daily intake of the kelp supplement and stopped taking the others. Her hair loss increased. This decision allowed her physicians to isolate the potential cause. Lab testing revealed that she had toxic levels of arsenic in her blood and her urine. Her doctors recommended that she stop taking the kelp supplement. Normal hair growth resumed within two weeks.
UC Davis investigated potential problems with arsenic in kelp supplements. They purchased nine samples produced by different manufacturers, including three that the women had taken during the previous two-year period. Eight of the samples had traceable amounts of arsenic. Seven exceeded the acceptable levels set by the FDA for food products. None of the samples had indication on their labels that they contained arsenic.
Supplement Toxins
Kelp is not the only herbal supplement that has been found to contain unacceptable levels of toxins. In 2006, many users of the male enhancement supplement ExtenZe complained of unusual symptoms. Tests of the product found high levels of lead, which can trigger alopecia. Some homeopathic and Ayurvedic supplements have been reported to contain illegal amounts of arsenic, mercury, or lead.
You can recover from alopecia caused by certain supplements. Rescue your hair from their side effects. If you take herbal supplements and you have unexplained hair loss, read reports from the FDA and reputable sites like WebMD to find out if other consumers have complained of thinning hair and patchy bald spots.
Tags: alopecia, arsenic, Ayurvedic, ExtenZe, FDA, hair growth, herbal supplements, homeopathic, kelp, lead, male enhancement supplement, patchy bald spots, thinning hair, toxic, UC Davis
Posted in Health & Wellness, Natural Hair Growth | Comments Off
Monday, February 16th, 2009
Second hand smoke, industrial wastes, acid rain, and you guessed it, unfiltered tap water are just a few of the environmental dangers that will cause hair loss. No one has kept records about the increased incidence of premature hair loss in industrial areas. However, every technological advancement since the Industrial Revolution has had some unintended consequences. Air and water pollution are just two of them.
Researchers at the University of London recently discovered that air pollution can trigger male pattern baldness. They studied hair loss in people who resided in polluted urban areas, and compared it with people who live in relatively clean, unpolluted environments. They found that environmental toxins damage keratins, the basic proteins that form our hair. Not surprisingly, they also concluded that tobacco smoke damages hair. These toxins make the hair brittle, causing breakage. Some toxins in our environment also cause hair growth to stop.
Chlorinated water in pools, ocean salt water, and ordinary tap water all contain chemicals that will damage your hair and scalp. Since hair absorbs water readily, it also absorbs the harmful chemicals in water from these sources. Exposure to excessive amounts of chlorine triggers the buildup of sebum on the scalp. This often leads to seborrheic dermatitis.
Centuries ago, many people washed their hair with rainwater. This was out of necessity, before indoor running water became available to the masses. These days, you would be ill advised to use rainwater for anything other than washing clothes or watering your lawn.
Rinsing your hair with tap water removes shampoo residue, but leaves a buildup of trace contaminants that could weaken your hair shafts and trigger hair loss. Experts recommend that you rinse your hair with distilled water after shampooing.
Spring water is an even better choice for protecting your locks from the ravages of environmental pollution. Bottled spring water has never been exposed to our above ground environment. The FDA routinely tests the sources that bottlers use to determine the if the Ph level is acceptable and if the source is free of dangerous contaminants.
Look at your environment, if you have unexplained hair loss. You can rescue your hair and scalp from water and air pollution.
Tags: breakage, chlorine, distilled water, hair loss, keratins, male pattern baldness, pollution, rainwater, salt water, sebhorrheic dermatitis, sebum, tap water, tobacco smoke, toxins, University of London
Posted in Female Hair Loss, Hair Loss Products, Natural Hair Growth | Comments Off
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
In addition to genetic hair loss, African Americans are more likely to suffer hair loss caused by traction alopecia, traction folliculitis and sebhorrheic dermatitis. Many also have difficulty getting their hair loss diagnosed properly. Traction alopecia and traction folliculitis occur more frequently in African Americans due to hair styling practices.
Hair Styles
African Americans are also more likely to style their hair with braids, especially popular for children. Many people use excessive pressure to coax curly hairs into a smooth braid. Hair extensions have become very popular among women of African descent. The natural hair and extensions are woven together very tightly, in order to achieve a neat finish.
As a result, many women (and some men) who frequently wear braids now suffer from traction folliculitis, especially around the hairline. Folliculitis is obvious when bumps and pustules form at the base of the hair shaft. They are often accompanied by redness of the skin, making this condition resemble common acne.
Underlying causes such as diabetes, existing dermatoses (sebhorrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema), and obesity make some people a predisposed to folliculitis. In many cases, the onset of folliculitis is a warning. Untreated symptoms often result in alopecia.
Styling Practices
Common cultural practices for hair care among African Americans include applying pomades and heavy oil products to the hair shaft and scalp. This practice relieves dry, itchy scalp, but it also clogs hair follicles. The hair follicles become inflamed. The inflammation produces more discomfort that many treat by applying more oil. Without proper diagnosis and medical attention, this minor irritation can result in significant hair loss.
