Thinning Hair

Hair is man's crowning glory and some people are willing to spend thousands of dollars to avoid thinning hair that eventually could lead to baldness. Because the hair is one of the most visible parts of the body, it is important that the hair is thick, styled-well, and nourished to keep it against baldness and to give a good impression to other people. In other countries, certain hair styles define the status of the person sporting it, while in some tribes, bald women are considered sexy and beautiful. Thinning hair men are often subjects to ridicule and jokes so people shell out money to buy vitamins for thinning hair, hoping that they can bring back the health of the hair and keep it growing once again.

In most cases, thinning hair is a normal part of the aging process. Older men get thinning hair because their bodies have stopped producing hormones that protect the scalp from DHT or dihydrotestosterone. DHT forms in the scalps and then blocks the hair follicles, preventing the flow of sebum, the oil that nourishes the hair and acts as natural conditioner. When sebum is blocked, the hair will eventually lost its source of nourishment and stop growing. When not immediately addressed, DHT further destroys the hair follicles that will then cause hair loss. Thinning hair is not just limited to women because the problem of thinning hair women has also been the subject of various scientific studies to determine why some women get thinning hair.  


Male pattern hair loss, or scientifically known as androgenic alopecia, is one of the most common form of thinning hair among the guys. It is characterized by thinning of the hair in a specific area of the head that eventually results to baldness and transparent scalps. Scientific studies point to the genes as the culprit in this most common form of baldness. Majority of men who suffer from male pattern hair loss were found to have fathers, grandfathers, and relatives who also have this type of hair problem. It is therefore best to see a hair doctor at an early age if you have folks and relatives who have this kind of hair loss so you can be prescribed with the best shampoo for thinning hair at an early stage.

Thinning hair, baldness, and hair loss are not considered as life-threatening. Even hair experts claim thinning hair is a normal aging process that cannot be prevented in most cases. These reasons maybe acceptable to other people but most of those who can not accept that their hair is slowly fading away and their hairline is receding suffer from depression and distress that could  eventually lead to serious illnesses. While it is considered normal, getting a thinning hair can be very embarrassing especially during class and family reunions – where people can easily spot the difference in your current hair style from that of, say, 20 years ago.

Psychological effects of thinning hair is even more evident in women, where baldness and hair loss are not very common. Thinning hair usually takes place on the back portion of the head while the frontal part is always retained in women. What used to be a problem for men, thinning hair is now affecting at least 30 million women in the United States alone, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. In most cases, hair loss in women is a result of pregnancy, diet, stress, and chronic illnesses.

People who are under medication and taking strong medicines can also get thinning hair due to the toxicity of the drugs they are taking in. In most cancer patients, thinning hair is a result of radiation therapy and the effect is not just on the head but also on all of the parts where hair grows. However, this type of hair loss and thinning hair is just temporary and, in most cases, hair gets back to its crowning glory a few months after the radiation therapy is stopped.

Stress is also one of the culprits in hair loss. Due to stress, the body produces increase level of testosterone that triggers the overproduction of sebum, that natural oil that passes through the hair follicle to nourish the hair by acting as natural conditioner. Due to overproduction of sebum, the follicle can get clogged and thus preventing the oil from getting to the hair. When the hair is not nourished naturally, it will stop growing and could eventually die.

In cases where thinning hair is not hereditary nor radiation-induced, early signs of falling hair must be a cause for alarm and should be enough reason to see a hair doctor immediately. Falling hair could be due to a person's allergy to certain shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, and other chemicals applied to the hair. Hair experts will immediately order you to stop using the shampoo you are currently using and try organic or treatment shampoos to address your problem of thinning hair. If not immediately addressed, hair fall could result to permanent baldness in the long run.

Preventing and reversing hair loss, however, continues to be a big challenge for scientists and hair experts because up to this time there is not commercially-available medicine that could prevent hair loss, although there are products that can contain and even control hair loss when it occurs. There are also natural remedies for hair loss but most the known natural treatment is only aimed at nourishing the hair and cleaning up the scalp and not really preventing hair loss, which in most cases is really a natural occurrence.

Thinning hair affects millions of people, regardless of gender and social status, around the world and millions of dollars have already been shelled out for products and treatments that can slow down the thinning of the hair but not really prevent it. If you have relatives or members of the families that are suffering from hair loss and receding hairline, it is best that you immediately see a hair doctor to address the problem when they occur.