How to protect your precious locks
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Published Sep 14, 2023 • Last updated 16hours ago • 6 minute read

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The allure of lustrous hair is undeniable, so when it starts falling out it’s no surprise that we can become desperate. We’ll try anything, from natural supplements to surgical procedures.
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Hair loss is actually quite common. We lose about 100 strands a day through normal shedding as the hair comes to the end of its life cycle (there are four stages, shedding being the final one). However, if you start your mornings by standing over the bin as you run your fingers through your hair raking out handfuls, this is atypical. And you’re not alone.
Hair loss will affect more than half of men and many women at some point in their lives. But the causes of hair loss are wide-ranging and each one requires a different course of action.
The root of the problem: Why is your hair falling out?
Stress: The most common type of stress-induced hair loss is telogen effluvium. This happens when sudden or severe stress – physical or emotional – causes hair follicles to stop growing, resulting in rapid shedding of hair. The stress of the Covid pandemic, for example, was extremely distressing for many, leading to telogen effluvium. The good news is that this type of hair loss is usually temporary, typically reaching its peak a few months after the stress event, resolving itself once the stress trigger is over. If this sounds like your situation, learn how to manage your anxiety, according to a wellness expert.
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Illness: Hair loss can be a sign of a more serious illness such as an autoimmune disorder, scalp fungal infections, diabetes or even a nutritional deficiency. Imbalances in nutrients such as iron, zinc and biotin can contribute to hair loss (a quick note: biotin as a hair growth supplement is wildly popular but it can only help if you actually have a biotin deficiency). Scarring alopecia can occur in these situations when hair follicles are inflamed due to an infection or disease. This type of hair loss can be permanent because hair follicles can be destroyed and replaced with scar tissue.
Medications: A surprising number of prescription drugs can cause hair to fall out as a side effect. Anagen effluvium, for example, is when hair falls out after chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Anticoagulants and antidepressants are other common medications that can lead to hair loss.
Hormones: Hair follicles on the scalp are extremely sensitive to hormonal imbalances. Having an under-active or overactive thyroid, for example, can cause hair to fall out by the handfuls. For women, pregnancy, postpartum, taking birth control pills and menopause can also commonly cause hair loss.
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Lifestyle: Repetitive, mechanical stress on the scalp can also lead to hair loss. If you often pull your hair back into tight hairstyles or undergo chemical treatments, this can weaken the hair follicles over time. And speaking of which, age itself is a factor. The older we get, the less efficient we are at maintaining our hair of youth. Hair naturally becomes thinner in diameter and as well as in the number of productive follicles.

Different types of hair loss in women and men
According to the Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation (CAAF), male pattern hair loss (MPHL) or androgenetic alopecia, is a genetic predisposition that affects about 20 per cent of men in their twenties and 50 per cent of men in their fifties. With MPHL, follicles located at the top, front and temples of the head can start to shrink, interrupting the natural resting and growing phases until the follicles either die or are rendered incapable of reproducing healthy hair. Eventually, MPHL results in a characteristic pattern: hair loss at the crown/front of the head, progressing to baldness until only a U-shaped fringe is left.
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For women, female pattern hair loss (FPHL) encompasses more than just androgenetic alopecia. It includes triggers such as other types of enzymes and hormone receptors and blockers specific to women.
With FPHL, while no less psychologically devastating, hair loss isn’t as extensive or as severe as with MPHL. The hairline doesn’t normally recede but instead, there’s uniform thinning of hair on the front, crown and sides of the head.
Because FPHL is so sensitive to hormonal fluctuations, estrogen helps counteract the effects of DHT, but for those who are genetically predisposed to FPHL, resistance to hair loss will be greatly compromised when estrogen levels drop during menopause. The CAAF estimates that 40-50 per cent of women will be affected by hair loss by the time they reach menopause.
There’s hope: Hair loss treatments that work
Losing hair can have a traumatizing effect on body image and self-esteem, and can even disrupt work and family life. Before starting any hair remedies, it’s best to consult a dermatologist.
Chemicals: There are many topical solutions on the market, with minoxidil — trade name Rogaine ($96 on Amazon)— being the most well-known and available over the counter for men and women. Minoxidil is available over the counter in 3-5 per cent concentrations, depending on whether you buy the one marketed for men (5 per cent) or for women (3 per cent). Don’t fall for marketing and avoid this shameless pink tax. Save your time and your money, and buy the higher-strength option. Minoxidil works by dilating blood vessels, promoting blood circulation to nourish hair follicles. This extends the growth phase of hair so it has a chance to grow longer, increasing both the amount of hair and the diameter of each strand. This a temporary fix however, as once you stop using it, your hair will revert back to its natural tendencies. There are a lot of other new, promising prescription drugs in development so consult your doctor to see if any might be a fit for your type of hair loss.
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Natural supplements: There’s a wide variety of natural hair treatments that claim to help increase hair growth. Some of the more popular supplements contain biotin, B3 vitamins, protein, iron, silica, zinc and collagen. People who see the best results from this line of treatment are usually nutritionally deficient in these areas. Topically applying rosemary oil has also been a popular home remedy for decades, as it can improve blood circulation and is an anti-inflammatory. Prenatal vitamins can also be a good source of key nutrients needed to support healthy hair growth (you don’t need to be either pregnant or female to take prenatal vitamins).

Cosmetic: Wigs, weaves and toupees (Uniwigs and Perfect Locks have good reviews, or try these cost-friendly options from Amazon) offer people with thinning hair an option for quick solutions without any potentially harmful side effects. The best pieces use real human hair, which requires regular maintenance and replacement every 18-36 months.

Surgical: Hair transplants, scalp reductions and hair cloning are some of the surgical procedures available to treat hair loss. Hair transplants use areas of healthy hair growth and move them to parts of the scalp experiencing hair loss. Scalp reduction involves cutting away areas of a bald scalp and rejoining the healthy hair-producing scalp together. Hair cloning, or engineered hair growth, is a relatively new procedure that involves taking healthy follicle cells from a scalp, multiplying them in a laboratory and implanting them back into the donor’s scalp. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections are a newer treatment that, if it works for you, works really well. This works by taking your blood, spinning it to separate blood from platelet-rich plasma, then injecting it back into your scalp either through microneedling or through injections. For those who respond well to this treatment, it’s been shown to dramatically promote the growth cycle, increase the diameter of hair strands as well as stimulate once-dormant follicles.
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