Hair Restoration and Replacement

Before we talk about remedies for hair loss lets talk about what causes unwanted hair loss in men and women alike. About 60% of men will experience hair thinning and balding during their life time. And, of the people who suffer hair loss problems, about 40% are women so you can see this is a big problem that needs to be addressed. Of the men, 95% suffer from a genetic condition known as androgenic alopecia. The common name for this is male pattern baldness. Women suffer the consequences of the same medical problem but for them the common name is female pattern hair loss.

When a man or woman has this condition they have certain hair follicles, or roots, which are susceptible to attack by a hormonal substance known as DHT or dihydrotestosterone. For men the hairs that are affected are usually located on the top of the head at the hair line and crown or vertex. Women, on the other hand, will usually see hair thinning over their entire head. When looking for a good hair loss remedy you want to find something that actually treats the causes of the problem and not just the results.

This DHT is found in the body when the enzyme 5alpha-reductase metabolizes the male hormone testosterone. There are two ways to treat hair loss and thinning causes by androgenic alopecia. The first is to inhibit the manufacture of DHT and this is what several hair loss remedies try to do. The other method is to protect the hair follicles from attack by DHT. The susceptible hair follicles have receptors that are waiting to bond with some substance. If there is a high level of dihydrotestosterone then this will bond with the receptors. Once there is bonding the hair follicles will slowly stop producing the hair shaft material keratin. Each affected hair will tend to get thinner and thinner until it no longer can support itself and breaks off or falls out. Once the follicle has been rendered ineffective there is not much that can be done to get it functioning again.

At this point, basically the only option is to replace the hair follicle with a healthy one from another area of the head. This is fairly easy with men because they tend to continue to grow good hair at the back and sides of the head even when the top is completely bald. The hair restoration surgeon will remove some follicles and associated hair shafts from this donor area and then place them into the bald spot. Within a few weeks the transplanted hair will start to take root and within a few months new hair is growing in the balding area.

The key to dealing with male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss is to start early. Learning how to prevent hair loss is something you can do. There are several treatments that can protect the hair from falling out but once it is gone about the only option is to replace it with expensive surgery.