Understanding Thinning Hair
Some people may experience a great deal of stress when they realize that they are starting to lose their hair. To deal with this stress it is important to remove some of the uncertainty around the process of hair loss and also to realize that there are ways to stop thinning hair.The biology of the hair is very useful information as you will know what makes hair fall out.
Basically, there are two components of hair. The follicle and the hair shaft. The first part is the follicle and this is the part of the hair structure that affects hair loss.The follicle is located just below the scalp within the skin.The dermal papilla is located within the hair follicle at the base of the hair root.The bloodstream feeds the dermal papilla providing nourishment for the production of new hair. Remember this area because most of the programs to stop thinning hair are directed at maintaining or correcting how the dermal papilla functions. This is why some programs provide a hair loss supplement as part of the treatment.
What is the dermal papilla's importance to hair growth?It contains receptors for male hormones and androgens. Androgens are hormones that regulate hair growth and they can cause the hair follicle to become increasingly smaller and in turn, the hairs that are produced become finer.There are some people who are more genetically inclined to have this problem.As the follicle reduces in size, the hair growth will eventually be cut off completely.
A natural conditioner called sebum is an oil produced by the hair follicle.Sebum production increases after puberty and then decreases during the rest of life.Men experience less of a sebum production decrease than women.Sebum production is an important consideration, because some treatments require a hair regrowth shampoo that cleans sebum from the scalp.
The hair follicles go through a growth cycle. There are three phases to the cycle:
1. Anagen
2. Catagen
3. Telogen
Anagen is the growth phase.Hair is pushed up past the scalp in this, the active phase.Hair growth is about 10 cm. per year and this phase lasts from two to six years. The Catagen phase is a transitional phase and is started at the end of the Anagaen phase.The hair follicle shrinks in this phase which lasts about one or two weeks.There is about three percent of hair in this phase at any particular time.The hair no longer grows and the lower part of the follicle is destroyed.Sometimes this is called a club hair, it is basically just attached to the root.Lasting five or six weeks, the next phase is the resting stage and is called the Telogen phase.The amount of hair in this phase is ten to fifteen percent.This is the resting stage and 25 to 100 hairs in this phase are expected to fall out each day.
After the Telogen phase, the hair follicle starts the Anagen phase again.New growth starts at this point and if the old hair hasn't fallen out yet, the new hair will push it out.Androgens or hormones may have affected the hair follicle and a problem occurs.The effect of these compounds is that they cause the follicle to shrink so much that it cannot produce new hair. Sebum may have been caused to harden by the hormones and this will block new hair growth.
When trying to stop thinning hair it is important to understand the biology of hair growth, especially when you first notice it. Any course of action that can be taken, with the exception of surgical procedures, will act upon the biology of the hair follicle and try to either stimulate new hair growth or at least maintain the follicle so that natural hair regrowth will continue. It is important to start a course of treatment quickly as the more follicles that are allowed to become completely dormant, the less the chances are of regrowth.
