The healthy condition of the hair depends, to a very large extent, on the intake of sufficient amounts of essential nutrients in the daily diet. Hair is made of keratin, a protein, which also makes up the nails and the outer layer of our skin.

General debility, caused by severe or long standing illnesses like typhoid, syphilis, chronic cold, influenza and anaemia, also gives rise to hair disorders. It makes the roots of the hair weak, resulting in falling of hair. An unclean condition of the scalp can also cause loss of hair. This weakens the hair roots by blocking the pores with the collected dirt. Heredity is another predisposing factor which may cause hair to fall.

Women require 60 grams, men 80 to 90 grams, adolescent boys and girls 80 to 100 grams of protein. It is supplied by milk, buttermilk, yogurt, soyabean, eggs, cheese, meat and fish. A deficiency of some of the B vitamins, of iron, copper and iodine may cause hair disorders like falling of hair and premature greying of hair.

There are many surgical procedures which will help to restore the hair from falling. Surgical restoration is the only permanent solution to baldness. It involves a series of operations that extract plugs of scalp from the sides and back of your head, where hair grows densely, and implant them on top and in front, where you are going bald.

Scalp reduction is performed on patients with well-defined bald spots in the crown area of the scalp. It is sometimes done in conjunction with hair transplantaion to reduce the size of the bald scalp, especially in patients who do not have enough donor hair to cover the bald areas.

Silicon bags are inserted beneath an area of hairy scalp and gradually inflated with saline water over a six-week period. This causes the hair-bearing skin to stretch, thus increasing the amount of hair-bearing scalp. After removing the bags, expanded hair bearing skin is lifted and moved to an adjacent bald area where a similar sized patch of scalp has been excised.

Male pattern baldness that is the condition responsible for over 98% of all hair loss in men. It gets its name from the pattern of hair loss, which ultimately results in a horseshoe of hair that resides on the sides and back of the head, while the top of the head is completely bald. Some men begin MPB by losing the hair in their hairline. Others start in the crown.

The most familiar hair loss pattern is where the hair begins to recede in the hairline and the crown at roughly the same time. The hair in the mid-scalp or anterior scalp is often the last to go. But go it will, eventually leaving a man with the horseshoe of hair that is the telltale sign of typical male pattern baldness.

Minoxidil (Rogaine). This over-the-counter medication is approved for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata. Minoxidil is a liquid that you rub into your scalp twice daily to regrow hair and to prevent further loss. Some people experience some hair regrowth or a slower rate of hair loss or both. Minoxidil is available in a 2 percent solution and in a 5 percent solution.

Finasteride (Propecia). This prescription medication to treat male-pattern baldness is taken daily in pill form. Many people taking finasteride experience a slowing of hair loss, and some may show some new hair growth. Positive results may take several months. Finasteride works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that shrinks hair follicles and is an important factor in male hair loss. Rare side effects of finasteride include diminished sex drive and sexual function. As with minoxidil, the benefits of finasteride stop if you stop using it.

Corticosteroids. Injections of cortisone into the scalp can treat alopecia areata. Treatment is usually repeated monthly. Doctors sometimes prescribe corticosteroid pills for extensive hair loss due to alopecia areata. Ointments and creams can also be used, but they may be less effective than injections.

Hair transplantation has come a long way from the days of "hair plugs" and a pleasing, natural result is now routine. It is an excellent option for treatment of hereditary hair loss in many men and women.

Hair transplantation refers to the surgical movement of permanent hair with its roots to an area of bald or balding skin. Hair transplantation is an effective and permanent solution for hair loss.

Hair transplantation is a surgical modality used for the correction of androgenic alopecia, scarring alopecia, and other causes of permanent alopecia.

Hair transplantation is done under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure. Hair and follicles are removed from the "donor area" of permanent hair along the back and sides of the head. This area is immediately camouflaged by the surrounding hair.

Most people require more than one session, each spaced at least six months apart each to complete the hair restoration in an area. The timing and number of transplants depends on the amount of hair you have when you start, how much is anticipated that you will continue to lose without transplanting and how much hair density you desire.

The site from where the hair is taken is usually a fine scar line which is hidden by the permanent hair in that area. After the procedure there are tiny marks where the grafts have been placed. Initially there is some crusting over these areas (5-14 days) but after this, these areas are usually not detectable.

In most cases, immediately after the hair transplant the hairs fall out of the grafts, and do not regrow for 1-3 months. After this they begin to grow as normal hair. With each session there is more hair, and the resulting appearance is thicker hair.

Hair transplantation can be done both on patients with advanced baldness and earlier thinning. Newer treatments for men like Propecia or for both men and women, like Rogaine should be considered as well especially in patients with earlier thinning as these medications often slow significantly the progression of hair loss. In general, hair transplantation is not considered for patients younger than their mid 20s because of difficulty in predicting ultimate extent of hair loss.

Hair transplantation is universally accepted as a treatment for hair loss. While it was developed and first offered as a hair-loss treatment for men, women have increasingly found hair transplantation a viable option to correct the cosmetic deficit of thinning hair. Advances in hair transplantation techniques and better understanding of the biology of female hair loss contributed to the evolution of hair transplantation got women.

Whether hair transplantation is a viable option for a woman with mild to moderate hair loss is a question to be answered by close consultation between the woman and the physician hair restoration specialist. Into that determination will go the patient's medical history, hair loss history, family medical and hair loss history, physical examination, scalp examination and laboratory tests as indicated by other examination results.

