Scalpmeds – Hair Loss, Itchy Irritated Scalp Conditions, Treatments & Remedies
Many scalp conditions such as irritated or itchy scalp infections and hair loss can stem from causes which are related. There are quite a few different factors that can cause scalp and hair problems that may seem to elude our understanding, but there are also some very common factors that most of us don’t realise we can take control of.
Understanding how natural scalp remedies &/or scalpmed treatments can help to soothe our scalps, and more importantly understand the causes so we can eliminate or at least reduce them. It can be a lot simpler than you might think.
For example learning about how our follicles respond to different shampoo ingredients or hormones like DHT from testosterone.
Conditions like sore scalp and hair loss can be attributed to conditions such as a reaction to certain common shampoo ingredients that a surprising number of people have averse reactions to….some of these can cause flaking, dandruff or itchy scalp and corrode hair follicles resulting in hair loss.
Hair loss is a problem that affects many people particularly males but also an increasing number of females. For some people it can be devastating to their self esteem.
Prescription drugs as scalpmeds are a very common choices for dealing with scalp and hair loss issues. The two most popular and only FDA approved drugs that deal with hair loss are Rogaine and Propecia. Rogaine is a topical treatment that you apply to the scalp, aiding hair growth and inhibiting hair loss. Propecia is an oral pill that is designed to help maintain hair count. These are usually prescribed together as a solution by doctors.
Hair restoration surgery is another option where surgery is undertaken to take hair from other areas of the head and place it in areas where hair loss has occurred. This is a natural looking solution, fast and long term. The downside is that not everyone can afford surgery and it’s also a big deal to some people having any kind of surgery.
Luckily there are natural ways to deal with the causes of hair loss by using beneficial hair products and shampoos. There are also natural oils that are rumoured to (and shown in studies) to help with encouraging hair growth such as lavender oil.
Let’s have a look at the different types or categories of hair loss, and then look at some of the scalp med options available to you.
Mens Hair Loss
Symptoms include:
1. Receding hairline
2. Moderate to extensive hair loss, especially on the crown of the head.
About ninety-five percent of hair loss in men can be attributed to Androgenic Alopecia (male pattern baldness).
For some men hair loss can start from as early as age 20 but for most male’s hair loss is only noticeable from the age of about 35 onwards.
Factors affecting baldness are suggested to included age, heredity and the male hormone testosterone.
The main culprit is DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) which is a combination of testosterone and androgen receptors mixed with sebum and dirt particles. The hair follicles are particularly sensitive to DHT may shrink when exposed to it and eventually the hair thins than falls out.
Other causes of hair loss can include scalp inflammations, infections, and nutritional deficiency in your diet, illness, and severe stress
DHT & Androgens: DHT is a naturally occurring human hormone, related to production of testosterone. DHT is present form birth but can increase from the onset of puberty. DHT causes changes in men’s biology affecting their hair follicles.
In follicles, are DHT and structures called “Androgen Receptors”. These regulate normal hair growth.
DHT and Androgen Receptors combine to carry out the creation of normal proteins in follicles, which regulate the health, growth, and resting cycles of a follicle.
As men age, these two processes change and too much DHT can be produced thus manifesting as an overabundance of this activity which effects the normal growth regulating process that goes on in the follicle. In the normal hair cycle it grows, rests, and re-grows again. When DHT and the Androgen receptors are in too much supply this can extend the resting time of the cycle and weaken hair follicles.
Inflammation:The process described above initiates what is called an autoimmune response. To put it in layman’s terms, follicles experiencing the above process are being treated as a foreign body and are rejected. This really sums up what male pattern baldness is.
Telltale signs and symptoms of the autoimmune response can include tingling, itching, burning or redness, and inflammation of the scalp. This isn’t always the case but is very common. Inflammation is considered one of the other major factors which exacerbate the hair loss process. It’s vital to ensure you are using a good shampoo that does not further irritate the scalp with ingredients such as Sulphates known to irritate skin and eye membranes.
Ladies Hair Loss:
Scalp Inflammations: Our skin and scalp is the largest organ of the body. This isn’t really something most of us think about, but this is the organ that is most exposed to the environment. Like the rest of our body, it’s important that our skin maintains a balance that enables it to regenerate itself. This can be easier said than done – especially when we bombard it with all manner of substances and the elements. Our skin and scalps produce sebum for protection and balance. However, we use products to clean them without questioning how they affect the delicate balance of body etc.
