Hair Loss in Women: How to Feel Like You Again

 

 

What does being ‘well’ mean to you? For most of us it is a feeling of being free of illness, of feeling as though we have nothing that ails us either mentally or physically.

As an integral part of our identity our hair plays a definitely role in our feeling of wellness. It defines who we are and even plays a part in protecting our scalp and shielding us from the sun. When hair loss occurs it can have an immediate effect on our sense of wellbeing.

If you have been affected this all too common condition, read on for the best ways to really regain your sense of wellness and feel like ‘you’ again.

 

Learning to Accept Hair Loss

This is a loaded subject, because there may be people who never actually accept their hair loss. Perhaps accepting hair loss means learning to live with it, or finding ways to cope with it.

Whatever your take on it, it’s important to first consider the condition that is causing your hair loss. This may well have an effect on your perspective on it.

Are you losing your hair due to a temporary situation such as chemotherapy or as a result of another medication? Or, is your hair loss part of the natural aging process?

Consider whether you can reasonably expect your hair to grow back after a certain period of time or if this is something you will live with forever.

It is always good to take the time to fully research the condition that is causing your hair loss- for some this may mean having a deep conversation with their doctor. Others, after having a definitive diagnosis, may choose to read books on the subject or spend hours browsing on the internet.

You may also consider visiting a therapist or psychologist to help you work through the emotional aspects of losing your hair- this can be a powerful tool in your journey towards accepting your hair loss.

 

Focus on your Appearance

Appearances do matter, and losing your hair is a significant reminder of this. Now is the time to see what it is that will make you feel beautiful during this time of life!

Don’t be afraid to face yourself in the mirror. You can:

• Embrace your bare head. If it’s not too cold and you feel comfortable, making peace with your hairless appearance can be extremely empowering.


• Try on colorful scarves and hats. Aside from keeping your head warm, they easy to wear and can be matched to your clothing according to your mood. You can even layer a scarf on beneath a hat for extra warmth.


• Discover wigs. Many of us may have never dreamed of wearing a wig, but when it comes to looking like your old self there may be nothing better. You can go for a wig that matches your normal hair or try a new style, maybe even the hair you’ve always wanted!

*Once you delve into the world of wigs you’ll see that there are several significant differences between synthetic and human hair wigs, and that the prices for the two options do vary widely.

Feeling like yourself during hair loss is not an easy process but there are ways to cope and to make the experience much more comfortable. If you’ve been there before and you have any helpful tips, please share them with our readers!

 

 

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Categories: feel, feeling, hair, hair loss, loss, nbsp, nbsp nbsp

Hair Loss in Women: How to Feel Like You Again

 

 

What does being ‘well’ mean to you? For most of us it is a feeling of being free of illness, of feeling as though we have nothing that ails us either mentally or physically.

As an integral part of our identity our hair plays a definitely role in our feeling of wellness. It defines who we are and even plays a part in protecting our scalp and shielding us from the sun. When hair loss occurs it can have an immediate effect on our sense of wellbeing.

If you have been affected this all too common condition, read on for the best ways to really regain your sense of wellness and feel like ‘you’ again.

 

Learning to Accept Hair Loss

This is a loaded subject, because there may be people who never actually accept their hair loss. Perhaps accepting hair loss means learning to live with it, or finding ways to cope with it.

Whatever your take on it, it’s important to first consider the condition that is causing your hair loss. This may well have an effect on your perspective on it.

Are you losing your hair due to a temporary situation such as chemotherapy or as a result of another medication? Or, is your hair loss part of the natural aging process?

Consider whether you can reasonably expect your hair to grow back after a certain period of time or if this is something you will live with forever.

It is always good to take the time to fully research the condition that is causing your hair loss- for some this may mean having a deep conversation with their doctor. Others, after having a definitive diagnosis, may choose to read books on the subject or spend hours browsing on the internet.

You may also consider visiting a therapist or psychologist to help you work through the emotional aspects of losing your hair- this can be a powerful tool in your journey towards accepting your hair loss.

 

Focus on your Appearance

Appearances do matter, and losing your hair is a significant reminder of this. Now is the time to see what it is that will make you feel beautiful during this time of life!

Don’t be afraid to face yourself in the mirror. You can:

• Embrace your bare head. If it’s not too cold and you feel comfortable, making peace with your hairless appearance can be extremely empowering.


• Try on colorful scarves and hats. Aside from keeping your head warm, they easy to wear and can be matched to your clothing according to your mood. You can even layer a scarf on beneath a hat for extra warmth.


• Discover wigs. Many of us may have never dreamed of wearing a wig, but when it comes to looking like your old self there may be nothing better. You can go for a wig that matches your normal hair or try a new style, maybe even the hair you’ve always wanted!