The innermost layer of hair is called the medulla and reflects light giving hair the various color tones it has. That's why hair color looks a lot different in sunlight than it does in the shade.

Whether you have straight or curly hair depends on the shape of the cortex. If the cross section of the cortex is round you will have straight hair, if the cortex is oval shaped you will have curly or wavy hair.

The physical thickness and length of hair depends on what type of hair it is. Vellus hair is the fine fuzz type of hair that's often called peach fuzz. Its very fine and colorless and often almost invisible to the naked eye.

About 90 percent of the hair on a person's scalp is growing at any one time. The growth phase lasts between two and six years. Ten percent of the hair is in a resting phase that lasts two to three months. At the end of its resting stage, the hair is shed. When a hair is shed, a new hair from the same follicle replaces it and the grow-ing cycle starts again.

Alopecia Areata - In this type of hair loss, hair usually falls out, resulting in totally smooth, round patches about the size of a coin or larger. It can, rarely, result in complete loss of scalp and body hair. This disease may affect children or adults of any age. The cause of alopecia areata is unknown. Apart from the hair loss, affected persons are generally in excellent health. In most cases, the hair regrows by itself. Dermatologists can treat many people with this condition. Treatments include topical medications, a special kind of light treatment, or in some cases pills.

Androgenic alopecia develops when the hair follicle (the place under the skin where hair grows from) experiences a reduction in size, as well as a time reduction in the active growth phase. this translates into a simple fact: more and more of the hair follicles will spend time in the resting state where hair is shed once the state is completed. Fortunately, androgenic alopecia does not develop in all hair follicles at the same time. This is why some part of the scalp seems to be losing more hair than the other.

High Fever, Severe Infection, Severe Flu - Illnesses may cause hairs to enter the resting phase. Four weeks to three months after a high fever, severe illness or infection, a person may be shocked to see a lot of hair falling out. This shedding usually corrects itself.

Low Serum Iron - Iron deficiency occasionally produces hair loss. Some people don't have enough iron in their diets or may not fully absorb iron. Women who have heavy menstrual periods may develop iron deficiency. Low iron can be detected by laboratory tests and can be corrected by taking iron pills.

Fungus Infection (Ringworm) of the Scalp - Caused by a fungus infection, ringworm (which has nothing to do with worms) begins with small patches of scaling that can spread and result in broken hair, redness, swelling, and even oozing. This contagious disease is most common in children and oral medication will cure it.

Frequently shampooing can dry out your hair and, therefore, must be followed by the use of a moisturizing conditioner. It is very important to work the conditioner through all of your hair and leave it in for three to five minutes. Again, many people misapply and misuse conditioner by not working it through to the ends of the hair and not leaving it on long enough.

Correct use of conditioners containing light proteins, such as hydrolyzed human hair keratin proteins, can help strengthen your hair. A good conditioner with these proteins can easily penetrate the hair shaft to replenish nutrients. These proteins can also repair split ends. Split ends develop after the protective cuticle has been stripped away from the end of hair fibers as a result of harsh chemicals or even vigorous brushing.

Blond hair may turn yellow, fade or become dull due to UV exposure. Even natural brunette hair tends to develop reddish hues from sun exposure due to oxidation of melanin pigments.

Nutritionists advise healthy hair seekers to eat well-balanced diets that incorporate healthy proteins along with foods high in vitamins B, C, E, A and K. Hair instantly responds to the addition of protein-rich foods such as meats, eggs, cheese, seeds and nuts. Fish packs a double punch of protein combined with health building essential fatty acids and natural oils. We recommend you discuss your diet with a medical professional.

Terms interpretation

Alopecia Areata

• Alopecia areata is a hair loss condition which usually affects the scalp. It can, however, sometimes affect other areas of the body.

Hair loss

• A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.

Hair transplantation

• Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure used to treat baldness or hair loss (alopecia). Typically, tiny patches of scalp are removed from the back and sides of the head and implanted in the bald spots in the front and top of the head.

Protein

• Important building blocks of the body, composed of amino acids, involved in the formation of body structures and controlling the basic functions of the human body.


• Complex organic molecules made up of amino acids. Proteins are basic components of all living cells and are therefore among the principal substances that make up the body.

Ringworm

• The term "ringworm" refers to fungal infections that are on the surface of the skin. The early belief was that the infection was due to a worm, which it is not, although the name has stuck. Some of these fungi produce round spots, but many do not.

Thyroid

• A gland in the throat that produces hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.


• A large gland in the neck that functions in the endocrine system. The thyroid secretes hormones that regulate growth and metabolism.

Alopecia

• A hair loss, baldness, and epilation.


• Alopecia, also called hair loss, baldness, and epilation, is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Baldness

• A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Also called androgenetic alopecia.

Biotin

• Also know as Vitamin H.

Follicles

• A follicle (from the Latin folliculus) is a term to describe a small spherical group of cells containing a cavity.

Grafts

• To transplant or implant surgically into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.

Hormone

• A substance, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism.

Scalp

• The skin covering the top of the human head with its attached hair.

Stress

• Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on something.


• The relative force with which a sound or syllable is spoken.


• Accent or a mark representing such emphasis or force.


• An applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body.


• A mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.


• A state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain.


• A physical and psychological response that results from being exposed to a demand or pressure.

Testosterone

• A white crystalline steroid hormone, C19H28O2, produced primarily in the testes and responsible for the development and maintenance of male secondary sex characteristics. It is also produced synthetically for use in medical treatment.

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