Posts Tagged ‘hair restoration’
Hair Loss Factors
Posted by straighthaircare | Filed under Hair Care Tips
What are the factors that contribute to hair loss? I know I have friends and relative that have suffered hair loss, but they are so different. As I checked into it farther, I found that there are a lot of factors that can contribute to hair loss. Some are natural and others are not caused by natural factors. It seems that there are as many hair loss factors as there are individuals. However, there are some main factors that contribute to a majority of cases.
Perhaps the most common factor in hair loss is genetics. Likely when you hear the words “hair loss,” you think of male pattern baldness. To be fair, it is probably the most common form of hair loss. Male pattern baldness is greatly affected by genetics. The genes can be carried on both the mother’s side of the family and the father’s. Some men will even start to lose their hair by their late teens or early 20’s. Genetics is one of the most powerful factors when it comes to hair loss, but make no mistake, there are plenty of other factors that can contribute.
Another factor that can cause hair loss, though to a lesser extent, is high levels of stress. If a person, male or females, is experiencing high levels of continual stress, they will sometimes begin to lose their hair. A classic historical example is that of Roger Maris as he pursued Babe Ruth’s single season home run record. As the pressure mounted and he approached the record, Maris began to lose the hair on his head in chunks. The only reason for this hair loss was the stress he was experiencing. Stress is a powerful force, but some don’t realize it is powerful enough to cause people to lose their hair.
A third factor in hair loss, and one that is, sadly, becoming more common is cancer treatment. Sometimes cancers are treated via chemotherapy. That means radiation is used to kill the infected cells. A common side effect of this treatment is hair loss. The radiation cannot magically attack only the cancer cells, so the body does end up reacting to the radiation all over. Often this includes a mal function of the hair follicles causing the hair loss. Fortunately for those who are lucky enough to recover, the hair generally grows back when the therapy has concluded.
In experiencing day to day life, you likely see people suffering from hair loss. Those people also likely vary in race, age, sex, and lifestyle, so what are the factors of their hair loss. The truth is that the factors causing hair loss are as varied as the people losing their hair. There are however, certain common factors that are found across the board: genetics, stress, and chemotherapy are just three of the more common of those reasons. In the end, those who suffer from hair loss must conclude the cause of their problem and decide on the best treatment for their particular situation.
5 Steps to Hair Transplant Surgery
Posted by straighthaircare | Filed under Hair Care Tips
When an aging population lives in a society that is determined not to grow old, people will push the limits to appear younger than they are. For example, 30, even 20 years ago a procedure such as hair transplant surgery would have seemed bazaar at best, ludicrous at worse. However, today it is a fairly mainstream way for people, mostly men, to retain some of the youthful appearance they hold dear. While this procedure is a growing trend, there are still a great many people who do not know how it is done, the following information will explain the procedure and answer some questions.
1- As a man ages, he looses hair. There is not much that can be done to stop this from happening. There are topical and oral drugs that can be taken to slow the process, but if they are stopped, the hair loss resumes. A person can use cover ups such as toupees or hair weaves, but they really do not look very natural. Enter the hair transplant surgery. This surgery utilizes hair from the body (normally the back of the head) that is not programmed to fall out to replace the missing follicles. But how do they do it?
2- The first step involved in a hair transplant is for the surgeon to draw a replacement hairline for the patient. Then the scalp is numbed and the donor hairs, usually from the back of the head, are shaved. Once this is completed, the skin that the donor hairs are attached to is removed from the head.
3- The scalp then gets sutured or stapled together and the donor hairs are given to technicians. The technicians remove each individual hair follicle and place them into a saline solution where they will await transplant. In the mean time, the surgeon is busy cutting small incisions into the front of the head within the hairline that was drawn earlier. There needs to be a separate incision for every follicle that is to be transplanted. This number can be as high as 2,000 per transplant.
4- Once the surgeon has all of the cuts made, it is time to insert each hair follicle. This is done on an individual basis, very carefully, to ensure that the follicles are inserted in the right direction allowing the hair to grow straight. The doctor then examines the work that has been completed, when the desired result has been obtained, the hair transplant is finished.
5- In about a week or so, the incisions have started to heal, the scabs have fallen off, however, it will take up to a year for real hair growth to appear. In order to avoid further hair transplant procedures from needing to be performed, it is recommended that the patient use a drug such as Propecia. The continued use of this drug will help to minimize the need for another surgery.