*Once you delve into the world of wigs you’ll see that there are several significant differences between synthetic and human hair wigs, and that the prices for the two options do vary widely.

Feeling like yourself during hair loss is not an easy process but there are ways to cope and to make the experience much more comfortable. If you’ve been there before and you have any helpful tips, please share them with our readers!

 

 

The post Hair Loss in Women: How to Feel Like You Again appeared first on .

Categories: feel, feeling, hair, hair loss, loss, nbsp, nbsp nbsp

Clue to male baldness discovered

 

Quoted by BBC News: “In studies of bald men and laboratory mice, US scientists pinpointed a protein that triggers hair loss.

 

Drugs that target the pathway are already in development, they report in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

 

The research could lead to a cream to treat baldness.

 

Most men start to go bald in middle age, with about 80% of men having some hair loss by the age of 70.

 

The male sex hormone testosterone plays a key role, as do genetic factors. They cause the hair follicles to shrink, eventually becoming so small that they are invisible, leading to the appearance of baldness.

 

Reverse balding?

 

Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have analysed which genes are switched on when men start to go bald.

 

They found levels of a key protein called prostaglandin D synthase are elevated in the cells of hair follicles located in bald patches on the scalp, but not in hairy areas.

 

Mice bred to have high levels of the protein went completely bald, while transplanted human hairs stopped growing when given the protein.

 

Prof George Cotsarelis, of the department of dermatology, who led the research, said: “Essentially we showed that prostaglandin protein was elevated in the bald scalp of men and that it inhibited hair growth. So we identified a target for treating male-pattern baldness.

 

“The next step would be to screen for compounds that affect this receptor and to also find out whether blocking that receptor would reverse balding or just prevent balding – a question that would take a while to figure out.”

 

The inhibition of hair growth is triggered when the protein binds to a receptor on the cells of hair follicles, said Prof Cotsarelis.

 

Several known drugs that target this pathway have already been identified, he added, including some that are in clinical trials.

 

The researchers say there is potential for developing a treatment that can be applied to the scalp to prevent baldness and possibly help hair regrow.”

 

Categories: bald, baldness nbsp, hair, hair follicles, hair growth, hair loss, nbsp, Protein, reverse balding

Nine Signs That You May Have a More Serious Health Problem

Have you been feeling concerned about your health and wellbeing lately? You may just be feeling a little run down, or you may have a nagging feeling that your wellness is being affected by something unseen, something ‘under the surface’, but it can be hard to tell and you don’t want to seem like a hypochondriac by going to the doctor with a general feeling of unease.

 

Fortunately, there are some subtle signs that you may be harbouring a more serious health problem, and if you are suffering from any of these signs and symptoms then you would be perfectly justified in heading down to the doctors to make sure that it is nothing more serious and underlying.

 

Inflamed skin can be a sign of internal distress. Abnormal capillary activity along your chin area shows that you have a distressed digestive system, and signs of this can also come in the form of flaking and dermatitis or eczema along your hairline or forehead.

 

If you have dark circles under your eyes, you are likely to dismiss it as lack of sleep. Lack of sleep is the major cause of most dark circles under the eyes, but it can also be caused by a deficiency of phenol sulfotransferase, which can cause behavioural and physical problems. If you have persistent dark circles, see a doctor to find out if something is going on.

 

Mouth sores and ulcers can also be a sign that something is wrong. It may simply be that you are stressed and run down, but if you are suffering from repeated mouth ulcers it may be a sign that you have a more serious condition such as celiacs disease or throat and mouth cancer.

 

Hair loss shouldn’t be ignored either – a bit of hair loss each day is normal, but excessive hair loss can be caused by anaemia, thyroid problems and some other conditions.

Categories: feeling, hair loss, health, health problem, loss, nbsp, problem, sign, signs, underlying

Facing the Risks: Should You Reconsider That Face-Lift?

If your facial skin has started to become loose and saggy, you might start thinking about ways to improve your anti-ageing wellness. A lot of women turn to face lifts to reduce excess skin in the cheeks, jaw and neck, or to decrease the lines around the eyes, lip and chin, but before you undergo a similar procedure, there are things to consider. First and foremost, a face-lift isn’t a treatment for superficial wrinkles, sun damage, creases around your nose and upper lip, or irregularities in skin colour. Plus, a face-lift poses various risks to your wellbeing, and so you have to weigh these up before you make your final decision. The side effects of face lifts include:

 

1. Scarring: Although the incision scars from your face-lift will be permanent, your surgeon will typically try to conceal this as much as possible by making the incision near your hairline and the natural contours of your face and ears. Therefore, if you have short hair it might be a good idea to let it grow out before the face-lift, as this will enable you to cover the incisions more easily, especially in the initial stages when they’re healing. On rare occasions, incisions can become raised, red scars, which may require injections of a corticosteroid medication (Kenalog-10) or other treatments to improve their appearance.

