You’re Starting to Lose Your Hair… Now What?

Written by Joshua Fienberg

The topic of hair loss is something that is close to my heart, because as a 40-something year old man, I am beginning to experience male pattern baldness.  As the oldest, and baldest member of the Dude Rated gang, I thought I’d take a break from my regular reviews, and focus for a moment on something that is on the minds of my follicly challenged brethren; going bald and what to do about it.

Before You Decide Whether to Take Action, You Should Understand What Causes Baldness.

Losing your hair is can be something you do with style and grace.  You may showcase your chrome dome like a badge of honor.  It’s a symbol to the world that you’ve been there, done that.  Or it can be something that you fight.  In some cases, hair loss is reversible.  In many cases, it is not.  Hair loss is not necessarily attributable to  "male pattern baldness."  There are other causes to hair loss than MPD.  If you’re losing your hair, and you want to do something about it, you must first identify the probable cause of your hair loss.  The most common causes of hair loss, in no particular order, include:

GENETICS
A person’s genes may certainly determine if the individual goes bald.  Male Pattern Baldness is linked to two genes in particular.  Scientists recently conducted test on more than 1,000 bald men, the results of which incidated that two gene regions, when active together, make a man seven times more likely to lose his hair. Around 14% of men are thought to carry both gene variants.  It was long thought that male pattern baldness was determined by a gene inherited from the mother.  There is a strong correlation between the hair on Granddad’s head (mom’s dad) and the hair on your head.  This gene sits on the female X chromosome, and it is passed from mother to son. Scientists have discovered a second gene region, and it has shed some light on how baldness may also be passed from father to son.  The tests indicated that at least one gene on chromosome 20 contributes significantly to the baldness of the son.  Genetically caused baldness may be slowed by products such as minoxidil, but once it’s begun, the hair loss is usually irreversible without surgical intervention.

AGING
Getting old is perhaps the most common and inevitable cause of hair loss.  We all get older.  There is nothing we can do about that, yet.  Aging leads to  hair loss by it’s effects on the body’s production of hormones. Hair loss that is caused by hormonal changes may be treatable and can often be reversed.  There are hair loss treatments that target hormonal problems, and act to supplement what we start to lose through the aging process.  However, the very nature of aging is that as we grow old, certain things begin to shut down and, well, die.  As we get older, some of our hair follicles die. When hair follicles die, they are no longer capable of growing hair.  This type of hairloss is not reversible.

LIFESTYLE
A wild and crazy lifestyle can cause baldness in some individuals.  A steady diet of hard alcohol, drugs, and poor diet certainly will not help to keep hair on your head.   Other than that, such practices as tightly braiding one’s har may also cause hairloss. Many times the hair loss from poor diet and such is reversible, but it does depend on the actual cause of the baldness.  For example, scarring on scalp may sometimes be caused by long term tight-braiding the hair.  Scarring the scalp can destroy the hair follicles, and this makes the regrowth of hair impossible., and the baldness irreversible.   Hair care products can also sometimes cause baldness or some degree of hair loss.  The harsher the chemicals, the more potential there is to lose hair.  Fortunately, if the hair follicles are left alive, hair regrowth is possible.

ILLNESS
Getting sick can cause baldness. There are many very prominent and well documented illnesses that can cause baldness.  Scarlet fever, typhoid fever, and certain infections of the scalp are just a few.  Hair loss that is caused by illness is usually reversible when a pysician has treated the patient and the illness has run its course.  Most people that have become ill from the causes mentioned above, for example, can expect all their hair to grow back.

OTHER CAUSES
Environmental factors, some medications, infections, and hormonal changes can all lead to hair loss and baldness.  Whether the hair loss can be reversed essentially depends on whether the hair follicles are alive or if they’ve been destroyed.  As a general rule of thumb, if the hair follicles are left living, hair loss may reversible.

So You’ve Figured Out Why You’re Losing Your Hair.  Now What Should You Do?

You basically have two (2) courses of action here.  You can either (1) Go bald and maintain an appropriate haircut for thinning hair, or (2) find a hair loss treatment that specifically targets the cause of your baldness, and maintain the hair you have left, and if you’re lucky, regrow the hair you’ve lost.

1. Go Bald, and Be Bold… Many men decide to let nature takes its course, and are perfectly happy with thinning hair, receding hairlines, and baldness.  Being bald is esteemed in some cultures, and is considered to be a sign of virility by many.  In fact, a number of well-known American celebrities proudly show off their bald heads, and are almost universally considered to be attractive dudes.  For these guys, the bald look works quite well:

Woody Harrelson	Bruce Willis	Vin Diesel

2. Treat the Cause of Your Hair Loss… As I mentioned earlier, effective treatment of your hair loss requires that you understand the cause of your baldness.  Aging, genetics, poor lifestyle choices, illness, etc., all require specific types of treatment to battle the bald.  If you’re wondering what I’ve chosen to do about my hair loss… Well, I’m a figher.  I have a weird looking head, and cannot pull off the chrome dome look.  I am losing my hair due to genetics, but I’ve managed to slow down the process and regrow some hair using minoxidil.  It works for me, but might not work for everyone.  There are a ton of other products out there that show promise for successfully treating hair loss.  Alternatively, there are many more products on the market that are nothing more than scams and snake oil.  Beware of products with claims that are too good to be true.

I order my products online.  In fact, I have a recurring delivery setup, so I get my hair restoration magic in the mail every month.  It’s easier, and much cheaper than purchasing at a retail store.

If you’re interested in combating your hair loss, and want to do so effectively and inexpensively, I highly recommend you check out the following websites:

1. Nisim International
I like Nisim International because they have a 100% no questions asked, money back guarantee.  There is no risk.  If you use their product, and it doesn’t work, you can get a full refund. In fact, you can return their products for ANY reason.  It’s that simple.  I plan on doing a full review of their products after I’ve given their line a thorough evaluation.  Nisim has created a product that has been clinically proven to control excessive hair loss and regrow hair.  Click here for more info on Nisim.
 

2. OnlyHairLoss.com
I really like onlyhairloss.com too, but mainly for ordering my minoxidil. They’ve got the full range of hair loss products, including products for women, at deeply discounted, wholesale prices.  I pay less than $25 for 3 months supply of minoxidil, and their other products are just as cheap.  OnlyHairLoss.com is a great site if you already know what it is you’re looking for, because they’re one of the cheapest online stores for ordering hair loss products.  If you’re not sure what is right for you, you can check out their "Hair Loss Info" section to help you figure things out.  Click here for more info on OnlyHairLoss.com