One other side effect of some products’ ingredients is that they can corrode hair follicles and disturb hormones – which control the natural resting and growth cycles of hair. Yes hair has cycles of growth and resting. This is why pregnancy and hormonal changes throughout and later in life can influence our hair thickness and health.
Post Pregnancy Hair Loss: It’s quite common for women to lose an increased amount of hair during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. Some say this is the result of hormonal changes. It is considered to be normal temporary cycle and hair can be expected to regrow in time.
Female Telogen Effluvium: Telogen Effluvium is a condition where a larger number of follicles than usual enter the resting phase that hair follicles go through. Symptoms are a diffuse thinning of hair over the scalp, resulting in reduced overall hair density. It is caused by hormonal imbalances, and vitamin deficiencies.
The good news is that the vast majority of people with TE can see a full recovery of hair fullness. To treat TE, it’s important to repair the imbalance detected in blood tests and/or stimulate hair growth until the condition causing the TE ceases. You can use natural oils such as Lavender and Rosemary to help stimulate hair re growth as well as by taking care to avoid certain chemicals which can corrode hair follicles such as Sulphates.
Alopecia Areata
this is a common condition which effects as many as 1 in 1,000 people at any time. It is much less common than Androgenic Alopecia due to DHT. Alopecia Areata. Sometimes bodily imbalances can cause this and can be helped or cured by correcting several factors which can be detected with blood tests which can reveal the most common causes such as medications, pregnancy, birth control pills, thyroid malfunctions, anemia, syphilis, and arthritis.
It’s also quite often caused by a response of the immune system where the body has mistaken the hair follicles as a foreign body and rejects them.
The good news is that if an imbalance in a person’s system, which if rectified, can result in complete regrowth of hair.
Non Surgical Options: Scalpmed Treatments Available:
Growth Stimulants
Minoxidil 2% or 5% (growth stimulant)
Crinagen (contains growth stimulant properties)
Revivogen (contains growth stimulant properties)
Nizoral 1% Shampoo (growth stimulant)
Proxiphen (contains growth stimulant properties)
Copper peptide treatments: are treatments that specialize in shortening the resting phase of the follicle. Some are listed below:
Tricomin Therapy Spray (copper peptide treatment)
Folligen (copper peptide treatment from the makers of Tricomin)
DHT Inhibitors – Work to inhibit the binding of Testosterone and 5-Alpha Reductase, which in turn keeps DHT levels as close to normal as possible, which in turn helps keep hair growth and loss regulation at its normal healthy state. These treatments really deal with the cause of hair loss.
Growth Stimulating Remedies Or Drugs– These can artificially stimulate growth, without actually dealing with hair loss at the cause of the problem. While this may sound like an ineffective method, growth stimulators are actually a very successful way to reverse the balding process – or help to restore hair follicle health after you have removed the cause.
Super Oxide Dismutase – Or SOD’s: these hair loss treatments work by handling the immune response which occurs as a result of excessive DHT in the follicle. Your immune system protects itself against invading viruses, cells, and foreign tissues by releasing Super Oxide, which helps to defend the body, but also makes the body reject hair follicles. What SOD’s do is to reduce Super Oxide, lessening the body’s desire to reject the follicle. SOD’s have growth stimulation properties, as well as anti-inflammatory properties. There are natural sources of SOD including supplements including melon-derived SOD oral supplements.
Antiandrogens: – These scalpmed treatments work by inhibiting DHT from binding to the Androgen receptor. As we know, this is one of the steps in the chain of chemical reactions which ultimately leads to hair loss. DHT Inhibitors eliminate the first chemical interaction and stop it from occurring early on, whereas Antiandrogens work on inhibiting one of the last interactions before follicle damage happens. These treatments work as inhibitors but at different times during the process.
Products such as Revivogen are known to be vey effective in treating DHT related hair loss.
Anti-Inflammatory’s: Either medical formulations or natural anti-inflammatories such as essential oils can be effective by reducing inflammation, itching, redness, and flaking. A surprising number of itchy burning scalp irritations can also be caused as a result of an allergic reaction to shampoo ingredients stimulating an immune response, which can make hair loss even worse if not controlled. One culprit is SLS (Sodium Laureth or Lauryl Sulphate). Sodium lauryl sulfate dissolves the oils on your skin, which causes a drying effect. It is also well documented that it denatures skin proteins, which causes not only irritation, but also allows environmental contaminants easier access to the lower, sensitive layers of the skin. It also corrodes the hair follicle and impedes hair growth. It has been blamed for many cases of premature hair loss and it takes hair longer to grow when it has been affected by SLS.
