Growing older comes with its benefits: deeper relationships, more wisdom and the joys of starting and watching your family grow up. But whilst these aspects of life continue to grow, your hair might not be quite as much. The rest of our bodies also experience a noticeable slow decline in youthfulness, athleticism and recovery time, but usually, these things aren’t a surprise. Hair loss, however, can start at an earlier age than many are expecting, and can cause some internal feelings of anxiousness and reduced self-confidence.
Hereditary hair loss, often referred to as pattern hair loss affects many millions of people in the UK at any one time. Usually associated with men, hair loss typically comes in the form of a receding hairline and/or a thinning crown, as well as thinning through all the hair. Whilst many men expect to lose some hair as they reach old age, that first moment when you realise your hair is not as full of volume as it once was can be a hard pill to swallow. For women, hair loss is also very common, with almost half of women over the age of 65 have experienced some sort of hair loss before. In this case, it’s usually characterised by thinning of hair all over the hair but especially on the crown. It can often be a more worrying experience for women, as the hair has grown to be synonymous with femininity in our society today.
Alongside weight loss searches, Google is inundated with questions about hair loss remedies that work, and there is no shortage of questionable websites making claims that their miracle cure product will rejuvenate your dwindling locks. But how effective are these really? And is there actually any product on the market that’s concretely shown to stop hair loss and encourage regrowth? In this article written by online pharmacy Pharmica, we’ll explore the range of treatments available, as well as touch on some other methods you can try to prevent further hair loss.
The most effective strategy is to implement a combination of these methods. All three can be taken simultaneously without contributing to worse side effects, and doing so will result in the quickest hair regrowth.
Hereditary hair loss, often referred to as pattern hair loss affects many millions of people in the UK at any one time. Usually associated with men, hair loss typically comes in the form of a receding hairline and/or a thinning crown, as well as thinning through all the hair. Whilst many men expect to lose some hair as they reach old age, that first moment when you realise your hair is not as full of volume as it once was can be a hard pill to swallow. For women, hair loss is also very common, with almost half of women over the age of 65 have experienced some sort of hair loss before. In this case, it’s usually characterised by thinning of hair all over the hair but especially on the crown. It can often be a more worrying experience for women, as the hair has grown to be synonymous with femininity in our society today.
Alongside weight loss searches, Google is inundated with questions about hair loss remedies that work, and there is no shortage of questionable websites making claims that their miracle cure product will rejuvenate your dwindling locks. But how effective are these really? And is there actually any product on the market that’s concretely shown to stop hair loss and encourage regrowth? In this article written by online pharmacy Pharmica, we’ll explore the range of treatments available, as well as touch on some other methods you can try to prevent further hair loss.
Treatments for Hair Loss
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is one of only 2 MHRA and FDA approved hair loss treatments and is clinically proven to prevent hair loss. It prompts more blood to flow to the follicles of the hair, growing the size of the follicle which grows a thicker strand of hair. The treatment helps you to fill in the areas of the head that are experiencing thinning, meaning the end result is thicker and fuller hair than when you started the course of treatment. It has been shown to stock hair loss in 9 out of 10 males cases, and 4 out of 10 men see active hair regrowth. The treatment comes in the form of either a solution or a foam and is applied twice daily to a dry scalp for best effects. The big brand of Minoxidil is Regaine, which have specific treatments tailored to men and women. Some side effects might occur, like slight irritation, but this is normal; any more severe symptoms and you should stop using the medication and consult your doctor or pharmacist.Finasteride
This treatment inhibits the bodies dihydrotestosterone hormone from being produced, which has been associated with causing hair thinning and the decline in hair growth. Again, long term studies have found that it’s successful at regrowing or stopping hair loss in 9 out of 10 men. Unlike Minoxidil, this treatment is not topical, but rather taken orally in a tablet form, consumed once per day for best results. If you stop taking the treatment, however, the positive effects it’s had on your hair will stop, so this option is for people happy to have a continuous treatment. Whilst usually limited in produced side-effects, Finasteride can cause some men to have reduced libidos and possibly experience erectile dysfunction. Another point to note is that Finasteride is only suitable for men; since the active ingredient works by affecting a predominantly male hormone (testosterone), it is not really effective for women in any way and can cause negative side effects best avoided.Specialised Shampoo
Some brands such as Alpecin produce a shampoo that is designed to promote hair growth. The addition of the active ingredient caffeine is thought to stimulate the follicles and repair weak hair roots and should be applied daily for the best results. Whilst there is little clinical research to show caffeine shampoos produce quantifiable hair results, the wealth of positive reviews online provide anecdotal support to suggest there is a benefit to using these as an element of your hair loss prevention journey.The most effective strategy is to implement a combination of these methods. All three can be taken simultaneously without contributing to worse side effects, and doing so will result in the quickest hair regrowth.
Other Methods for Preventing Hair Loss
For pattern hair loss, the natural process is likely something that you can’t reverse or prevent with lifestyle or home remedies alone. It will occur irrespective of behavioural, environmental or mental factors, as the condition is tied inextricably to your genetics and family history of hair loss. A combination of Minoxidil, Finasteride and caffeine shampoo is your best bet.However, if the hair loss is not hereditary, you’ll need to establish the likely cause of your hair loss. Periods of intense stress, perhaps shortly after losing your job or following the death of a loved one, can cause sudden hair loss all over the head in a condition called telogen effluvium. This type of hair loss occurs when a stressful event causes the body to go into a survival mode, the production of head hair being a non-essential bodily function, so the hair stops growing and then eventually enters the shed phase all at once. This can cause sudden hair loss, but don’t worry, as the hair should grow back without 6 to 12 months if the stressful period ends. For continuous chronic stress, the body might not be stable enough to re-enter that hair growth phase, preventing growth. To combat this, try to identify and remove the cause of the stress in your life, as well as practising mindfulness principles like meditation and positive thinking.
