Hair loss myths vs reality

As part of National Hair Loss Awareness month each week I’m discussing hair. This is my fifth and final post so I want to end on a lighter note with the solutions that do work for hair loss! People have been concerned with hair since the beginning of time. It’s been a symbol of virility and beauty, just look at Samson and Rapunzel to name a couple of examples! With this in mind I’ve put together some hair myths. Here’s my top 10:

1. Your hairstyle can make your hair fall out – True. Having a hairstyle that pulls the hair back tight can cause traction alopecia which is thinning of the hair around the hairline. It is common with taut pony tails, updos, buns, cornrows, dreadlocks etc. Looser styles don’t place stress on the follicles and cause damage.

2. Shaving your head will thicken hair – Not true. Shaving or cutting hair doesn’t thicken it. It might make it feel healthier because split ends are removed, but less weight on the follicles won’t do anything for stimulating growth.

3. Hair loss comes from your mom – Not true. It can come from mom, or dad or both sides. It can even skip a generation so it’s a bit more complex than you think.

4. Hats will make your hair fall out – Not true. This is an old wives’ tale but apart from getting a sweaty head it won’t cut off your circulation to the scalp and strangle your follicles. If you get an infection from a dirty hat that might make your hair fall out though.

5. Doing handstands will make your hair grow – Not true. All putting your head upside down will do is give you a headache! More blood rushing to the head doesn’t power up the follicles.

6. Stress causes hair loss – True. Stress hormone cortisol can affect the rest of your hormonal balance. It stops nutrients reaching the scalp and follicles and can lead to thinning and sudden hair loss from alopecia or telogen effluvium where the hair growth cycle gets disrupted.

7. Too much testosterone causes baldness – Not true. Too much testosterone is not responsible for hair loss. 10% of testosterone is converted to DHT (dihydrotestosterone) every day and its DHT that affects the follicles and causes hair loss.

8. Herbal supplements can make your hair grow – Partly true. If you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency that causes hair loss, replacement will let hair growth resume. But generally herbal supplements don’t work too well. Some such as Saw Palmetto can reduce DHT and will affect hair loss.

9. Hair drops in the fall and grows faster in summer – True. During the fall months hair renews itself more than at any other time of the year so it falls out. But in summer it grows faster because warmth makes nutrient uptake more effective. That means proteins get absorbed more readily to make up the keratin of the hair.

10. Drinking and smoking can speed up hair loss – True. Drinking and smoking can affect the hair growth life cycle. They can also cause ageing of the hair follicle and hair shafts so they weaken and lose vitality.

So now we’ve discussed the myths what are the things that actually work? My personal favorites are plasma hair restoration using your own blood or bespoke stem cells. I also like Aquafirm the no needle therapy for hair loss to tackle from the outside in. Biotin injections and B12 IV nutritional therapy .will provide help from the inside.You can catch up on the rest of my posts below

Come in and see us at Invigorate Advanced Aesthetics in Centennial, Colorado for your plasma hair restoration, Aquafirm or Biotin injection schedule.