Natural Remedies: There are many natural remedies you can use to soothe & alleviate the symptoms and help the healing process. Oils Known to Stimulate Hair Growth Are: Rosemary, Hissop, Neroli, Lavender (lavender has been shown in studies to increase hair growth in some test subjects by 30%), it’s also very calming & effective in relieving sore inflamed scalp.
There are other remedies for soothing and healing scalp conditions that have long been treated with scalp meds like Rogaine or Nizoral. It’s good to know there are ways to help your scalp get back to balance and thus creating an environment for healthy hair.
Mia Wadsworth who founded http://www.dryitchyscalpremedies.com/ to help suffers of scalp conditions learn about & understand hair loss, scalpmeds treatments for hair re-growth, irritated scalp, dandruff & other scalp conditions. Mia shows how to relieve and eliminate scalp conditions fast & permanently.
Hair Loss Research Correlation Of Hair Loss Emotional Distress and Pain Afraid To Seek Help
An estimated 80 million American men and women suffer from male and female pattern hair loss. Since hair is universally viewed as a sign of youth and vitality, hair loss can cause a diminished sense of self-esteem and poor self- image that may significantly impact one’s overall quality of life.
In a survey commissioned by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery only 15 percent of respondents would first seek out a hair restoration specialist if they were losing their hair. Fear and shame of hair loss is a factor here.
Another finding of the survey shows that 77% of respondents would be very or somewhat concerned if they were in their twenties and just starting out in their career and experiencing unexplained, noticeable hair loss. A vast majority of women (88 percent) would be concerned if they were in their twenties and just starting out in their career and experiencing unexplained, noticeable hair loss and 65 percent of men felt the same.
People value their hair and are concerned about how hair loss could potentially impact their social lives and careers. Researchers have now established people with full hair, opposed to people with hair loss have better chance to success in their life and success generally go with a positive attitude as well. Hair density or the lack of hair loss syndrome affects how people make of their life success. Studies showed that people that had more hair compare to balding heads were having positive view about life and gain success at work due to a better comfort level with their piers.
Hair loss treatment products are a $billion industry but the emotional problem was not attended to by the medical profession to date. The concept of personal pain due to hair loss has been ignored by the hair loss experts. The baby boomer generation of men and women care about looking good, youthful and fit.
Obviously many factors beyond attitude affect our work position and life success, but hair loss does have an effect on ones attitude and behavior at the workplace. When studying the negative effects of hair loss a major theme was noticed, the lack of hair affects a person’s attitude to one’s self fearing what others may see on top of their head. Deep depression can be an out come of hair loss. The fear of aging and loss of control is eminent. Ones actions and decisions are suddenly effected just as excessive weight gain will promote less physical activities low morale and low self esteem. Attitude changes as the hair keeps falling off the scalp and balding areas are noticeable.
One must consider the sudden realization that hair loss is definition of aging or beauty lost. Embracing ones hair loss is not an easy task especially for women. There is no woman on earth who would prefer the state of baldness to full flowing hair due to our society dictation of what is a beauty or youth look.
According to Nu Hair spokesman, Marvin Friedman, , “millions of women in the U.S. alone are suffering from some form of hair loss due to cancer, alopecia, thyroid disorders and many other hair loss causes.” Nu Hair ( http://www.nuhair.net ) hopes to reinforce its company’s image of quality and performance by introducing new hair system every couple of years to increase the choice of hair replacements made specifically for women’s hair loss and men’s hair loss and reduce the waiting time to a minimum. After all, custom hair replacements are favorites among celebrities as a grooming tool. “Nu Hair will be using a sense of style and creative edge hair replacement options to promote shopping experience that is fun, informative and stylish to ease the hair loss pain. Collaborating fun and ease of shopping for hair loss solutions will alleviate and ease the fear and shame of the hair loss syndrome, “said Marvin Friedman.
Founded in 1966, Nu Hair is a full-service hair replacement hair restoration company whose services include hair loss treatments optimized for the individual hair loss client. The firm employs a variety of hair loss treatments, including surgical hair transplants, and non-surgical hair replacements, and medical custom hair wigs. Nu Hair plans to increase its hair loss treatments solution options by 20% by the end of 2007. It is important to note professionals who specialize in hair replacement such as hair piece and wig services offer many advantages unavailable at a conventional hair salon or wig retailer The use of a hair piece, wig or hair transplant surgery to conceal hair loss is what millions others are using .
