Hair Loss Diagnosis

Despite the widespread belief that hair loss can be succesfuly treated with herbal shampoos and nutritional pills, the healthy diet or lifestyle most balding men will not see any results from such treatments or advice. The fact is that the only existing treatments that have been clinically proven to improve genetically determined hair loss conditions are medicinal drugs. And there only happen to be two of them that have been approved by the FDA for treating hair loss to date. It is minoxidil, better known under its trade name Rogaine and finasteride, also known as Propecia. Both of them are being frequently accused of causing negative side-effects but the medical science has shown that only about 1% of the population is affected and many of such stories seem to be spread by the marketers of natural substitutes, claiming their products are guaranteed to regrow your hair while having no negative side-effects. However, such claims have never been scientifically verified and should be taken with a grain of salt.

The truth is that it is only the two aforementioned drugs that have been shown to improve genetically determined hair loss condtions in men. Whereas minoxidil can be bought in almost any pharmacy and in many stores, either as Rogaine or straight minoxidil or as one of the active ingredients in diverse topical mixtures, finasteride remains to be in the most countries a prescription medicine. In a number of countries finasteride has not been yet approved as a hair loss treatment and seeing a dermatologist will not get you prescription. Finasteride has to be usually prescribed by your urologist but he cannot prescribe it for hair loss as finasteride has not yet been included in the list of hair loss medicines. Therefore, the easiest option is often to buy Propecia online in one of many online pharmacies. There are licenced online pharmacies that will require prescription but also such that will give you prescription after completing an online consultation. This often is the only option for many male hair loss sufferers in many parts of the world to effectively counteract their condition as Propecia is currently the most powerul drug for treating hair loss. However, you are best advised to see your urologist before ordering any such drug online and select your pharmacy carefully.

Many people get worried seeing too many of their hairs in the sink or on their comb but is this really the sign we are losing our mane? Usually it is not. For most of us living in the temperate zone hair loss is a regular seasonal occurrence. We are losing more of our hair in early spring and autumn. Those of us not suffering from hair loss will see all their lost hair coming back a few months later. You can notice a change in person’s hair quality about twice a year, in the northern hemisphere their hair would become thicker and courser in autumn and softer, silkier but darker in spring.

The main reason for anyone losing hair is dihydrotestosterone (DHT) attacking and slowly killing our hair follicles. This metabolite of the male hormone testosterone is the main cause of baldness in both men and women, leading to the irreversible hair loss. There obviously are other reasons why people lose their hair such as bad diet, extreme stress, hormonal factors and an array of medical conditions or treatments but these factors usually cause only temporary hair loss.

The aforementioned DHT causes a gradual miniaturization of our hair follicles which in turn results in miniaturization of our hair. Each hair goes through three growth periods – the growing phase, the transitional phase and the resting phase. Due to the harmful effects of DHT affected hair emerges finer and thinner with each new growth cycle while the hair’s life cycles are shortening. The end result is that the hair finally becomes so thin, colorless and short that it is hardly visible to the naked eye and it eventually dies as does the hair follicle. Hence, hair loss is not a result of increased hair fall but of increased hair miniaturization.