Hair Loss Diagnosis

Natural hair loss treatments do not sell as much as some of the best-selling hair loss drugs such as Propecia and Rogaine but due to the sheer variety their combined sales already exceed the sales of medicinal hair loss treatments. The key to the growing popularity of natural products is a general belief that they are as effective as medicinal treatments but less expensive and do not carry the risk of negative side effects. However, none of these statements seem be true.

Many herbal and naturally-derived substances out there are assumed to treat hereditary hair loss in humans but none of them has ever been clinically proven and independently verified in a statistically significant sample to do so. Therefore, no matter what the marketers of the natural hair loss products say about the superior effectiveness of their products, you should take their word with a grain of salt. That does not necessarily implies that all natural hair loss remedies are a scam. Natural treatments are a mix of numerous components that are believed to promote hair growth and they may work for some people but their mechanism of action is a mystery and their results usually vary significantly between patients.

Herbal and naturally-derived supplements have not been subjected to any rigorous clinical testing regarding their safety, either alone or in interactions with other substances, distantly comparable to medicinal drugs. If at all, they are only tested on rodents not on humans. In addition, increasing numbers of herbs and herbal products are becoming responsible for nasty allergic reactions. Many marketers tell you that saw palmetto is as effective as finasteride in treating hereditary baldness and that it can be used as its natural substitute. Its mode of action is to reduce the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in your scalp, the same job finasteride does. However, saw palmetto is thought to have no negative side effects. Saw palmetto simply enjoys the best of both worlds; it is as effective as finasteride but as harmless as drinking water. A quick internet research turned up the following list of side effects experienced by saw palmetto users: stomach pains and diarrhoea, severe bleeding during saw palmetto use, allergic reactions, difficulty with erections, testicular discomfort, decline in sexual desire, breast tenderness and enlargement and a warning that saw palmetto extract is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding because of its possible hormonal activity. This example shows that herbal substances may not be so harmless after all.

And last but not least the price comparison does not speak in favour of natural hair loss products, either. They happen to be some of the most outrageously-overpriced hair loss cures on the market. Sure, it is not easy to beat the price of cheap generic minoxidil. But why should you pay ten times more for the same generic minoxidil just because it comes in a box with a few herbs, vitamins and common minerals? Natural hair loss products usually come as a complete treatment, consisting of topical and oral applications and a shampoo with conditioner. You are advised to use the entire therapy, as the individual components complement each other. This strategy obviously ensures very good profits for the manufacturer.

Dandruff can be described as excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. Shedding of dead skin cells is normal as long as it is not excessive and becoming visible. It is part of the normal process of cell renewal. The cells form in lower skin levels and are gradually pushed upwards by the new, growing cells that form underneath. By the time the cells reach the skin surface, they have died and become flat and they overlap each other like roof tiles and are ready to depart the scalp. In a normal, healthy scalp, the dead cells leave the surface unnoticeably. With dandruff, the whole process is accelerated and a larger number of dead cells are shed, forming big clumps that are visible to the naked eye. Dandruff is a very common condition and some estimates say that it affects up to 50% of the population at some point in their lives.

There are three leading causes and types of dandruff and each one of them has to be treated differently. Some people mistake dandruff for dry scalp and start shampooing their hair less frequently, which, in the case of dandruff, leads to a worsening of their condition. The most frequent cause of dandruff is the overgrowth of a fungus that normally lives in our scalp called malassezia. This fungus feeds on the natural grease in the scalp, converting it into oleic acid. The reasons for the sudden proliferation of this fungus are not exactly known.

Seborrhoeic dermatitis leads to a more severe form of dandruff than malassezia, causing greasy bran-like scales. Seborrhoeic dermatitis is usually accompanied by skin inflammation that, besides the scalp, also affects the eyebrows, ears, the skin around your nose and the lines on your cheeks, forehead and armpits. In moderate climates this condition usually improves in summer as direct sunlight relieves its symptoms. Cradle cap, however frightening it may look, is a mild form of seborrhoeic dermatitis affecting only infants and it clears itself by the time the baby turns one year old.

Psoriasis is the third known cause of dandruff, leading to its most serious form. It causes itchiness and inflammation of the skin and produces thick, silvery scales which occur most often in the scalp, knees and lower back. Psoriasis results in rapid shedding of the skin and, if this shedding occurs from the scalp, it is dandruff. This condition affects about 2% of the population and like the two aforementioned forms of dandruff, it is not contagious. An excessively oily scalp, autoimmune disorders, hormonal imbalances, elevated scalp sensitivity, extreme stress, heart problems, etc. are often associated with an increased occurrence of all forms of dandruff. It has also been observed that some cases of dandruff are triggered by chemicals contained in hair care treatments. However, the exact cause of any of the aforementioned dandruff-triggering conditions is not known.

When it comes to treatment options, for a start it sometimes helps to wash your hair more often and use a mild shampoo. In more severe cases it is advisable to try some of the special anti-dandruff shampoos freely available in pharmacies. For yet more severe cases you may need to ask your doctor to prescribe you a prescription strength shampoo, which typically contains the same active ingredients as OTC products but in a higher concentration. The active substances used in anti-dandruff shampoos can include any of the following: salicylic acid, coal tar, zinc pyrithione, selenium sulphide, sulphur, ketoconazole, corticosteroids and caffeine. Each one of them addresses the problem from a different angle. For the most serious conditions, corticosteroid and anthralin treatments will typically be prescribed by your doctor.