Hair Loss - Tips for Success
Billions of dollars will be spent on hair loss solutions this year. Much of this money will go to waste. Ineffective products and misleading advertising are only partially to blame. Many consumers are not using these hair loss products in an effective way. Fortunately there are a few simple ways that consumers can increase their chance of success. Following these guidelines will ensure that your money does not go to waste:
Start a Journal
People usually try several different hair loss products before they find something that works for them. Many use two or more products simultaneously. Keeping track of all this information can be frustrating and difficult. The best way to figure out what is working is to keep a journal detailing your progress. You should record all relevant information about the treatment process: when you started, the dosage, cost, and any side effects you experience. This documentation will tell you which products are effective, which ones are not, and allow you to make changes as you see fit.
Take Pictures
Noticing small changes in your hairline over time is extremely difficult. Taking pictures on a regular basis is the most effective ways to track your progress. Always photograph your head from the same angle, in similar lighting conditions. Use a digital camera for best results, most will automatically record the date and time for you. When combined with a treatment journal, these photos provide an invaluable tool that will allow you to judge the effectiveness of products you use.
Do Your Homework
The Internet is flooded with products claiming to cure and treat hair loss. Finding out which ones are legitimate can be a difficult task. When researching products online, beware of those that sound too good to be true. If the company has before and after pictures, examine them closely. If the images were shot from different angles, or in different lighting, be suspicious. These techniques are common camera tricks used to fool the eye, and the consumer. When a company claims their product has a "98% success rate", look for documentation of their clinical study. If the clinical information they provide is vague, or even missing altogether, be wary.
If you follow these steps during your treatment, your chances of success are excellent. One last tip - any successful regimen requires dedication. Whatever the treatment is, carefully follow the instructions from your doctor or the product manufacturer.
Hair Loss MythsNot surprisingly, hair loss myths are more well known than hair loss facts. Since hair loss is such a common and unwelcome condition, the public has been flooded with hair loss myths to promote sales of hair loss prevention products. Many companies have jumped on the hair loss bandwagon because of our own enormous desires to eliminate hair loss from our lives, not to mention the unlimited amount of money that we (the public) are willing to spend on this quest. This makes the hair loss market ripe for perpetuating myths that will increase sales. But, for the most part, they are just that, myths.
Some of the more common hair loss myths are as follows:
Male Pattern Baldness comes from the mother's side of the family and skips a generation. Not true. There is no one single gene that causes baldness. Most researches believe that MPB is a result of several different genes, inherited from both parents, interacting with each other to cause hair loss.
Hair loss myth #2:
Pattern baldness affects only men. Just ask any women suffering from pattern baldness, it's not true. In fact, hair loss is just as common in women as it is in men, it just usually occurs in a less virulent form and is easier to hide. Also, women's hair tends to thin out over the entire scalp area, whereas men's hair thins in patches and at the forehead.
Hair loss myth #3:
Poor blood flow to the scalp area causes hair loss. This is a misconception that has been perpetuated by companies selling hair loss products for years. Ask any dermatologist and they will tell you, bald scalps have just as much blood flow as scalps full of hair. It is because of this blood flow to the bald scalp that hair transplants work so well.
Hair loss myth #4:
If you haven't lost your hair by 40, you aren't going to. Again, not true. Age has nothing to do with it. If you are genetically predisposed to loose your hair, you are going to. Just be grateful you made it to 40 with your hair still intact.
Hair loss myth #5:
Stress makes your hair fall out. Okay, in some part, this is true, but it takes a very traumatic event to cause enough stress that your hair falls out. The common stress we experience on a daily basis will not make our hair fall out. In fact, some stress can actually increase the production of hair.
Okay, I could go on and on about hair loss myths and not run out of things to talk about. My point is this. Most of the facts we think we know about hair loss are actually hair loss myths. If you are suffering from hair loss, consult your doctor. Your physician will be able to give you a factual reason for your hair loss and advise you on what types of treatments would work in your specific case.
Some of the more common hair loss myths are as follows:
Male Pattern Baldness comes from the mother's side of the family and skips a generation. Not true. There is no one single gene that causes baldness. Most researches believe that MPB is a result of several different genes, inherited from both parents, interacting with each other to cause hair loss.
Hair loss myth #2:
Pattern baldness affects only men. Just ask any women suffering from pattern baldness, it's not true. In fact, hair loss is just as common in women as it is in men, it just usually occurs in a less virulent form and is easier to hide. Also, women's hair tends to thin out over the entire scalp area, whereas men's hair thins in patches and at the forehead.
Hair loss myth #3:
Poor blood flow to the scalp area causes hair loss. This is a misconception that has been perpetuated by companies selling hair loss products for years. Ask any dermatologist and they will tell you, bald scalps have just as much blood flow as scalps full of hair. It is because of this blood flow to the bald scalp that hair transplants work so well.
Hair loss myth #4:
If you haven't lost your hair by 40, you aren't going to. Again, not true. Age has nothing to do with it. If you are genetically predisposed to loose your hair, you are going to. Just be grateful you made it to 40 with your hair still intact.
Hair loss myth #5:
Stress makes your hair fall out. Okay, in some part, this is true, but it takes a very traumatic event to cause enough stress that your hair falls out. The common stress we experience on a daily basis will not make our hair fall out. In fact, some stress can actually increase the production of hair.
Okay, I could go on and on about hair loss myths and not run out of things to talk about. My point is this. Most of the facts we think we know about hair loss are actually hair loss myths. If you are suffering from hair loss, consult your doctor. Your physician will be able to give you a factual reason for your hair loss and advise you on what types of treatments would work in your specific case.
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