A discovery reported last month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has many people hopeful for new treatments for baldness, which affects millions of people around the world. Researchers found that a cellular defect prevents hair follicle stem cells from becoming hair-producing cells, resulting in genetic hair loss affecting men and women.
Scientists say their work gives them hope of finding a way to get hair to grow in a bald scalp. They previously believed the stem cells were gone; knowing they are still there gives them more to work with in treating common baldness.
In the meantime, here are some current strategies to consider if you’re contending with hair loss.
1. Treat your anemia
Anemia often causes hair loss, according to Dr. Peter Hibberd, Newsmax Health contributor. Iron-deficiency anemia, as well as vitamin B-12-deficiency anemia seen in people with pernicious anemia, can cause hair loss. Certain illnesses, conditions, and medications also can cause anemia. With anemia, hair goes into the resting phase of its growth cycle, when hair is shed, resulting in generalized hair loss. Correcting the iron or vitamin B-12 deficiencies can usually stop the hair loss, he says. Foods that are rich in both iron and B-12 include organ meats like liver and kidneys, oily fish like salmon and halibut, and beans, especially kidney, soy, and garbanzo.
2. Test your thyroid
Thyroid and other hormone imbalances also can cause hair loss, Dr. Hibberd says. A TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) blood test that a primary-care physician might do can look for this, and an endocrinologist can more thoroughly investigate. Mineral deficiencies, most commonly magnesium, selenium, and silica, cause hair loss, according to Dr. David Brownstein, Newsmax Health contributor. Silica can be an important supplement for anyone suffering from hair loss, he says.
3. Check your medicines
Considering the number of people who take prescriptions, medication-induced hair loss can be common, says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Beer, a contributor to Newsmax Health. You can determine whether your hair loss is related to any medication you are taking by discontinuing it and seeing if the condition stops. But be sure not to stop taking a prescription drug without first consulting your doctor who prescribed it.
4. Eat well, reduce stress
A well-balanced diet full of essential vitamins and minerals, and good overall health are important for maintaining healthy hair, says The Hair Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes hair health and education. Stress, weight gain or loss, a change in diet, and deficiencies in any of the body’s essential vitamins and minerals can cause hair loss, as well as impact the health of your scalp and hair growth rate. What’s more, extreme physical and emotional stress can cause hair loss for up to three months after the trauma, says Dr. Hibberd.
5. Finasteride
Finasteride, marketed under the name Propecia, is an oral daily medication available only by prescription. Finasteride blocks an enzyme in the hair follicle that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, the hormone that causes hair loss. Finasteride works in slowing the loss of hair in almost all men and stimulating the growth of new hair in some men, according to The Hair Foundation.
However, it’s apparently not without side effects. An analysis of research published last fall in the Archives of Dermatology found that one in 80 men who took finasteride experienced erectile dysfunction. They also reported an increase in hair count and hair thickness, and were not more likely to stop taking the drug, according to Reuters Health.
"It seems that most men taking this drug really prefer to have hair," study author Dr. José Manuel Mella of the Hospital Alemán in Buenos Aires told Reuters Health.
6. Minoxidil
Minoxidil, available over the counter and marketed as Rogaine, is a topical solution applied to the scalp. It’s available in 2 percent and 5 percent strengths, and the higher strength has been shown to be better at promoting new growth and slowing hair loss in both men and women, according to The Hair Foundation. It’s not recommended for women who are pregnant or nursing because not enough is known about its effects.
The way the drug works is not exactly understood, according to MayoClinic.com. Hair growth usually occurs after minoxidil has been used for several months and continues for as long as the drug is used. After treatment is stopped, hair loss will start again a few months later.
7. Surgery
Four surgical procedures are available for hair restoration and they all involve moving active hair follicles from a hair-rich part of the scalp to a thinning area, according to The Hair Foundation. While all the treatments have proven to be successful, transplantation is the most widely used because of the natural look it achieves, the foundation says. In addition to hair transplant, the treatments include scalp reduction, scalp expansion, and scalp flap transfer.
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