Hair Thinning

Hair thinning is a common problem for both men and women as they age. Thinning hair can be due to a variety of causes, but is often hereditary. That does not mean there is nothing you can do about it, however. Baldness is not inevitable as we age. There are a number of ways to help prevent and treat hair thinning.

Diet

Hair is made of protein, so you need to have adequate protein in your diet to have healthy hair. Without enough protein in your diet, new hair may not grow and you may experience thinning hair.

Hair also needs certain vitamins and minerals into to grow and be healthy, including B vitamins, iron, and zinc. Taking a multi-vitamin and mineral supplements can help you have a healthy head of hair and prevent mild hair loss.

Propecia

Propecia (finasteride) is an oral medication used to treat hair thinning. It works by preventing the conversion of testosterone to DHT, a hormone that builds up in hair follicles and prevents the growth of new hairs.

Propecia is typically prescribed for men. It has been shown to be effective in women as well but is rarely prescribed for them. That is because it causes serious birth defects if women become pregnant while taking finasteride. In fact, pregnant women should not even handle Propecia tablets. It is strongly recommended that women taking Propecia also take birth control pills or use another highly effective method of birth control.

Rogaine

Rogaine is a topical treatment that you apply to your head twice a day. It opens the potassium channels in the hair follicles, which stimulates new hair growth. It also opens shrunken hair follicles, thereby improving thinning hair. It is recommended that you begin treatment with Rogaine as soon as you notice signs of hair thinning. That way you will get results before hair loss is very noticeable and before there is much damage to hair follicles.

Rogaine makes separate formulas for men and women, but it is more effective for men than for women. It does not work for everyone, and can take up to four months before you see results.

Hair Transplants

Hair transplants are rarely used for thinning hair. They are most often used for bald spots, such as male pattern baldness, where there is a large spot with no hair on the crown of the head. In a hair transplant, hair is taken from an area of the head where hair growth is dense and transplanted to an area that is bald.

With hair thinning, there may not be a bald spot large enough to transplant hair to. You may have to wait until hair loss becomes more severe before a hair transplant will help. Of course, you’ll want to try other treatments in the meantime in the hopes that things won’t get that bad!

Laser Treatments

Laser treatments are a relatively new treatment for hair thinning. While experts disagree about how effective they are, they show some promise. Because multiple treatments are required and they are expensive, you’ll want to do your homework before committing to them, however.

In laser hair loss treatments, you sit under a hood where low level laser lights are shone at your head. The laser treatments are meant to improve circulation to your scalp, which brings more nutrients to the hair follicles, thereby improving the health of your hair. This may lessen or prevent thinning hair.

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