 

2. Swelling and bruising: You should expect swelling and bruising for several weeks after the procedure, and it’s common to experience swelling to such an extent that it distorts your facial features and even stiffens the movement in your face. However, this is a normal part of the recovery process, and should go away in a few weeks. If you want to speed the healing along, it may help to keep your head elevated as much as possible, and to apply cold compresses.

 

3. Changes in skin sensation: As a face-lift involves repositioning your facial and neck tissues, this can influence superficial sensory nerves. It’s normal to feel a certain degree of numbness in your cheeks, scalp and neck, and this can last for anything from a few months up to two years.

 

4. Hair loss: Near the incision site, it’s not unheard of to experience temporary or permanent hair loss. More often than not, the affected areas will begin to grow hair again after three months or so. If the hair loss is permanent, your surgeon may be able to fix the problem by transplanting skin with hair follicles from your scalp to the area, or by removing the bare area of skin. If the area in which your hair has been lost is large, your surgeon may need to move a portion of your scalp with hair to the bare area.

 

5. Facial nerve injury: Although this only happens on rare occasions, it is possible for a face-lift to damage the nerves in your face. This can cause facial nerve paralysis which, in turn, can lead to temporary or permanent weakness in your facial muscles.

 

6. Skin loss: Again, this is rare but a face-lift can interrupt the supply of blood to your facial tissues, which can lead to skin sloughing. Your risk of skin loss after a face-lift increases if you smoke, so there’s another wellness reason to quit.

 

7. General surgery risks: It’s marketed as a cosmetic procedure, but let’s not forget that a face-lift is actually a major surgery, and poses the same risks as any other major operation. This means that you could have an adverse reaction to anaesthesia, as well as being at risk to bleeding and infection.

Categories: bare area, face, face lifts, Face-Lift, facial nerve, hair loss, lift, rare occasions, Risks, skin loss, surgery

What Causes Hair Loss in Women?

We associate hair loss and balding with men, but this isn’t always the case – women can sometimes suffer from it as well. When you can see scalp is more visible when you part your hair, or that your parting has visibly widened, this may be a sign that you’re losing your hair. It’s common to see your hair fall out when you shower in the morning, or when you dry your hair with a hairdryer. However, when you’re losing more than 50 to 100 strands a day, this means it may be becoming a serious problem. The growth of your hair depends on the health of your scalp, but there are a number of reasons why your scalp health may have declined. These are some of the more common reasons for hair loss in women, and how to combat them.

 

Genetics

If hair loss runs in your family, this could increase your risk of suffering the same fate. Genetic reasons are the most common cause for hair loss in people, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

 

Nutritional deficiency

Your diet can have a big impact on your hair growth, and some women spot hair loss in patches when they’re lacking in certain nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12 or magnesium. Such vitamins and minerals can lead to weaker hair follicles and nails, so it’s vital that you get plenty of these to ensure lustrous hair and stronger nails. Iron can be sourced from meat, fish, fruit and leafy green vegetables. Protein is what builds the hair strands, so if you’re lacking in this it can lead to hair loss – replace this in your diet with milk, cheese, pulses and beans.

 

Stress

Stress can hinder our health in a number of ways and it can result in hair loss in both men and women. It’s one of the most common reasons for hair loss, because when you’re stressed the hair follicles enter a resting phase which is the third phase of the hair growth cycle. When in this phase, the strands begin to shed after a few months. A healthy lifestyle that’s stress-free and relaxed is the best way to combat this risk.

 

Diseases

There are numerous health complaints which cite hair loss as their symptoms, and some of these cause spots of baldness whilst others lead to full baldness. Thyroid disease is one such problem, which affects the body’s control of the metabolism. Because of this, the hair’s growth cycle is affects which can make it sparse and dry. Once the problem with the thyroid has been treated, however, it usually results in thicker and healthier hair again. Lucus is a lesser known ailment and causes inflammation of the organ tissue which can lead to hair loss in as many as 50 percent of patients. This usually occurs in the area around the temples. Telogen Effluvium is caused when large patches of hair follicles enter the rest cycle, which may happen as a result of a traumatic incident such as major surgery or an acute illness.

 

Hormones

Hormonal changes upset the natural balance of the body’s functions and growth. The oscillation in the level of progesterone and oestrogen can affect the hair follicles, upsetting the balance and leading to hair loss. The increased levels of oestrogen and a lower level of progesterone can leave women feeling depressed and tired, which can lead to stress. When women are stressed or dejected, the hair enters the resting phase again, which leads to the hair loss we associate with stress.