Author: Esther F
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital economy, mobile technology
Preparation, Handling and Projection of Implants During Hair Transplants
During a hair transplant, the individual implants, or follicular units, are obtained from the patient’s scalp during dissection. The basic concept in dissection is to identify the patient’s natural hair groupings and to isolate individual follicular units. A delicate balance must be reached between the goal of having the implant purely follicular and leaving enough peri-adventitial stroma to ensure that the implant is not damaged and hair is not wasted. This balance is achieved through the extensive experience of a highly motivated hair restoration staff, including surgeons and assistants trained specifically for this task. Because the implants are so small, they are more sensitive to desiccation and temperature change. Therefore, handling and quality control at every level of the procedure are crucial to obtaining good results.
The initial harvest scores the strip just below the level of the hair follicles into 0.3 cm wide longitudinal sections with each attached to the other by the loose connective tissue of the subcutaneous layer. The sections are cut into pieces 1 cm in length. Each piece is then further subdivided, and the follicular units are identified, under magnification, and dissected free of surrounding skin. Many hair transplant surgeons prefer a #10 Personna blade and cut on tongue depressors that have been soaked in sterile water (not saline) until they are ready to be used. Immediately before use the excess water is removed with a piece of gauze. The purpose of soaking is to help maintain the moisture of the implants and to prevent the tongue depressors from absorbing water from the saline soaked implants, thereby increasing the relative concentration of the saline.
Dissection of the follicular units is the most labor intensive and critical part of the follicular implantation process. It is common for hair restoration surgery centers to use up to 12 highly trained cutters to produce the implants for a single large case. Proper planning of the recipient area is absolutely dependent upon accurate information regarding the yield of the donor harvest. The dilemma in planning is that waiting until all the units are dissected before implanting extends the length of the surgery beyond medical feasibility and starting before the surgeon has information about the total number of 1, 2 and 3 hair units, limits the ability to make precise decisions regarding size, density and distribution of the recipient sites.
Although it would seem that information gleaned from pre-operative densitometry measurements together with the patient’s hair characteristics and the calculations described above would be adequate for the creation of the recipient sites, in actuality, once the dissection begins, new crucial information is obtained. For example, patients with gray-white hair can have either dark or light roots. In the latter case, due to decreased visibility, the cutters must leave more stroma around the units, increasing the implant size. As a result, a two-hair implant might require the same size site as a three-hair unit. On the other hand, in patients with fine hair, two hair units may be placed in a site made to accommodate single hairs. In patients with kinky hair, the hair shaft is often so curved below the level of the skin that close dissection of the units is impossible. Sometimes this is not the case; the kinky hair behaves during dissection as if it were straight. In all cases, the smallest possible site is used for the respective implant in order to minimize injury to the recipient site and to allow for the very close placement of the follicular units.
In order to take into account these variables, the hair replacement staff is often instructed to take random pieces from the cut strip, and representative units are matched with sample sites. Placing of sites is then limited to the frontal hairline until the first projection of the implants is made. Accurate projections of the total number of units that will be obtained from the donor harvest are critical for the correct placement of the sites with respect to size, density and distribution, allowing the creation of sites to proceed while the cutting is still in progress.
At the beginning of the follicular hair transplant, both the cut pieces and individual implants are typically held in 0.9% Saline chilled to 59 degrees Fahrenheit. They should never remain out of chilled solution longer than 3-5 minutes. The placers then rest a small amount of follicular units on back of the opposite hand used to hold the forceps. The placers wear powder-free gloves and place gauze under the glove beneath the area where the moistened implants will lie to prevent heat transfer from the hand into the implants. Implants are inserted with curved jeweler’s forceps. At the beginning of the placing, each assistant will determine his or her placing speed, which depends upon the placer’s skill and the patient’s specific hair and scalp characteristics. Once the speed has been determined for each specific case, it is easy for them to determine the amount of grafts that can be safely handled at any one time.