Sebhorrheic Dermatitis
Many African Americans experiencing hair loss are improperly diagnosed with alopecia. The reality is that sebhorrheic dermatitis is more likely the culprit. Dandruff or seborrhea affects all races of people. The white flakes that fall from the scalp are telltale signs of dandruff.
A closer examination of the scalp is necessary to diagnose sebhorrheic dermatitis. In addition to the flakes common to dandruff, scaly patches and inflammation are visible on the scalp. Sometimes the skin on the scalp is tender and painful.
The medical community has not determined the cause of this condition. There is some evidence that the buildup of sebum (oily secretions) on the scalp and in the hair follicles may play a significant role. Hair loss is common if the dermatitis is not treated. Hair regrowth treatments may be needed after the condition is cured.
Tags: African descent, braids, children, curly hair, dandruff, diabetes, genetic, hair extensions, hair follicles, hair loss, inflammation, itchy scalp, sebhorrheic dermatitis, seborrhea, sebum, stress, traction alopecia, traction folliculitis
Posted in Female Hair Loss, Hair Loss Products, Natural Hair Growth, Vitamins | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 9th, 2009
Bernie Madoff, the illustrious fund manager and financial adviser, has become a celebrity of sorts. His notoriety comes from financial misdeeds that are attracting worldwide attention. He may soon lose his freedom if he is convicted of defrauding over 10,000 clients. Before the dust settles from the legal consequences of his $50 million Ponzi scheme, he’s likely to lose something just as precious to many – his hair.
Male Pattern Baldness or Stress?
Madoff is already balding. So far, he only has a receding hairline. His hair loss pattern resembles the typical symptoms of male pattern baldness. On the other hand, maybe the stress of wondering when his Ponzi scheme would fall apart contributed to Madoff’s hair loss. After all, he knew what no one else did about his investment firm.
Being in the limelight should be pleasurable, unless you’re being dragged through the mud, destroying your family name, and you can’t claim you’re innocent! Madoff’s attorneys will spend countless hours preparing some sort of defense to keep him out of jail as long as possible. Madoff will undoubtedly endure unrelenting stress from his situation. He can only postpone the inevitable prison sentence, and he’ll need a lot of money just to remain free temporarily.
Baldness is His Future
He’ll be leaving quite a few hairs on “the bed that he made.” Stress is often a major factor in hair loss for men and women. Hair loss usually stops when the stressful situation ends. For Madoff, there’s no end in sight. Bankruptcy proceedings are already underway. When the criminal cases are finished, he faces the new stress of being incarcerated. Even if he is allowed to hang out at a minimum-security country club prison, he won’t be able to stroll over to Starbucks for a latte on a whim. Look for Bernie to become a member of the bald brotherhood by the time his sentence is served.
You would think that with all the money he was making, albeit illegally, he could have afforded to invest in a hair loss treatment. When money is not an issue, the options are unlimited, although some of them are as unproven as Madoff’s investments. People who recommended him to their friends and the people who gave him their money to invest all trusted him, despite his receding hairline. Perhaps getting his hair loss treated just was not a high priority for Madoff.
Tags: bald brotherhood, balding, baldness, bankruptcy proceeding, Bernie Madoff, celebrity, financial misdeeds, fund manager, hair loss, hair loss pattern, hair loss treatment, investments, Ponzi scheme, receding hairline, stress
Posted in Natural Hair Growth | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
In October 2008, the Nature Genetics journal carried news of an important scientific discovery about hair loss. Researchers in Germany and England found a second chromosome that is a genetic marker for male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). These separate studies investigated the genes that control the behavior of androgen receptors, male hormones linked to a genetic predisposition for hair loss.
Felix F. Brockschmidt and Axel M Hillmer were the principal investigators of a research team drawn from the University of Bonn, University of Düsseldorf, University Duisburg-Essen, and Australia’s Queensland Institute of Medical Research. Glaxo SmithKline sponsored their research. They reported that a previously unknown marker near chromosome 20 indicates a predisposition to baldness, in both men and women. The previous research had only identified chromosome X as a marker for hereditary baldness. Men have only one X chromosome, inherited from their mother.
Interestingly, researchers at London’s Kings College were pursuing the same line of investigation. Their studies yielded similar results. They tested 1,125 male subjects and identified two regions on chromosome 20 linked to the incidence of alopecia in men. A second study of 1,650 male test subjects concluded that the incidence of baldness was seven times higher for males who carried the genetic trait on chromosome X and in the chromosome 20 region of their DNA.
Men and women inherit two copies of chromosome 20, one from each parent. Dr. George Cotsarelis, director of the Hair and Scalp Clinic at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania noted that these discoveries bring hair loss researchers significantly closer to developing reliable tests for genetic baldness in men and women.
Although a few companies already make test kits for genetic baldness, Dr. Cotsarelis estimates that they have an accuracy rate of 60 percent. However, nearly 50 percent of all men go bald. Future testing will look for markers on both sets of chromosomes. If they are not found, your risk of male pattern baldness is predicted to be less than five percent. That makes this discovery an important milestone.
Prevention of male pattern baldness is a long way off, but there’s hope for better testing to predict it.
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