Categories: follicles enter, growth cycle, hair follicles, hair loss, resting phase, Stress, Women

Hair Loss, Spots, Cracks: Do You Have a Vitamin Deficiency?

According to says Dr. Susan Blum, the founder of the Blum Centre for Health and the author of the new book The Immune System Recovery Plan, ‘With today’s diet of processed foods, it’s easy to become vitamin-deficient, either by not eating enough of the right foods or not absorbing them properly due to digestive issues. You may not get a disease, but you can end up with impaired functioning, because vitamins are cofactors for all the biochemical reactions in the body. We need them in order to function properly.’ So what are the signs that a vitamin-deficiency is affecting your wellbeing?

Firstly, if you have cracks at the corners of your mouth, you could be deficient in a number of vital vitamins, Blum says, ‘It’s common if you’re a vegetarian to not get enough iron, zinc, and B12’, which is what this symptom represents. The fix is to eat more poultry, salmon, tuna, eggs, oysters, clams, sun-dried tomatoes, Swiss chard, tahini, peanuts, and legumes like lentils. As vitamin C helps your body to absorb iron, throw in some broccoli, red bell peppers, kale, and cauliflower for good measure.

If you have red, scaly rash on your face and hair loss, your wellness may be affected by a deficiency in vitamin B7 or Biotin. Also known as the hair vitamin, vitamin B7 is water soluble, which means that your body cannot store it. Therefore, you need to up your daily intake of salmon, avocados, mushrooms, cauliflower, soybeans, nuts, raspberries, and bananas. Cooked eggs are also beneficial, but if the eggs are raw then they still contain avidin – which inhibits your body’s ability to absorb biotin.

A sign of deficiency in vitamins A and D and essential fatty acids is red or white acne-like bumps. These typically appear on your cheeks, arms, thighs, and backside, so a fix is definitely in order! For the essential fatty acid deficiency, focus on adding more salmon and sardines, nuts like walnuts and almonds, and seeds like ground flax, hemp, and chia to your diet. To get more vitamin A, pile on leafy greens and colourful veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, and red bell peppers. Blum explains, ‘This provides beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, which your body will use to make vitamin A. For vitamin D, though, I recommend a supplement—2,000 IU a day in one that also contains vitamins A and K, which help with D absorption.’

Categories: Deficiency, hair loss, spots

Could Hair Loss and Nausea be Old News in Radiotherapy?

If your wellness is damaged by cancer, radiation therapy can really take its toll on your wellbeing. Side effects such as hair loss and nausea are common outcomes of radiotherapy, but now scientists have developed a new technique which can eliminate cancer without the debilitating side effects.

Developed by Professor M. Frederick Horne, who was recently awarded the prestigious National Medal of Science Award by President Obama, the new therapy has undergone trials in the US, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, in which the cancer cells of mice were killed successfully. Now the team of scientists from the University of Missouri is seeking funding in order to test the treatment on humans.

As it stands, radiotherapy damages some of your healthy cells, as well as destroying the cancerous ones, which is why you can commonly experience side effects such as hair loss, diarrhoea, nausea and sore skin. Hair follicles, for example, are usually destroyed during the radiotherapy process because they are made up of rapidly growing cells. This makes them akin to cancer tumours, as cancer cells grow faster than normal cells and, in the process, absorb more materials than normal cells, which starves them of oxygen. This factor that cancer cells and hair follicles share make it difficult for radiotherapy to differentiate between the two.

However, Professor Hawthorne’s team took advantage of the absorbent cells by forcing them to take in a specially engineered boron chemical. Boron, often found in soil, can play a strengthening role in the cell walls of all plants when absorbed in small amounts and so Professor Hawthorne designed a boron chemical which his team get the cancer cells to take in. Then, these boron-infused cancer cells were exposed to neutrons, a subatomic particle, so that the boron atom would shatter and tear apart the cancer cells, whilst sparing neighbouring healthy cells. This is what eliminated the side effects.

According to Professor Hawthorne, ‘Since the 1930s scientists have sought success with a cancer treatment known as boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Our team finally found the way to make BNCT work by taking advantage of a cancer cell’s biology with nanochemistry. A wide variety of cancers can be attacked with our BNCT technique. The technique worked excellently in mice. We are ready to move on to trials in larger animals, then people. However, before we can start treating humans, we will need to build suitable equipment and facilities. When it is built, MU will have the first radiation therapy of this kind in the world.’

Could Hair Loss and Nausea be Old News in Radiotherapy?

Categories: boron chemical, cancer cells, hair follicles, hair loss, healthy cells, normal cells, professor hawthorne, radiation therapy, radiotherapy, Research, Side Effects