Baldness is thought to be a precursor of old age. But what happens when you are in your mid-twenties or thirties, and your scalp looks all bare and shiny. For many people, that’s reason to fear and wear hats day and night when out in public.
It is a reason to keep head shaven every day without a patch of hair remaining or to spend a lifetime in wigs. Here is a complete assessment of the reasons for your hair loss and the options available for you.
You inherited the baldness gene
The gene for baldness is mainly carried on the X chromosome, and that’s why men are more likely to grow bald than women. But that doesn’t exclusively imply that hair loss is inherited from your mother’s side. If your father is bald, you will have a similar higher chance of losing hair by the age of 30.
Experts explain that balding results when there is a mutation in the Androgenic Receptor carried on the x chromosomes. The variation in this receptor plays hob with the male hormones that are tasked with hair growth.
But women lose hair too. That goes to show that several factors come into play. Scientists are yet to figure out the exact gene variants and transcription coding that leads to hair loss in both men and women.
You have a changing level of hormones
Hair loss in women mostly starts to manifest during or after menopause. That’s a time when estrogen and progesterone levels take a dive, and androgenic effects start to show. The result is female pattern hair loss (FPHL) or androgenic alopecia.
The hair loss may stop or worsen as your hormones fluctuate. A common solution to this type of hair loss in women is antiandrogen medications. These may be taken directly or blended in shampoos for external use.
In men around the age of 25, the hormonal root cause of hair loss is dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The latter is a byproduct of testosterone. DHT is what makes men who they are –it is involved in the formation of male genitalia before birth.
But what it does in men that are genetically susceptible to balding, is speed up the hair loss process.
When you are near or over 30 years, DHT binds to your hair follicle receptors and causes them to wither and die. You may also notice that your hair becomes thinner, softer, and discolored.
There may be medical ways to block DHT, but that might cause issues such as hair loss on the chest and private areas and a reduced sex drive.
The vicissitudes of life are getting to you
Stress and daily worries, as mentioned in the free hair transplantation report, are among the leading causes of hair loss. Many people across the world are seeking hair transplant and hair replacements procedures to reverse baldness.
Today the procedures are advanced and have a higher success rate regardless of the root cause of hair loss.
But managing yourself well on a psychological level maybe is a prevention strategy worth exploring. Seek a work-life balance, because consistently daily fatigue can accelerate premature hair loss.
For instance, scientists have nailed down the correlation between alopecia areata – an autoimmune condition that leads to rapid hair loss – and stress.
If you are distressed all the time, your body starts to attack its hair-producing cells inadvertently. Meditation, vacations, and a positive mindset may thus be your best solution for thicker and fuller hair.
You are living on an unhealthy diet
The 2017 hair transplant global overview report by the ISHRS showed that bad nutrition and poor eating habits are driving growth in the hair transplant market. In other words, young people are losing their hair because they are eating junk. Making healthier diet choices could get your hair growth back on track.
One way of accomplishing that is by increasing your protein intake. Hair growth relies on protein. Food sources containing keratin are the best to include in your diet to reverse hair loss.
Keratin, found in whey, blueberry, meat, and others, strengthens hair and makes it resilient to breakage. If you don’t get enough keratin, your hair growth cycle slinks back into the resting stage, and baldness takes over.
You are taking too much vitamin A
Dietary supplements are a big buzz right now. Everyone is taking vitamin pills in one way or another, and that’s okay. Vitamin A supplements reduce acne, lower your risk for some types of cancers, and promote bone health.
Beware, though, these very supplements could be the reason why you are growing bald.
Experts assert that exceeding the RDA (recommended daily intake) of 900mcg for vitamin A interferes with the hair growth cycle. It hastens the process so that your hair follicles reach the end of the growth face much faster. The result is thinner hair that falls out faster than your body can replace.
Although genes are involved, if you live life the right way, you may never have to worry about hair loss.