Hydrogen peroxide is very effective in removing residual blood from the scalp and acting as a mild hemostatic agent through a variety of possible mechanisms. Although it seems to produce only minimal amounts of significant toxicity in normal usage, great caution should be exercised when using hydrogen peroxide during follicular transplantation and direct contact with viable tissue should be avoided. Fortunately, hydrogen peroxide is rapidly broken down to oxygen and water. In order to minimize its contact with the implants or with open wounds, hair restoration surgeons and assistants should never spray or apply peroxide directly to the scalp. Many practices use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution diluted to 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water, making an effective concentration of hydrogen peroxide of 0.6%. Any bleeding in the recipient area is stopped by applying direct pressure with dry gauze, not with peroxide. After the bleeding has subsided, 3×3 gauze is sprayed with the diluted peroxide and then applied to the skin to remove residual blood.
Dr. Bernstein is Clinical Professor of Dermatology and is recognized worldwide for pioneering Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation. Dr. Bernstein’s hair restoration center in Manhattan performs hair transplants and other hair restoration procedures. To read more publications on balding and hair loss, visit http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/hair-loss-articles/preparation-handling-and-projection-of-implants-during-hair-transplants-1682020.html
Hair Transplant Options Available To Conceal Hair Transplant Donor Scar
I’m of the belief that hair transplantation surgery has made monumental improvements over the last maybe six or seven years. Follicular unit transplant (FUT) surgery, the golden standard in hair restoration, and follicular unit extraction (FUE) are the result of these technological advances. The use of these procedures have advanced to correct male or female patterned hair loss, restoring eyebrow and body hair, and correcting scarred areas where hair once grew. The only drawback to a FUT procedure is the scar left in the donor area. Is there any way to remove or avoid such a scar?
Hair transplant surgery through FUT is still the most natural looking and affordable procedure for hair restoration. The donor scar can be minimized through special techniques. One technique is to do either single or dual trichophytic closure on the wound once the tissue with the donor hair has been removed. This technique allows hair to grow through the scar which in turn minimizes its appearance. For patients whom have had a previous hair transplant and want to correct an existing scar, this procedure can be done to remove the original scar and further correcting it.
In the event of donor scar stretching, Botox has been used to correct or avoid such damage. Botox can be applied a few days after hair restoration surgery in around the donor scar to weaken or paralyze the muscles to prevent over stretching of the neck and the possibility of stretching or widening the scar. This procedure should be left to the practicing doctor’s best discretion.
Follicular unit extraction can also be used to fill in the original donor scar. Viable hair is taken from the rest of the donor area and then replaced within the donor scar to minimize its appearance as well. Bear in mind how we only said minimize. Although we are placing new hair in the scar, that doesn’t not remove the appearance of the scar tissue itself. By adding the FUE grafts, we are minimizing its visibility only. However, the advantage is that it makes it nearly invisible.
For other cosmetic-related questions and answers, do a Web search on plastic surgery in Sherman Oaks. Also, if you’re interested in hyperhidrosis, dysport, or botox, check out an Encino Laser Hair Removal center.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/hair-loss-articles/hair-transplant-options-available-to-conceal-hair-transplant-donor-scar-1602645.html
Mega Session and Giga-Session Made Easy Through Laxometer
Not too long ago, Dr. Parsa Mohebi, Medical Director of US Hair Restoration Los Angeles, gave a lecture on a new way to use the Laxometer during mega and giga-session hair transplants at the annual ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) gathering in Amsterdam, Netherlands. As mentioned in other hair transplant industry gatherings, the Laxometer has the ability to make more accurate the strip removal method during a follicular unit hair transplant and, at the same time, minimizing the risk of donor scar complications.
At the 2009 ISHRS Meeting, Dr. Mohebi discussed a new manner in which to utilize the Laxometer for patients who have limited laxity of the scalp because of previous hair transplant surgeries or for people needing a max number of grafts in one session (3000+, 4000+, 5000+, etc.). In 2008, Dr. Mohebi tried a different method by which he removed the strip in sequences for hair restoration procedures using the Laxometer before and after removal of every part of the strip. This particular way of using the Laxometer has resulted in a safer strip removal and, at the same time, has lessened the risk of donor wound complications.
The results presented at the ISHRS meeting proved that the Laxometer is the ideal surgical tool for increasing the number of hair grafts during a strip hair transplant while minimizing donor wound complications of a hair transplant surgery. Because of the results Dr. Mohebi found, he has been using the Laxometer at his California hair transplant offices quite often and it has resulted in a lot of satisfied patients.
For other cosmetic-related questions and answers, do a Web search on teeth whitening in Woodland Hills. Also, if you’re interested in dermabrasion, dysport, or botox, check out an Encino Laser Hair Removal center.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/hair-loss-articles/mega-session-and-gigasession-made-easy-through-laxometer-1590156.html
