Reasons for hair thinning
Hair thinning is a condition that can be caused by lifestyle habits, genetics or a combination of both. It affects both men and women of all ages.
Lifestyle Habits that results in hair thinning
- Bleaching and dyeing of hair
- Hair perming
- Excessive usage of hair sprays and hair gels for an extended period of time
- Certain hairstyles that pulls the hair too tight (i.e ponytail)
- Lack of nutrients in diet
- Chronic stress
Medical Conditions that results in hair thinning
- Giving birth to a baby
- Hormonal changes
- Hormonal changes when one stops taking birth control pills
- Immune system deficiencies
- Skin disorder
- Vitamin D deficiency
Here are some myths regarding hair thinning that you may have heard of:
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Hair loss only occurs when you are in your 50s
Teens, pre-adults, and even kids are prone to hair loss due to several factors. It can be lifestyle habits or medical conditions as mentioned above. A child may experience hair loss if they are suffering from ringworm or tinea capitis in the scalp, bald patches or alopecia areata on the head. Another condition may be pulling of hair, also known as trichotillomania.
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Washing your hair on a daily basis makes it fall out more
It is normal for hair to fall out in the shower. It is not due to how regularly you wash and shampoo your hair. A normal cycle is that your hair regenerates itself by falling out, going dormant for a while, and growing again.
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Wearing a Hat Too Often Suffocates Your Hair
While tension and friction applied to hair roots can lead to hair loss due to brittleness and breakage, hats are rarely the cause of hair loss. Healthy hair follicles source oxygen from the blood vessels under the skin to grow. For your hat to have an influence on hair growth, it would need to be so tight that it prevents blood flow to the scalp, which would likely cause enough discomfort that you’d remove it before any real damage was done or you wouldn’t even wear it in the first place. If you’re comfortable when wearing a cap, it’s more than likely that your hair is fine with it, too.
How to promote hair growth
First of all, if you are experiencing hair loss or hair thinning, we recommend you to visit your local dermatologist to identify what might be causing your hair loss. Reason is because reversing hair loss depends on the type of hair loss you are experiencing. Some hair loss conditions are due to medical or health conditions such as cicatricial alopecia. These types of hair losses are permanent. However, you might be experiencing temporary hair loss caused by stress or hormonal changes.
Low-level laser light therapy
Revage 670 Laser is an FDA-approved low-level laser therapy that utilizes Rotational PhotoTherapy (RPT) to rejuvenate thinning hair on both men and women.
How it works is it emits painless cool laser energy to stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles just beneath areas of thinning or balding scalp. This increases blood flow, which then stimulates the dormant hair follicles into the active growth phase, while encouraging cellular and tissue regeneration. This results in thicker, suppler and more durable hair shafts.
The Revage 670 Laser is tailored for both male and female hair loss and is suitable for all skin types, skin and hair colour. It is especially effective for women with diffuse pattern thinning (scattered hair loss) and general weakening of hair as the laser light works to thicken fine, miniaturized hair. For men who are starting to witness hair thinning, Revage 670 Laser can help to make their hair fuller and prevent more severe thinning and baldness.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is an over-the-counter liquid or foam applied to the scalp twice a day. It encourages blood flow to the hair follicles to stimulate hair growth.
Products with minoxidil help many people regrow their hair or slow the rate of hair loss or both. It’ll take at least six months of treatment to prevent further hair loss and to start hair regrowth. It may take a few more months to tell whether the treatment is working for you. If it is helping, you’ll need to continue using the medicine indefinitely to retain the benefits.